“Members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra demonstrated outside the Woodruff Arts Center on Tuesday in protest of the contract that management has offered,” writes Renee Starzyk on Tuesday (9/9) at the website of Atlanta’s CBS46 TV station. “Their current agreement expired on Saturday and musicians have been locked out. ‘We have now, just two years later, been locked out again with further cuts to our take home pay amounting to about six percent on the table,’ said Paul Murphy, president of the ASO Players Association. Murphy and other musicians said they took a 15 percent pay cut in 2012 and a 10-week furlough. ASO also reduced the size of the orchestra that year and is considering further cutbacks. Musicians said they understood the economy took a downturn a few years ago but pointed out that other orchestras across the country are starting to rebound and increase ticket sales…. A spokesperson for ASO management told CBS46 News that management negotiated in good faith for eight months…. [Randy] Donaldson said ASO has offered to bring in a federal mediator to help bring the two sides together…. No new talks were scheduled as of Tuesday.” The article includes a video link to CBS’s coverage of the protest.
Posted September 10, 2014
