In Friday’s (10/7) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin writes, “Management and musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra announced Thursday a tentative agreement for a new labor contract, but don’t lift a glass of opening-night champagne just yet. A ‘host of minor issues’ remained to be worked out in the 200-page labor pact, Philadelphia Orchestra Association lawyer Lawrence G. McMichael said in U.S. Bankruptcy Court Thursday. ‘The process of getting through the minutiae’ is ongoing, and a deal is expected to be in the hands of musicians to consider in the next day or so, McMichael told Judge Eric L. Frank. The goal is to have a tentative agreement before the orchestra board for a vote Tuesday, with a union ratification vote Wednesday, McMichael said. … Not known yesterday was whether a settlement plan would draw objections from creditors or other parties. Chief among those likely to object is the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund, which has said it intends to pursue litigation if the new musicians’ contract does not retain the fund as the retirement plan for musicians.”
Posted October 7, 2011
