If you live in the Detroit
There has been a lot written about the strike, about the musician’s demands as well as the management’s side.
The key issue, as far as I am concerned, was the ability to face reality. Yes, we had a world class orchestra for many but we also had a lot of wealthy donors and wealthy corporate donors and many of them, due to our economic downturn, are now POOR or too poor to be supporting a world class orchestra. Ticket sales (which have fallen steadily) don’t support the orchestra; wealthy donors do as well as contributions from the state of Michigan
The musicians did not seem to comprehend that reality; they wanted more money and more benefits as befitting a world class orchestra; they did not seem to understand that Detroit could no longer afford a world class orchestra or, for that matter, even a plain ole’ Detroit orchestra.
Negotiations went back and forth and both side stuck to their guns until some percussionists quit and took jobs with other orchestras and management decided to just call an end to the season…period.
At this point, orchestra members quickly voted to return to work without a contract (keep the old one in place?) BUT they wanted BINDING ARBITRATION.
That means that whatever three arbitrators agree is a “fair” contract, become binding on both parties; a legal contract. Arbitrators would be chosen by the musicians, management and one chosen by the two chosen arbitrators.
My blood pressure has been on the rise with all the union shit going around right now that this particular musician’s union issue should only have one answer: eat shit!
The binding arbitration provision that many union contracts have should be absolutely outlawed from now on. The provision ALWAYS favors the union because the arbitrators CANNOT take away from a proposal on the table, they can only add to the proposal therefore the union gets what it already agreed to plus…
This is another example of union intransigence but things are different now, management really does not have options…they have what money they have and that is it! In the Detroit Symphony’s case, they also have a loan (in the millions) that they need to service and therefore they cannot spend money they don’t have or promise musicians money that the creditors should be getting.
In other words, Detroit
No comments:
Post a Comment