Collateral Damage

Yesterday’s post about the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) $1.75 million pension obligation settlement with the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) generated some intriguing feedback. In particular, one comment stands out in that it brings up some relevant issues regarding how all of this may impact other orchestras that are part of the Fund.

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Debt Is Only The Beginning

The 4/25/2012 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article by Peter Dobrin that reports the dispute between the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) and the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) has officially come to a close. For those unaware, the AFM-EPF had been screaming bloody murder that the POA owed as much as $35 million for exiting from the fund. Consequently, it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that AFM-EFP ended up settling for $1.75 million.

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Compensation Déjà vu Philly Style

It is worth noting that the current brouhaha over the Philadelphia Orchestra Association’s (POA) decision to extend President and CEO Allison Vulgamore’s contract for three years along with a list of perks and restored bonuses isn’t the first time the organization caught heat over executive compensation. In 2004, the POA (led by former board chair Richard Smoot) decided to award then President Joe Kluger with a $10,000 raise while simultaneously cutting staff and pushing hard for musician concessions.

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