FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November, 2014
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION,
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORHCESTRA AND THE WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER
COMPLETE NEW FOUR-YEAR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
70TH Anniversary Season To Begin November 13, 2014 With
Music Director Robert Spano Conducting Orchestra and Chorus
The 70th anniversary season of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will open on Thursday, November 13, after the Orchestra’s musicians and management came to terms on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement this week.
Robert Spano, Music Director of the ASO, will conduct the Orchestra and Chorus performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with David Coucheron on November 13 and 15.
The new agreement was reached Thursday after lengthy negotiation sessions between the musicians and management with mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services. The agreement was approved by the Woodruff Arts Center’s Governing Board and ratified by the membership of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association over the last two days.
“We are thrilled we have been able to reach agreement with the musicians,” said Virginia A. Hepner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Woodruff Arts Center. “Over the last several difficult weeks of negotiations, both sides recognized that we all share the same goals and aspirations – we all want a world class orchestra that the musicians and city are proud of and one that has long-term financial stability. We believe this new agreement is one that will allow us to achieve those goals.”
“This agreement brings the restoration of a harmonious relationship within everyone's grasp based on work we must do together to restore missing positions in the Orchestra while stabilizing and advancing the financial position of the Woodruff Arts Center and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,” said Paul Murphy, ASO Associate Principal Violist and President of the Musicians’ negotiating team.
The new agreement calls for a six percent pay increase for the musicians over the four years; participation by the musicians in a new high-deductible healthcare plan, which will include increased premium contributions by the musicians and additionally provides substantial savings to the ASO; an initial complement of 77 musicians in year one, a goal of 81 musicians in year two and a commitment to 84 musicians by the end of year three and 88 musicians by the end of year four.
“Both sides made significant concessions during these negotiations, and we are grateful for the musicians’ willingness to work with us to reach a new agreement,” Ms. Hepner said. “While completion of the agreement is wonderful news, the reality is that the hard work begins now. Together we must find new, compelling ways to engage the community to assure the support the Symphony needs. We must work together with Music Director Robert Spano and our musicians to get more people in Symphony Hall and more donors willing to support our extraordinary Orchestra. We are confident we can make that happen.”
“We have already seen proof of that support from the Board of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Their commitment over the last few weeks to provide the Orchestra with additional, extraordinary financial support gave us important flexibility as we finalized the new agreement. The Board deserves the gratitude of everyone who loves the Orchestra.”
“We are grateful and humbled by the incredible outpouring of support displayed for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from our community as well as across the country and around the world. The unwavering support for the Musicians and the ASO as an institution by both Music Director Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles, Principal Guest Conductor of the ASO, never can be fully expressed in words, but we are grateful to have such inspiring artistic leaders both on and off the stage,” added Danny Laufer, ASO Associate Principal Cellist and Vice-President of the Musicians’ negotiating team.
“The Musicians especially appreciate WAC Chariman Doug Hertz’ personal efforts in the final days to bring this very difficult negotiation to a successful conclusion,” added Mr. Murphy.
Both Ms. Hepner and Mr. Murphy praised the work of Ms. Allison Beck, Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and Mr. Richard Giacolone, Commissioner of the FMCS.
“The mediation process was crucial in helping bring about this new agreement,” said Ms. Hepner. “We want to thank Ms. Beck and Mr. Giacolone for their tireless efforts during these last few weeks.”
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION,
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORHCESTRA AND THE WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER
COMPLETE NEW FOUR-YEAR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
70TH Anniversary Season To Begin November 13, 2014 With
Music Director Robert Spano Conducting Orchestra and Chorus
The 70th anniversary season of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will open on Thursday, November 13, after the Orchestra’s musicians and management came to terms on a new four-year collective bargaining agreement this week.
Robert Spano, Music Director of the ASO, will conduct the Orchestra and Chorus performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with David Coucheron on November 13 and 15.
The new agreement was reached Thursday after lengthy negotiation sessions between the musicians and management with mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services. The agreement was approved by the Woodruff Arts Center’s Governing Board and ratified by the membership of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association over the last two days.
