In Wednesday’s (10/6) St. Petersburg Times (Florida), John Fleming writes, “The Florida Orchestra is opening the 2010-11 season this week with a revised musicians’ labor contract. Details have not been released by either the orchestra board and management or the musicians, but the bottom line will be less income for the musicians. ‘We approached the musicians about a revision to the existing contract, and they agreed,’ said Michael Pastreich, president of the orchestra, who declined to elaborate on Wednesday. Essentially, the contract revision will mean that the base salary for orchestra members will be $24,500 for 24 weeks of work during this season and 2011-12. That’s a reduction from what had been planned, a 31-week season with minimum annual salary of $28,800. Some youth and parks concerts are likely to be canceled. The contract changes, which orchestra musicians ratified in a vote before its first rehearsal on Tuesday, and other budget cuts were inevitable. In the fiscal year that ended on June 30, the orchestra had a substantial deficit—as much as $750,000, Pastreich said in an interview in September. Those figures have not yet been released.”
Photo by Lori Ballard
Posted October 7, 2010
