Striking musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra received an additional bravo after their successful self-produced concert October 10. As they left the stage they learned that internationally acclaimed violin soloist Sarah Chang, who had agreed to perform a replacement concert for symphony management, had canceled.
The Detroit musicians had been planning to picket the event.
Management immediately attempted to characterize Ms. Chang’s cancellation as the result of threats and intimidation from American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 5. Most of the main media articles reflected this bias.
In fact, days preceding her scheduled appearance, Chang’s Facebook page contained at least a hundred pleas and requests from musicians and sympathizers around the United States that she cancel. Eloquent letters from top union musicians and officers asked Chang to stand in solidarity with thousands of professional musicians in America and throughout the world by declining the performance.
Laurie Niles, for example, wrote on Violinist.com: “This is a major action with lasting symbolism. Instead of standing in solidarity with her fellow musicians, she would be standing against them, working in place of striking workers…. People don’t enter into strikes lightly. They put their livelihoods on the line when they agree to a strike; and they do it in the spirit that a united effort will help all.”
After Chang’s cancellation, her Facebook page was inundated with hundreds of messages expressing thanks and gratitude.
October 11 marked the beginning of the second week of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians’ strike. At a mediation meeting on October 2, two days before the strike began, musician negotiators offered to make adjustments in their final concessionary offer if management would also commit to adjusting its position. The mediators reported that management refused to make any change.
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This left Proposal B on the table—the offer management said it was imposing on the musicians, thereby forcing the strike. Local 5 has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB over management’s refusal to bargain in good faith.
Proposal B reduces the orchestra’s 52-week working season to 33 weeks, cuts wages by 32 percent, reduces the size of the orchestra from 96 to 85 musicians, freezes pension plans, sharply reduces health care benefits, stipulates additional non-orchestra work for musicians at no additional pay, eliminates musicians’ tenure and job security provisions, and minimizes musicians’ participation in artistic decisions.
The inevitable result of accepting Proposal B would be to downgrade the Detroit Symphony from one of the nation’s premier orchestras to a regional ensemble.
Ironically, the musicians are striking to defend their final offer of a 22 percent wage cut --but with a wage recovery over two years that would partially return the orchestra to its current status. The musicians’ final offer, in their view, would at least offer some hope for retaining major orchestra status for the Detroit Symphony, especially if a competent management can be put in place.
The musicians maintain that, on top of Michigan’s rocky economy, the ineptness of current management has caused many of the symphony’s difficulties. For example, a faulty financing of the $60 million Max M. Fisher Music Center in 2003 continues to drain the symphony budget of far more money than the difference in bargaining positions between musicians and management.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians have more strike concerts planned. Musicians and stagehands donate their services for these concerts and proceeds go toward paying negotiating and strike expenses. Details of the concerts and news of the ongoing strike can be found here.
Doug Cornelsen, clarinetist, is vice president of the Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local 5.
This is a GREAT Article!! I mean you hear so much about the Auto Workers and Teachers Striking that you forget that other job industries have labor disputes just like everyone else. Thanks a million for enlightening me on this subject matter.