“We are thrilled we have been able to reach agreement with the musicians,” said Virginia A. Hepner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Woodruff Arts Center. “Over the last several difficult weeks of negotiations, both sides recognized that we all share the same goals and aspirations – we all want a world class orchestra that the musicians and city are proud of and one that has long-term financial stability. We believe this new agreement is one that will allow us to achieve those goals.”
“This agreement brings the restoration of a harmonious relationship within everyone's grasp based on work we must do together to restore missing positions in the Orchestra while stabilizing and advancing the financial position of the Woodruff Arts Center and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,” said Paul Murphy, ASO Associate Principal Violist and President of the Musicians’ negotiating team.
The new agreement calls for a six percent pay increase for the musicians over the four years; participation by the musicians in a new high-deductible healthcare plan, which will include increased premium contributions by the musicians and additionally provides substantial savings to the ASO; an initial complement of 77 musicians in year one, a goal of 81 musicians in year two and a commitment to 84 musicians by the end of year three and 88 musicians by the end of year four.
“Both sides made significant concessions during these negotiations, and we are grateful for the musicians’ willingness to work with us to reach a new agreement,” Ms. Hepner said. “While completion of the agreement is wonderful news, the reality is that the hard work begins now. Together we must find new, compelling ways to engage the community to assure the support the Symphony needs. We must work together with Music Director Robert Spano and our musicians to get more people in Symphony Hall and more donors willing to support our extraordinary Orchestra. We are confident we can make that happen.”
“We have already seen proof of that support from the Board of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Their commitment over the last few weeks to provide the Orchestra with additional, extraordinary financial support gave us important flexibility as we finalized the new agreement. The Board deserves the gratitude of everyone who loves the Orchestra.”
“We are grateful and humbled by the incredible outpouring of support displayed for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from our community as well as across the country and around the world. The unwavering support for the Musicians and the ASO as an institution by both Music Director Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles, Principal Guest Conductor of the ASO, never can be fully expressed in words, but we are grateful to have such inspiring artistic leaders both on and off the stage,” added Danny Laufer, ASO Associate Principal Cellist and Vice-President of the Musicians’ negotiating team.
“The Musicians especially appreciate WAC Chariman Doug Hertz’ personal efforts in the final days to bring this very difficult negotiation to a successful conclusion,” added Mr. Murphy.
Both Ms. Hepner and Mr. Murphy praised the work of Ms. Allison Beck, Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and Mr. Richard Giacolone, Commissioner of the FMCS.
“The mediation process was crucial in helping bring about this new agreement,” said Ms. Hepner. “We want to thank Ms. Beck and Mr. Giacolone for their tireless efforts during these last few weeks.”
Remarks to ASO Board of Directors and WAC Leadership
By Paul Murphy, President of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association
November 17, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The tragically delayed Opening of the ASO’s 70th Season last week could not have been a more celebratory or exciting event -- two completely sold out concerts with our beloved Music Director and Chorus, excellent soloists, including the incomparable David Coucheron, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! The audience’s enthusiasm almost brought the house down. The mood and message could not have been more in contrast to that of the months that preceded it…perhaps the darkest hour for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, whose house was almost brought down in a very different and rancorous way that I think we all realize could and should have been avoided.
I have been thinking these last few days how reminiscent our situation has been to the kind of “near miss” which many of us have experienced at some point in our lives -- a close call on the highway; narrowly averted danger to a child; recovery from a personal near death experience; or pulling back just before making a terribly wrong split-second decision. The moments immediately following such an event fill us with an overwhelming sense of relief, and then gratitude for what we have and almost, unthinkably, lost. We have been to that brink with the ASO. We almost lost something incredibly precious to each of us in this room, a source of entertainment and enlightenment for tens of thousands of music lovers of all ages, backgrounds and social standing that it has taken many decades to build.
