Tuesday (6/30) on Variety.com, Gordon Cox reports, “The Metropolitan Opera and stagehands’ union Local One have struck a deal, postponing a promised salary increase this summer in exchange for an extra year on the current contract, with the raise to come a year from now. Met general manager Peter Gelb, who has worked to boost the opera’s profile through attention-getting initiatives including a popular series of cinema transmissions, had earlier stated that he hoped to get a 10% salary reduction out of the union in order to help manage costs during tough economic times. Local One, topped by James J. Claffey Jr., argued for a salary freeze versus a cut. In the contract originally set to expire July 31, 2010, union members were slated to get a 2.5% raise along with a .5% benefit boost on Aug. 1. Under the new deal, the raise has been pushed back a year and the benefit increase kicks in Jan. 1. The contract has been extended through July 31, 2011.”
Posted July 1, 2009
