 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-10-06 18:49
Depressing stuff, wanting musicians to take pay cut of over 25%
richard smith
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Author: Gregory Williams
Date: 2012-10-06 19:12
Richard,
As of October 1st, the Minnesota Orchestra musicians are locked out by the orchestra's management.
The management has insisted that 30-50% paycuts are necessary, along with 200 changes and redactions to the now expired collective bargaining agreement. This is while they are undertaking a $42 Million lobby renovation to Orchestra Hall, for which $52 million dollars was raised or pledged. We do not feel management mentioned their plans for these cuts to donors who pledged these funds toward the renovation, or mentioned that money could have been used elsewhere once the original $42 million was raised.
The musicians have asked for an independent financial analysis of the orchestra, which controls the sixth largest endowment of all US orchestras (approx $140 million), before raising $96 million of a $110 million capital campaign. The most current audited financial statements provided the musicians are from August of 2011, and the management refuses to provide a 2012-13 budget which was approved by the board of directors.
If you would like more information, you can visit the Musicians' webpage at:
www.minnesotaorchestramusicians.org
or you can find us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusiciansOfTheMinnesotaOrchestra
Sincerely,
Greg Williams
Associate Principal & Eb Clarinet
Minnesota Orchestra
Post Edited (2012-10-06 20:48)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-10-07 16:10
Good luck, you guys.
I hear that the Spokane Symphony (which already plays far above its pay-grade) is proposing a 23% salary cut.
What sort of compensation do the "managers" at your orchestra get?
Bob Phillips
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Author: puffball
Date: 2012-10-07 20:14
There's extensive and useful analysis of the situation and commentary at the Song of the Lark blog (http://songofthelark.wordpress.com/), if you're interested.
As an accomplished amateur musician and a longtime Minnesota Orchestra patron, I have a natural tendency to sympathize with the musicians. That said, I'd like to be "fair" in my estimation of the situation, but everything management has done in the last couple of months has further alienated me (and a lot of others) from their position.
Best wishes to you and your colleagues, Greg. I get so much out of your performances every year. You all deserve so much better from your managers than you're getting right now.
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