We are grateful for you and for what we have, and know you share our hope for better days. We also know that that is not enough – now, or ever again! We all need to commit to making it better -- our individual and corporate fundraising, our marketing and programming of concert offerings and new revenue opportunities that will excite our public, fostering broad awareness of the value our ASO brings to our citizens and to the stature of Atlanta as a major metropolitan and cultural center, communication within every level of our organization, and, key to it all, the vital task of finding the successful, knowledgeable, dynamic leader with the experience to advocate for and support our art form, to be the ASO’s next CEO.
We are truly thrilled by the public showing of support for Atlanta having a great Symphony Orchestra, and by the knowledge that we can achieve more than we have let ourselves believe possible. It will take all of us -- working, questioning, and advocating together, while the Orchestra is making great music -- to bring forth from the depths of the sacrifice and struggle that every one of us in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association has experienced during the last two years this new day for the ASO .
Together we can be an Atlanta Symphony that will be an even better ambassador, and brighter cultural star shining on Atlanta and the Southeast.
By Paul Murphy, President of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association
November 17, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The tragically delayed Opening of the ASO’s 70th Season last week could not have been a more celebratory or exciting event -- two completely sold out concerts with our beloved Music Director and Chorus, excellent soloists, including the incomparable David Coucheron, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! The audience’s enthusiasm almost brought the house down. The mood and message could not have been more in contrast to that of the months that preceded it…perhaps the darkest hour for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, whose house was almost brought down in a very different and rancorous way that I think we all realize could and should have been avoided.
I have been thinking these last few days how reminiscent our situation has been to the kind of “near miss” which many of us have experienced at some point in our lives -- a close call on the highway; narrowly averted danger to a child; recovery from a personal near death experience; or pulling back just before making a terribly wrong split-second decision. The moments immediately following such an event fill us with an overwhelming sense of relief, and then gratitude for what we have and almost, unthinkably, lost. We have been to that brink with the ASO. We almost lost something incredibly precious to each of us in this room, a source of entertainment and enlightenment for tens of thousands of music lovers of all ages, backgrounds and social standing that it has taken many decades to build.
We are grateful for you and for what we have, and know you share our hope for better days. We also know that that is not enough – now, or ever again! We all need to commit to making it better -- our individual and corporate fundraising, our marketing and programming of concert offerings and new revenue opportunities that will excite our public, fostering broad awareness of the value our ASO brings to our citizens and to the stature of Atlanta as a major metropolitan and cultural center, communication within every level of our organization, and, key to it all, the vital task of finding the successful, knowledgeable, dynamic leader with the experience to advocate for and support our art form, to be the ASO’s next CEO.
We are truly thrilled by the public showing of support for Atlanta having a great Symphony Orchestra, and by the knowledge that we can achieve more than we have let ourselves believe possible. It will take all of us -- working, questioning, and advocating together, while the Orchestra is making great music -- to bring forth from the depths of the sacrifice and struggle that every one of us in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association has experienced during the last two years this new day for the ASO .
Together we can be an Atlanta Symphony that will be an even better ambassador, and brighter cultural star shining on Atlanta and the Southeast.
Tentative Agreement comes to a Vote | November 7, 2014
Good evening to all of our wonderful supporters. We wanted to update you on today's events.
Out of respect for the voting procedure, we will allow the Musicians to carefully consider the tentative agreement between WAC/ASO management and the ASOPA committee, and we will report the outcome of the vote tomorrow afternoon. Thanks to you all.
Good evening to all of our wonderful supporters. We wanted to update you on today's events.
Out of respect for the voting procedure, we will allow the Musicians to carefully consider the tentative agreement between WAC/ASO management and the ASOPA committee, and we will report the outcome of the vote tomorrow afternoon. Thanks to you all.
If the two sides come to an agreement, they will have to work together to improve morale, recruit new musicians, revive dwindling ticket sales and fundraising, and reduce the orchestra’s deficit. During the last round of negotiations, Tom Kilpatrick, WAC’s attorney and lead negotiator, assured musicians that management would begin to undertake a major fundraising campaign to create endowed chairs in an attempt to build the orchestra up to 90 players.
