“The more than 70 musicians who play in the Cape Symphony have voted to unionize five years after a similar effort failed by a narrow margin,” writes Sean F. Driscoll in Thursday’s (1/12) Cape Cod Times (Mass.). “The 48-25 vote makes them members of the American Federation of Musicians, which covers 80,000 musicians in the United States and Canada. The results of the mail-in ballot to the National Labor Relations Board were released Wednesday, said Patrick Hollenbeck, president of the Boston Musicians’ Association, the AFM local that covers the Cape and Islands…. The symphony and the Cape Conservatory merged in 2010 to form Cape Arts and Entertainment. Hollenbeck said union members will now vote on a negotiating committee, which will take a survey of its members to determine which issues to address with the board. Ultimately, the two sides will work toward a collective bargaining agreement.” Said Douglas MacDonald, chairman of the Cape Arts and Entertainment board, “We have every confidence that our past, direct interactions with the orchestra members were fair and effective and that the relationship between management and the orchestra was constructive. We know our colleagues in the symphony share our commitment to enhancing the arts and music community on Cape Cod.”
Posted January 17, 2017
Photo of Cape Symphony by Jerome Karter
