In Wednesday’s (5/29) Oregonian (Portland), David Stabler reports that musicians of the Oregon Symphony “agreed this week to forgo $315,000 in pay, in an effort to balance the budget by June 30. Faced with a budget gap foreseen last October, symphony officials asked the musicians to waive their annual, end-of-season payment, the equivalent of two-and a half weeks of salary. In addition to losing the pay bump, the musicians agreed to waive a 2.6 percent salary increase for next season, shaving $80,000 off next season’s expenses. ‘It’s frustrating, but we want to be as reasonable as we can afford to be,’ said violinist Greg Ewer. … ‘I am supportive of the desire to live within our means,’ said Jeffrey Work, principal trumpet, ‘but my real wish for our organization is that we thrive within our means for years to come.’ … Last October, the Oregon Symphony cut three administrative positions and reduced salaries by 4 percent for 22 of 33 staff members who received pay above a certain baseline. The orchestra has been without a president since Elaine Calder resigned in August. The $315,000 in musicians’ pay will not close the budget gap, said Jim Fullan, a symphony spokesman, but he declined to describe the size of the gap.”
Posted May 29, 2013