Many of the ASO’s musicians are dispersed around the country. Since the lockout, leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra have offered the locked-out ASO players part-time gigs to supplement their income. The ASO’s principal flute, Christina Smith, has just ended a European tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
“Now begins the task of calling all our musicians home — the ones that have been playing with this orchestra and that orchestra around the country,” said Jones. “The orchestra has already been partly dismantled and it’s going to be quite a struggle to build it back.”
Many of the ASO’s musicians are dispersed around the country. Since the lockout, leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra have offered the locked-out ASO players part-time gigs to supplement their income. The ASO’s principal flute, Christina Smith, has just ended a European tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
“Now begins the task of calling all our musicians home — the ones that have been playing with this orchestra and that orchestra around the country,” said Jones. “The orchestra has already been partly dismantled and it’s going to be quite a struggle to build it back.”
PRESS RELEASE
ELECT TO TREAT ATLANTA TO ITS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BY PUTTING IT BACK ON STAGE | Atlanta, GA, October 31, 2014
Four days ago, the Musicians made a new proposal to the Woodruff Arts Center that balances the stated needs of the WAC/ASO leadership while meeting the need to ensure the survival of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has been in a world of hurt since the deep salary and benefit cuts of 2012, and there are numerous losses within the ranks needed to produce the ASO’s programs with the sound that made the Orchestra famous and won Atlanta 27 Grammy awards.
Every aspect of the Musicians’ proposal provides significant savings for the WAC/ASO, while keeping it on a narrow path toward desperately needed restoration. The ASO has had up to 95 Musicians, and has been cut back to 76, even though the current contract calls for 88 players. The Musicians temporarily gave up positions, and now need to replace them. The Musicians’ proposal embodies flexibility and true willingness to reach an agreement, replacing the positions gradually over time. Notable aspects include:
· An extended stabilization period – sought by the WAC/ASO management – offering to maintain the current complement size of 77 for the duration of the first year, and flexibility in arriving at a guaranteed complement number of 88 Musicians by the end of the fourth year.
· No individual Musician gains a penny in their fight to keep what the ASO and every other major orchestra in the United States and the world has: a fixed minimum number of musicians large enough to perform the music of a full symphony orchestra.
· A tentative agreement regarding healthcare involves the musicians offering to move to a high deductible plan – a major change from the current health insurance plan – ensuring annual savings of over a quarter of a million dollars for the WAC.
· No agreement has been reached on the modest incremental salary increases that the Musicians proposed. If agreed, Musician salaries would still not reach pre-2012 levels by the end of the four-year contract in 2018.
Having addressed the stated needs of the Woodruff Arts Center to continue the stabilization period begun in 2012, the ATL Symphony Musicians call on the WAC to accept their latest offer, end the lockout of the musicians, and put the award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra back on stage for its 70th anniversary season.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
ELECT TO TREAT ATLANTA TO ITS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BY PUTTING IT BACK ON STAGE | Atlanta, GA, October 31, 2014
Four days ago, the Musicians made a new proposal to the Woodruff Arts Center that balances the stated needs of the WAC/ASO leadership while meeting the need to ensure the survival of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has been in a world of hurt since the deep salary and benefit cuts of 2012, and there are numerous losses within the ranks needed to produce the ASO’s programs with the sound that made the Orchestra famous and won Atlanta 27 Grammy awards.
Every aspect of the Musicians’ proposal provides significant savings for the WAC/ASO, while keeping it on a narrow path toward desperately needed restoration. The ASO has had up to 95 Musicians, and has been cut back to 76, even though the current contract calls for 88 players. The Musicians temporarily gave up positions, and now need to replace them. The Musicians’ proposal embodies flexibility and true willingness to reach an agreement, replacing the positions gradually over time. Notable aspects include:
· An extended stabilization period – sought by the WAC/ASO management – offering to maintain the current complement size of 77 for the duration of the first year, and flexibility in arriving at a guaranteed complement number of 88 Musicians by the end of the fourth year.
· No individual Musician gains a penny in their fight to keep what the ASO and every other major orchestra in the United States and the world has: a fixed minimum number of musicians large enough to perform the music of a full symphony orchestra.
· A tentative agreement regarding healthcare involves the musicians offering to move to a high deductible plan – a major change from the current health insurance plan – ensuring annual savings of over a quarter of a million dollars for the WAC.
