In Wednesday’s (3/2) Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker reports, “The striking musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra today offered to return to work—if management agrees to a binding-arbitration process before a three-judge panel. … Under the proposal, the musicians and management each would select an arbiter, and those two people would select the third judge. All of the unresolved issues in the strike—including base pay and work rules governing public outreach work—would be argued in front of the panel. The two sides would be bound by the finding of the majority. The panel could agree with one side or the other or propose compromise measures. … It’s not certain whether [the musicians] would be bound by the terms of the contract management implemented in September that triggered the strike or by the more generous terms of the final offer the musicians rejected on Feb. 19. [Musicians’ spokesman and principal French horn Karl] Pituch said that issue would have to be negotiated, but that the musicians did not anticipate it being a stumbling block. … ‘We’re very encouraged by today’s unanticipated announcement and welcome receiving the union’s proposal so we can discuss the details under which the musicians would return to work,’ management said in a statement.”
Posted March 2, 2011
