In Tuesday’s (2/14) Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), Elizabeth Kramer writes, “Union leaders threatened Monday to withhold donations from the Fund for the Arts unless that group and Mayor Greg Fischer convene a special panel to resolve the nearly year-old dispute between the Louisville Orchestra and its musicians. The unions—including the Jefferson County Teachers Association, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the United Auto Workers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters—rallied Monday outside the Brown Theatre with the musicians, who have been without a contract since May 31. About 100 union members and musicians attended the gathering, where Bill Londrigan, Kentucky State AFL-CIO president, cited a report written recently by orchestra industry consultant Henry Fogel that states that the ‘Fund for the Arts, ideally in cooperation with the mayor, should convene a blue-ribbon committee to examine all aspects of the situation regarding the orchestra and should be empowered to make recommendations on a future course of action.’ ‘We urge the Fund for the Arts to acknowledge and accept the conclusions of Mr. Fogel,’ Londrigan said. Fogel was president of the Chicago Symphony for 18 years and is a former president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras.”
Posted February 16, 2012