· No agreement has been reached on the modest incremental salary increases that the Musicians proposed. If agreed, Musician salaries would still not reach pre-2012 levels by the end of the four-year contract in 2018.
Having addressed the stated needs of the Woodruff Arts Center to continue the stabilization period begun in 2012, the ATL Symphony Musicians call on the WAC to accept their latest offer, end the lockout of the musicians, and put the award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra back on stage for its 70th anniversary season.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
For Immediate Release, October 24, 2014
WAC WALKS AWAY FROM ASO TALKS
Last night just before 11:00 PM, the Woodruff Arts Center representatives for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (WAC/ASO) walked away from the table after three days and almost 40 hours of talks ably mediated by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Commissioner Rich Giacolone, leaving the musicins at the Buckhead venue the FMCS arranged. Although some significant progress was made in health care -- and further time together may well have resulted in a complete agreement -- the WAC leadership continued steadfastly to refuse to support the need of a world-class Orchestra for a minimum fixed number of musicians. While the orchestra has been reduced by departures to only 77 Musicians, despite the required contractual complement of 88, the WAC refuses even to commit to 77 Musicians.
The ASOPA Committee volunteered to assist in health care cost savings by making a radical shift to a different type of plan that will save the WAC/ASO at least 25% -- over a quarter of a million dollars -- annually over the previous plan, which was canceled by WAC/ASO management last month three weeks after it locked out its musicians on September 7. The Musicians also proposed an annual compensation package which, in the final year of the proposed agreement (2018), would have the musicians earning $1,043 less per year than the compensation they earned during the 2011-12 season.
The ASOPA Committee has worked tirelessly -- and will continue to do so -- with no other intent than to achieve a fair agreement that protects the Orchestra's stature and allows it to return to making music on the stage where it belongs. The Musicians are available to meet and are certain that an agreement is entirely possible that will end the heinous lockout to which the musicians have been subjected. "We deeply appreciate the Orchestra's Board members and other supporters who are working to raise funds and who understand and appreciate the fight to maintain the artistic quality that has made the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra one of the world’s great symphony orchestras, and Atlanta's cultural flagship," stated ASOPA President Paul Murphy.
Attached for your information is a copy of ASOPA’s last proposal dated October 23, 2014 to the WAC/ASO.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Counterproposal of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) and AFM Local 148-462 Sixth Proposal for a New Agreement
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Inc./Woodruff Arts Center, Inc.
October 23, 2014
1. Duration and Minimum Compensation
4 YEAR PROPOSAL
(Compensation and percentage increases remain factored into winter season weeks only.)
2013-14 Compensation was $75,936.06
Year 1: September 21, 2014 – September 19, 2015 (52 weeks / 42 winter + 10 summer)
1% / 1% (21 weeks / 21 weeks) increase over $1729.43 = $1746.72 / $1764.18
$1746.72 per 21 weeks times &
$1764.18 per 21 weeks times = $74,095.56 + $3,300 (summer) = $77,395.56
Year 2: September 20, 2015 – September 17, 2016 (52 weeks / 42 winter + 10 summer)
1.75% / 1.75% (21 weeks / 21 weeks) increase over $1764.18 = $1795.05 / $1826.46
$1795.05 per 21 weeks times &
$1826.46 per 21 weeks times = $76,711.32+ $3,300 (summer) = $80,011.32
Year 3: September 18, 2016 – September 23, 2017 (53 weeks / 43 winter + 10 summer)
1.5% / 1.75% (21 weeks / 22 weeks) increase over $1826.46 = $1853.85 / $1886.29
$1853.85 per 21 weeks times &
$1886.29 per 22 weeks times = $79,224.18+ $3,300 (summer) = $84,410.47
Year 4: September 24, 2017 – September 22, 2018 (52 weeks / 43 winter + 9 summer)
2% / 2% (21 weeks / 22 weeks) increase over $1886.29 = $1924.01 / $1962.49
$1924.01 per 21 weeks times &
$1962.49 per 22 weeks times = $84,387.07+ $ 2,970 (summer) = $ 87,357.07
2. Health Insurance
ASOPA tentatively agrees to the BCBS High-deductible plan (HDHP/no. of plan??). includes the $1,500 / $3,000 deductibles for Individuals and Family with the following provisions:
1) EE shall receive from the employer for each contract year $1,000 into their individual HSA account.
