Hartford: It's over but it's not pretty.

Not much of a party...

As I previously predicted, the labor relations stalemate has ended with the musicians caving in to the demands of management. Very little has changed in the eventual settlement and the players have made almost unconscionable concessions to keep the music playing.

The "boots on the ground" have come out in great number to report on the resolution.

Mara Lee

Mara Lee, who has made considerable and insightful contributions to this issue in the Hartford Courant, writes that Its money problems are not over, but the vote by Hartford Symphony Orchestra's board Tuesday – after musicians' vote Monday to accept significant wage cuts — means that a major institution will continue to be part of the region's cultural landscape. Some of the principals in the drawn out negotiations (which should have begun before the previous contract expired, not a year after) commented in Ms. Lee's article:

• Steve Wade, an oboist, said that some musicians cried as they spoke during four hours of discussion Sunday night, while others expressed anger, before voting on management's offer. He declined to say what the vote tally was, but said it was not unanimous. The vote reflects that we want to be on stage for a long time," Wade said.

• Stephen "Steve" Collins, Director of Artistic Operations and Administration: said the wage concessions will reduce what had been a projected $900,000 deficit in 2016 to about $500,000. He said management also has a plan to cut $350,000 in overhead and to raise an additional $350,000 annually. The orchestra raised $2.5 million last year. "This is definitely a challenge. We cannot do this alone. We need the community's support," Collins said. "This agreement we've come to conclusion with the AFM, it's not a silver bullet, it's one piece of the puzzle."

Steve Collins, a musician who
sold his soul to the Bushnell

The puzzling thing to me is Steve Collins himself. He come from a performance background, having played in the percussion section for a number of small time New England orchestras. As one of our readers recently commented, Steve Collins was hired largely for this purpose: to sit across the table and extract punitive cuts from people he should view as colleagues, brothers and sisters.Something in his career must have driven a wedge between himself and musicians.

Katie Pellico, Assignment Editor for WTNH, quotes from the musician's press release, Unfortunately, up to this point in time our management team has been unwilling to make a similar gesture, a fact that makes it much harder for us to accept the salary cuts that are demanded of us. If we do agree to these concessions, we need to see that the values of the management we work for are aligned with ours.

Really? I find that very difficult to believe....

An anonymous piece in the Courant is just plain idiocy; offering "Five Reasons to Be Happy the Hartford Symphony will play on, the article (editorial?) notes:

1. It's a win. A major Connecticut institution isn't shutting down.

2. We're No. 2. Obviously, we aren't Boston, but Hartford has the second-largest symphony in New England. [And that's something to brag about? "We're number two! We're number two!]

3. It's a lesson. The musicians are making painful concessions to preserve something good. State legislators ought to pay attention. [The author(s) obviously have another agenda here.] 

4. It's like the NFL playoffs."The Battle of the Batons" starts Thursday night. For four performances, the three finalists for assistant conductor will square off. [No, it's not like the NHL playoffs at all. This is insulting to the music and the musicians. Of course, the parent organization decided to call it a "Battle of the Batons," possibly in hopes of attracting all of those Bruins' fans.

5. It's a chance to something different. They're staying, so why not go? All student tickets start at $10. If you're under 40, Thursday evening Masterworks tickets start at $28. Rush tickets for senior citizens -- available an hour before the show -- are half price. [It's great music, offered by dedicated musicians. That why you go.]

Several things are still in flux, reports Hartford Business.com: The symphony has also committed to reducing expenses and increasing fundraising by $700,000, Collins said. He said that could be achieved in part by renegotiating vendor agreements and looking at employee efficiencies. He said those efficiencies do not include planned layoffs at this point. The remainder of the 2015-2016 symphony season will proceed as planned, Collins said. "There may be some modifications to specific programs", he added.

As a closing thought on this sad chapter in the lives of the orchestral musicians of Hartford, I must point readers to Drew McManus's recent post. He succinctly summarizes the aftermath: Although the concessionary settlement may be in place, the HSO’s greatest threat to long term sustainability remains unchecked; in particular, the relationship between the HSO and Bushnell Performing Arts Center (BPAC) and its influence on maximizing revenue.

Bushnell: the one-sided dalliance has to go

About David Fay, the Bushnell, and its role in this dispute, McManus states,

No One Can Serve Two Masters

As mutually exclusive 501(c)3 organizations, the HSO and BPAC compete for the same board and donor resources. In turn, the unearned income from those resources contributes to the majority of the orchestra’s revenue. In short, these are among the biggest chips in the revenue game.

The lynchpin in that board sourced revenue process is an institution’s CEO.

Although a nonprofit board is entrusted with the legal authority to hire, oversee, and hold a CEO accountable for results, the reality of that relationship plays out with less clarity.

Inside many nonprofit performing arts organizations, board members often lack enough direct nonprofit management expertise to carry out those duties effectively. As a result, the CEO tends to fill a dual role as someone who reports to the board, but also educates them on how the business operates.

Moreover, the CEO is also a key figure in recruiting the best available board talent and inspiring those individuals to maximize unearned income potential.

In the HSO’s case, installing a CEO that serves in the same position at what would otherwise be a competing institution invites a nothing short of a conflict of interest.

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The musicians are obviously the losers in the Battle of Hartford. The winner(s)? Look to the top.

Why, it's David Fay!