Klarinet Archive - Posting 000540.txt from 1999/09

From: David Blumberg <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Phila Orch salaries
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 10:05:04 -0400

The Philadelphia Orchestra's 105 musicians were presented with details of a
new labor agreement yesterday that would give them a 17.6 percent raise
over five years, and a 10 percent boost in pensions. The deal, hammered out
early yesterday morning by musicians and management, is to be voted on by
the musicians tomorrow. Its approval has been recommended by the musicians'
negotiating committee. If passed, the orchestra would open its 100th
season, as planned, Wednesday night with music by Dvorak, Beethoven, Barber
and Schumann."I think it's a good settlement" said Bernard N. Katz, the
musicians' attorney. Orchestra president Joseph H. Kluger declined to
comment. Musicians leaving yesterday's meeting seemed generally pleased,
and many said they expected the pact to be approved. "I'm surprised" said
Jerome Wigler, a second violinist. "I think it's going to be all right."
Management of the orchestra had sought a longer-than-usual contract to
ensure a smooth transition to a new concert hall expected to open in
November 2001, and so labor peace could be touted to a potential new music
director. Management sought a six-year deal; players wanted a three-year
contract. A five-year compromise was reached. Besides the raises, which
bring the minimum base salary for a musician in the orchestra to $104,000
by Feb. 2004, players were granted modest increases in bonuses. Bonuses are
given for seniority, and can augment salaries by $2,340 to $7,020 annually
under the terms of the proposed contract. Moreover, the proposed pact would
give a $20-per-week bonus to any player not already receiving a bonus,
bringing the minimum salary in 2004 to $105,040. The orchestra's principal
and other titled players are paid more than section players, and negotiate
salaries individually. In addition, the proposed pact calls for pensions to
be increased from $50,000 to $55,000 by 2004, and commits the orchestra to
hiring a 13th violist. Asked whether there were any provisions in the
contract that would give musicians a greater role in the running of the
orchestra's administration (as was the case in the contract approved in
1996), Katz said there were no bells and whistles "I'm talking about a
return to the days decades ago when the board responsibly fulfilled its
obligation to the public and the working musicians" he said. "Everyone has
agreed that the musicians deliver the best product in the world. It's now
up to the management of the orchestra to fulfill their responsibility of
being able to fill the halls and raise the money to which the best product
in the world is entitled."The minimum base pay in the Philadelphia
Orchestra's proposed contract exceeds that of the New York Philharmonic and
matches those of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony
Orchestra - at least for now. The Cleveland Orchestra's labor agreement
expired Sept. 5. But musicians there have agreed to open the season with a
concert Thursday night while negotiations continue. The contract for the
New York musicians expires in 2004.

David Blumberg
playit@-----.com
http://www.mytempo.com

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