2) EE + Child shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
3) EE + Spouse / Domestic Partner shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
4) Family shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
ASOPA also agrees that each contracted Musician covered by this agreement shall contribute for each contract year $20 weekly towards the premium of the referenced BCBS POS High-deductible plan.
To fully agree with this major change in our healthcare provisions in our CBA, ASOPA will need to receive verification of the Summary of Benefits for the BCBSPOS High-deductible plan with the specific benefits outlined, as represented to ASOPA orally across the table by the WAC / ASO, and they shall be fully reflected in the Agreement.
3. Orchestra Complement
Year 1: A Minimum of 77 Musicians
Year 1 – 2: Best efforts to increase complement of Musicians to 81 Musicians by the end of Year 2.
Year 3: A minimum of 85 Musicians by the end of the contract year.
Year 4: A minimum of 89 Musicians by the end of the contract year.
In all other respects, except for making date adjustments to conform to the term of the new Agreement, the current (2014-2018) agreement continue in effect as written.
WAC WALKS AWAY FROM ASO TALKS
Last night just before 11:00 PM, the Woodruff Arts Center representatives for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (WAC/ASO) walked away from the table after three days and almost 40 hours of talks ably mediated by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Commissioner Rich Giacolone, leaving the musicins at the Buckhead venue the FMCS arranged. Although some significant progress was made in health care -- and further time together may well have resulted in a complete agreement -- the WAC leadership continued steadfastly to refuse to support the need of a world-class Orchestra for a minimum fixed number of musicians. While the orchestra has been reduced by departures to only 77 Musicians, despite the required contractual complement of 88, the WAC refuses even to commit to 77 Musicians.
The ASOPA Committee volunteered to assist in health care cost savings by making a radical shift to a different type of plan that will save the WAC/ASO at least 25% -- over a quarter of a million dollars -- annually over the previous plan, which was canceled by WAC/ASO management last month three weeks after it locked out its musicians on September 7. The Musicians also proposed an annual compensation package which, in the final year of the proposed agreement (2018), would have the musicians earning $1,043 less per year than the compensation they earned during the 2011-12 season.
The ASOPA Committee has worked tirelessly -- and will continue to do so -- with no other intent than to achieve a fair agreement that protects the Orchestra's stature and allows it to return to making music on the stage where it belongs. The Musicians are available to meet and are certain that an agreement is entirely possible that will end the heinous lockout to which the musicians have been subjected. "We deeply appreciate the Orchestra's Board members and other supporters who are working to raise funds and who understand and appreciate the fight to maintain the artistic quality that has made the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra one of the world’s great symphony orchestras, and Atlanta's cultural flagship," stated ASOPA President Paul Murphy.
Attached for your information is a copy of ASOPA’s last proposal dated October 23, 2014 to the WAC/ASO.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Counterproposal of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) and AFM Local 148-462 Sixth Proposal for a New Agreement
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Inc./Woodruff Arts Center, Inc.
October 23, 2014
1. Duration and Minimum Compensation
4 YEAR PROPOSAL
(Compensation and percentage increases remain factored into winter season weeks only.)
