In Thursday’s (9/6) Star-Tribune (Minneapolis), Graydon Royce writes, “After months of quiet labor talks, the brass at the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra took their disputes with musicians public Wednesday, announcing big financial shortfalls they say require major cost cutting. The Minnesota Orchestra’s management posted to its website details of its proposal to union musicians last spring, including a call for a 28 percent musicians’ pay cut. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra faces ‘up to $1 million’ in deficits, according to a letter from SPCO president Dobson West. He asked musicians to ‘be part of the solution’ during talks leading up to Sept. 30, when the current contract expires. Minnesota Orchestra’s principal trombonist Doug Wright, a veteran negotiator, called all this public disclosure ‘unprecedented,’ adding that musicians are ‘extremely disappointed and rather confused by what happened today.’ … ‘We’ve had a lot of questions externally,’ said Michael Henson, president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra, ‘and we’ve felt that with a month to go, without having received a counterproposal from the musicians, that we should share this information.’ … West, of the SPCO, said in a letter to patrons that ‘musicians’ salaries and benefits comprise the single largest expense item in the SPCO budget.’ … Meanwhile, the musicians at both orchestras have launched websites, hired public relations professionals and taken their good will to the public with free concerts.”
Posted September 6, 2012
