In a Letter to the Editor published Monday (12/12) in the Cincinnati Enquirer, League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen writes, “All Cincinnatians can be proud of the new, innovative agreement between the musicians and management of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra that ensures seamless operation of one of America’s finest performing arts organizations. As a veteran of such negotiations, I can assure you that this landmark agreement is among the most instrumental to date in America and is justifiably being greeted with supportive shouts of ‘Bravo’ from near and far. … In stark contrast to too many modern labor negotiations (take the NBA near-meltdown, for example), the CSO negotiations demonstrated that it is still possible to achieve common goals in the face of really tough issues when the talks revolve around harmony, not acrimony, as a means to an end. … At the end of the day, both the management and musicians recognized there were no easy answers for meeting compensation requirements and funding the orchestra’s frozen pension plan. But each group worked hard to find what could easily have been elusive solutions. The musicians deferred increases, the Board adopted disciplined financial policies, and this collaborative approach was endorsed with a generous gift from long-time patron (dubbed an ‘angel’ by more than one observer), Louise Dieterle Nippert.”
Posted December 14, 2011
