In Sunday’s (9/2) Indianapolis Business Journal, Dan Human reports, “The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s management and musicians failed to reach a new contract before their current deal expired Sunday night, and the parties aren’t expected to meet again until mid-September. The two sides did not resume negotiations after a bargaining session extended into Thursday evening. ‘I really don’t know what’s going to happen,’ said Richard Graef, chairman of the ISO musicians’ negotiating committee. The union has balked at management’s push to cut back musicians’ 52-week contracts to 38 weeks, among other budgetary moves. Jackie Groth, the ISO’s interim CEO, and John Thornburgh, chairman of the board of directors, told the IBJ on Friday that the organization would continue operating year-round but would use outside artists for some performances, much as it does the last few weeks of its Symphony on the Prairie series every summer. ISO executives said they want to reduce musicians’ annual pay by 40.8 percent and cut the orchestra’s size from 87 positions to 69. … That proposal called for more than $1.4 million in savings, the same amount musicians had previously proposed in the first year of a five-year agreement. Graef said management did not respond to the union’s proposal by the 11:59 p.m. Saturday deadline set by musicians. … Management last week gave the union until Sept. 7 to accept the steeper cuts. Otherwise, the ISO said it would cancel the first two weeks of its season and provide exchanges to anyone who purchased tickets.”
Posted September 4, 2012
