In Wednesday’s (9/11) Backstage, Sean J. Miller reports, “A brouhaha between the San Francisco Ballet and its dancers union could reverberate in upcoming labor negotiations around the country. The American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents the San Francisco Ballet dancers, considers these talks—which are being conducted with a federal mediator—a touchstone for future negotiations. The sticking point between the parties is a cost-of-living increase. The ballet’s management, according to the union, wants wages frozen for at least the first year of the three-year deal on the table. The union says that’s unacceptable, given how expensive San Francisco is to live in. ‘We’re going to take the position every place that when the singers are the product or the dancers are the product they deserve better than anyone else,’ said Alan Gordon, national executive director of AGMA. … ‘Orchestras have always been paid better than opera singers or ballet dancers, and we think that’s wrong,’ he said. ‘People don’t go to the ballet to hear the orchestra. They go to the ballet to see the dancers.’ … ‘We honor the dancers’ right to union representation, and our history with AGMA is long and mutually respectful,’ Glenn McCoy, executive director of the San Francisco Ballet, told Backstage. ‘We welcome a mediation with AGMA and are finalizing some mutually agreeable times in September to continue talks.’ ”
Posted September 13, 2013
