“The South Bend Symphony Orchestra Association has worked out a new three-year contract agreement with its musicians,” writes Ed Semmler in Thursday’s (10/4) South Bend Tribune (IN). “The new contract with the Michiana Federation of Musicians runs through June 30, 2021, and calls for raises ranging from 4.1 percent to 10.2 percent for the 76 musicians under contract. The largest portion of the increase is effective immediately with the musicians receiving 1 percent raises each of the final two years of the contract. The SBSO and the federation employed a practice called interest-based bargaining as well as a federal mediator … said Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev, SBSO executive director. It is the second time the technique, which seeks mutually beneficial solutions, was used to negotiate a contract with the musicians. ‘As a regional per-service orchestra, we are in constant competition for the talent and time of our musicians,’ Rakhmatullaev said…. ‘Based on the priorities identified by both parties, in a collaborative spirit, we came up with a creative plan to raise the wages, especially those of the section players.’ SBSO officials thanked the union and the negotiating team for the open dialogue that resulted in the new contract.”
Posted October 5, 2018