2013-14 Compensation was $75,936.06
Year 1: September 21, 2014 – September 19, 2015 (52 weeks / 42 winter + 10 summer)
1% / 1% (21 weeks / 21 weeks) increase over $1729.43 = $1746.72 / $1764.18
$1746.72 per 21 weeks times &
$1764.18 per 21 weeks times = $74,095.56 + $3,300 (summer) = $77,395.56
Year 2: September 20, 2015 – September 17, 2016 (52 weeks / 42 winter + 10 summer)
1.75% / 1.75% (21 weeks / 21 weeks) increase over $1764.18 = $1795.05 / $1826.46
$1795.05 per 21 weeks times &
$1826.46 per 21 weeks times = $76,711.32+ $3,300 (summer) = $80,011.32
Year 3: September 18, 2016 – September 23, 2017 (53 weeks / 43 winter + 10 summer)
1.5% / 1.75% (21 weeks / 22 weeks) increase over $1826.46 = $1853.85 / $1886.29
$1853.85 per 21 weeks times &
$1886.29 per 22 weeks times = $79,224.18+ $3,300 (summer) = $84,410.47
Year 4: September 24, 2017 – September 22, 2018 (52 weeks / 43 winter + 9 summer)
2% / 2% (21 weeks / 22 weeks) increase over $1886.29 = $1924.01 / $1962.49
$1924.01 per 21 weeks times &
$1962.49 per 22 weeks times = $84,387.07+ $ 2,970 (summer) = $ 87,357.07
2. Health Insurance
ASOPA tentatively agrees to the BCBS High-deductible plan (HDHP/no. of plan??). includes the $1,500 / $3,000 deductibles for Individuals and Family with the following provisions:
1) EE shall receive from the employer for each contract year $1,000 into their individual HSA account.
2) EE + Child shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
3) EE + Spouse / Domestic Partner shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
4) Family shall receive from the employer for each contract year $2,000 into their individual HSA account.
ASOPA also agrees that each contracted Musician covered by this agreement shall contribute for each contract year $20 weekly towards the premium of the referenced BCBS POS High-deductible plan.
To fully agree with this major change in our healthcare provisions in our CBA, ASOPA will need to receive verification of the Summary of Benefits for the BCBSPOS High-deductible plan with the specific benefits outlined, as represented to ASOPA orally across the table by the WAC / ASO, and they shall be fully reflected in the Agreement.
3. Orchestra Complement
Year 1: A Minimum of 77 Musicians
Year 1 – 2: Best efforts to increase complement of Musicians to 81 Musicians by the end of Year 2.
Year 3: A minimum of 85 Musicians by the end of the contract year.
Year 4: A minimum of 89 Musicians by the end of the contract year.
In all other respects, except for making date adjustments to conform to the term of the new Agreement, the current (2014-2018) agreement continue in effect as written.
Keep the Atlanta Symphony in the Major Leagues | October 16, 2014
1) The ASO has over 100 recordings and has won 27 Grammy Awards, 2nd only to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
2) The ASO played for over 3 billion people in the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games making it Cultural Ambassadors for the city of Atlanta.
3) The ARTS generate $300 million to Atlanta's economy each year.
4) The ASO musicians play for over a half million people every year. Our outreach programs reach a wide geographical and cultural audience.
3 Factors Indicate "Major League" Status
SALARY
The ASO currently is 18th in salary. 17 orchestras rank higher.
SIZE / COMPLEMENT
The ASO musicians were cut from 95 musicians to 88 in 2012. Other major orchestras have between 95 - 106 musicians.
SEASON / WEEKS
1) In the 2012 lockout, the ASO Season was cut from 52 weeks to 42. This is a major loss of status among our peer orchestras in the USA.
2) With only 42 weeks in our season, we no longer play in July or August.
3) The concerts played during this time reached our most cultural, geographical and ethnically diverse audiences.
4) We no longer play 4th of July, National Broadcast of the MLK concert, National Black Arts Festival, annual New Year's Eve concert.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra should be restored to its previous status (2012) keeping it in the Major Leagues and maintaining it as the "Cultural Jewel" not only of Atlanta, but also of the entire Southeast USA.
For Immediate Release, October 6, 2014
Tone Deaf at the WAC
Virginia Hepner, CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), recently lectured the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra that the WAC has continued “to ask the musicians for constructive ideas” to help address financial challenges, while the Musicians “have turned a deaf ear to the situation.” Having never met with the Musicians herself even when invited by them before the expiration of the prior agreement, then locking them out on September 7, Hepner has chosen to communicate only through the pages of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (October 3, 2014).
