With each passing week, the situation at the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) continues to resemble many of the characteristics defined by Scorched Earth Governance In 10 Easy Steps. The only curious aspect of this situation is the WCO has yet to indicate that the organization is having any sort of financial difficulty…
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Madison’s Red Herring Special
When considering historical reasons behind work stoppages in the orchestra business, what comes to mind are intense disagreements on financial compensation and/or work rules, impending financial impasse, entrenched positions among stakeholders, attempts to implement sizeable budget cuts, etc. After the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) announced they were cancelling their 2/27/2009 Masterworks concert due to what the organization defined as the musicians rejecting their latest contract offer, it seemed the two sides must have these sorts of disagreements. However, the reality may be very different…
Something Doesn’t Smell Right In Madison
After making steady progress on months of contentious negotiations, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) issued a press release on January 30, 2009 announcing they were cancelling an upcoming February concert nearly a month away. According to the PR, the reason for the cancellation is because the Musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra negotiation committee rejected provisions in the WCO’s latest negotiation offer. However, additional details in the WCO’s PR come across as smelling a bit off…
Negotiation News From Wisconsin
According to statements from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) and the Musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the organization is planning to present their Holiday Pops Concert scheduled for November 29 and 30, 2008. WCO musicians have been on strike since the beginning of October but both sides agreed to presenting the holiday concerts due to progress made in recent bargaining sessions…
Wisconsin Musicians File Unfair Labor Practice Charge
On 10/21/2008, the Musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board against the association for failing to bargain in good faith…