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| This city ought to be able to afford its orchestra |
Several very smart and dedicated people have worked for more than a year on a new labor agreement between the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association and its musicians, aiming to continue world-class symphonic music performances begun more than a century ago.
It hasn’t worked. The musicians have gone on strike, and the orchestra’s season-opening performances last weekend were canceled....
The musicians, represented by Local 72-147 of the American Federation of Musicians, are still smarting from a 13.5 percent pay cut they accepted in 2010 to help the FWSO weather the effects of the Great Recession. (Wasn't the nation in the midst of an economic comeback by 2010?)
While frequent references to that cut might help gain public sympathy, that money is gone and won’t come back.
The union negotiating committee worked with association managers and a federal negotiator to develop a new contract offer. Although the committee recommended approval, the musicians rejected it “overwhelmingly,” union representatives said.
The two sides portray the numbers differently, but the rejected four-year contract contained pay cuts in the first year followed by slight increases in later years, putting the musicians a little above their current salaries — which average $62,000 plus health benefits — by the fourth year.
It’s hard to imagine that such an offer, or something very much like it, isn’t the best the musicians can get. Still, they’ve made their position clear.
These smart and dedicated people could be talking about the end of the FWSO.
Is the editorial implying that the musicians are the "smart and dedicated people"? Management all to easily forgets that stakeholders (i.e. the butts in the seats) come to concerts to hear the music. Give them a quality product and they'll be there. Expand outreach beyond the "usual suspects" in the donor pool, and the funds will be forthcoming.
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| Gary Wortel |
Something that is missing in this one-sided media war (circus?) is an important fact: Star-Telegram Publisher Gary Wortel is a member of the FWSO Board of Directors. So, just like we saw in Minnesota so few short years ago, the Board controls the local media......but not all of it.
The Dallas Morning News has offered a much more comprehensive look at the situation. While reiterating the company line, it has offered a different perspective from the side of the musicians themselves:
We want our audiences and the citizens of Fort Worth to know how much we regret that we are forced to take this extreme step," said Julie Vinsant, a bassist and member of the musicians' negotiating committee. "We call on our management to come back to the table so that we can continue providing great music for our great city. We are very thankful for your continuing steadfast support....
Read the entire article for the whole story.
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