In Saturday’s (12/4) Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina), Adam Parker writes, “Musicians demanding the immediate resignation of Charleston Symphony Orchestra board members and the right to nominate new members have received a quick response from symphony officials, made available late Friday evening. On Thursday, members of the local American Federation of Musicians offered to drop their legal complaint against the symphony organization, forgoing nearly $440,000 in back wages and benefits, in exchange for new board leadership and more influence in the governance of the symphony. ‘The settlement would include the immediate resignations of (symphony) board president Ted Legasey and board bargaining committee chair Marty Klaper and the appointment of 10 new board members from the community nominated by the Charleston Symphony musicians,’ a release states. … At a quickly assembled meeting Friday evening, board members did agree that ‘an orderly leadership transition should take place to provide a fresh start,’ Legasey said, though he denied that the board had acted incorrectly by suspending operations in March. … ‘We believe the (symphony) board operated correctly when it suspended operations rather than causing people to work when we knew we could not pay them,’ Legasey said.”
Posted December 6, 2010