Woodruff Wins Concessions In ASO Labor Dispute

In the eleventh hour of an ultimatum from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and their parent board, Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), insisting that musicians accept a sharply concessionary agreement or face five weeks of canceled events (including a Carnegie Hall appearance), the ASO musicians acquiesced and accepted the full range of terms in their employer’s last, best, and final offer.

Atlanta Musicians Locked Out

According to a 9/4/2012 press statement from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association (ASOPA), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), by way of their parent organization the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), has cancelled musician healthcare benefits, thereby initiating a work stoppage by means of lockout.

Is No News Good News In Atlanta?

The clock is ticking as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) approaches what the musicians have claimed is the deadline delivered to them by management to reach an agreement or be locked out. ASO management has denied those claims and at the time this article was published, there have been no new reports or press statements from either side on the matter.

Back To The Future In Atlanta

Many thanks to a regular Adaptistration reader (you know who you are) for sending along a link to an article from 2/21/2012 at EarRelevant, a blog by Lux Nova Press music publisher that contains a lengthy interview with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) President, Stanley E. Romanstein. Titled In Times of Transition: A Conversation with Stanley Romanstein, it is particularly interesting when viewed through perspective of the current labor dispute.

Only Three Options In Atlanta?

The 8/15/2012 edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution published an article by Howard Pousner that reports on the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) labor negotiations. Of particular interest is a quote from ASO president Stanley Romanstein who denied threatening musicians with a lockout and instead outlined three possible scenarios if both sides fail to reach an agreement by the contract’s expiration date.