Negotiations

Can PSO Maintain Status If Salaries Don’t Hit High Note?

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Or so goes the headline for Andrew Druckenbrod’s article in the 8/22/08 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In the article, Andrew examines the current Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the orchestra’s finances, and how well (or not so well) the organization has done keeping up base musician salary compared to its peers. The short answer to Andrew’s headline question is simple: no. At least that answer is simple …

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Unfair Labor Charges Filed In Columbus

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Musicians of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) filed unfair labor practice charges the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Inc. claiming that the organization is violating the collective bargaining agreement between the Union and the Board by locking out the Musicians of the CSO on June 1, 2008 and for failing to bargain in good faith with the Union in an effort to negotiate a successor agreement for next season. A copy of the …

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Ignorance, Thy Name Is Columbus

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Recently, a colleague pointed out a comment posted by Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) trustee, Sheldon A. Taft in response to Janelle Gelfand’s June article in the Wall Street Journal about the ongoing problems in the CSO. Taft’s response to Gelfand’s article, although passionate, only serves to reinforce that the CSO executive board and trustees are suffering from a debilitating case of ignorance with regard to their current problems…

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In Columbus, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

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Or more accurately, a picture is worth around 1,500 patrons. Regard less of the fact that the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) executive board decided to cancel summer concerts due in part to the possibility of low turnout, the CSO musicians have successfully demonstrated that there is ample interest in summer programs. The photo to your right shows the approximately 1,500 in attendance at the 7/11/2008 concert given by CSO musicians. For …

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Beadle? Pot? Kettle?

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In case you haven’t been keeping up with the latest news coming out of Columbus, the Columbus Dispatch published some articles about developments in the mediated negotiations. In particular, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) rejected the latest proposal from management that would have required the musicians to assist in firing music director Junichi Hirokami, who has been a vocal proponent of the musicians and equally critical of the CSO’s executive board…

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