“Musicians with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Thursday unanimously rejected the latest management proposal of wage cuts,” writes Mara Lee in Friday’s (1/8) Hartford Courant (Connecticut). “Although Stephen Collins, the HSO’s director of artistic operations and administration … said that the union’s latest offer of $750,000 in wage cuts over four years, didn’t ‘begin to address the depth of the financial crisis,’ both sides said they are willing to continue negotiating…. A major sticking point between the 85 musicians and management has been the HSO’s insistence on reducing the guaranteed number of performances and rehearsals for the orchestra’s 33 core musicians…. Collins has said that the amount of work guaranteed in the contract to the core musicians is unsustainable…. Michael Pollard, a violinist and negotiating committee member for the American Federation of Musicians, Local 400 … said the latest proposal not only cut work for the core musicians by 38 percent, but also included cuts to the other 50 part-time musicians.… On Wednesday, Collins said management has told the union that if there wasn’t an agreement in place by Jan. 15, the only decision left is to determine ‘exactly how we proceed in shutting down the organization.’ ”
Posted January 8, 2016