Hepner’s statement is as false as it is insulting to the Musicians. It is hard to believe that she first ignores not only the very tangible $5.2 million ASO Musicians gave back to the WAC in salary concessions just two years ago, but also the severe artistic concessions that reduced the number of musicians (or orchestra complement) from 95 to 88, and eliminated the ASO’s summer performances, subjecting the musicians instead to a ten week furlough (or layoff) and depriving Atlanta metro of its beloved summer concerts. At that time, Larry Gellerstedt and Doug Hertz, the then-current and current WAC Governing Board chairs, demanded outright that “Due to representations made to investors and key donors as well as the rating agencies, we must achieve and balanced budget [sic] and we require that half of the $5M gap comes from the contract with the musicians.” The Musicians accepted these one-time concessions in good faith, despite the economic and artistic harm they caused the Musicians and the Orchestra as a whole.
Ms. Hepner’s recollections, and those of Messrs. Gellerstedt and Hertz, apparently also need to be refreshed about the many other constructive ideas the musicians have volunteered, in addition to maintaining stunningly high artistic standards and exemplary professionalism. In May 2013, the ASO’s Artistic Advisory Committee (staffed entirely by musicians) conducted exhaustive research and created a 59-page report, which they presented to the CEO and management of the ASO, containing many revenue-producing ideas for concerts and activities that have proven track records of success in orchestras around the country. The Musicians continued to share this presentation and its ideas -- that have actually produced sold-out programs over multiple performances around the country -- with other staff and some Board members over several months, and were assured that the WAC was made aware of them. Yet not a single idea from this presentation was ever followed up on or implemented, resulting in missed opportunities to increase revenue and engage with our audiences. Deaf ear, indeed.
As demonstrated in the information just released on Saturday, October 4, the real fiscal problem for the Woodruff Arts Center is its tax-exempt bond liability -- neither related nor beneficial to the ASO, and certainly not caused by the Musicians or the ASO -- which increased by over $143.72 million to $173.02 million in 2003. This open drain on available funding for the actual Arts divisions of the WAC is never acknowledged by the WAC. The ASO’s deficits were funded largely by the interest and investment growth of the ASO’s endowment, as they are designed to be in the non-profit performing arts. On the other hand, the WAC spent $8 million servicing its debt during the last fiscal year. What, then -- and who -- has really put the Arts Divisions at risk?
It must also not be overlooked that the WAC Annual Corporate Campaign raised a record $9.6 million in FY14. If the WAC has to pay over $8 million to service debt taken on and not paid for in 2001-2003, only about $1.6 million from the Corporate Campaign is left over to help fund the entire Woodruff Arts Center.
Finally, the WAC also cut its annual allocation to the ASO from a high of around $2.2 million in fiscal 2007 to approximately $800,000 for the current fiscal year (this is the “allowance” from the WAC Endowment -- created to support the Orchestra and the other arts divisions -- that is actually given to the ASO to help it operate each year).
The WAC could have made any of these decisions in such a way as to enable the ASO to have not only a legitimate balanced budget, but possibly even a surplus. The WAC has instead chosen over a number of years to handcuff the ASO, restraining the Orchestra from charting a course to a healthier and more successful future.
Call the Musicians and their many patrons and supporters crazy, but something isn’t right here, and it has nothing to do with the Orchestra’s locked-out musicians.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
Tone Deaf at the WAC
Virginia Hepner, CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), recently lectured the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra that the WAC has continued “to ask the musicians for constructive ideas” to help address financial challenges, while the Musicians “have turned a deaf ear to the situation.” Having never met with the Musicians herself even when invited by them before the expiration of the prior agreement, then locking them out on September 7, Hepner has chosen to communicate only through the pages of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (October 3, 2014).
Hepner’s statement is as false as it is insulting to the Musicians. It is hard to believe that she first ignores not only the very tangible $5.2 million ASO Musicians gave back to the WAC in salary concessions just two years ago, but also the severe artistic concessions that reduced the number of musicians (or orchestra complement) from 95 to 88, and eliminated the ASO’s summer performances, subjecting the musicians instead to a ten week furlough (or layoff) and depriving Atlanta metro of its beloved summer concerts. At that time, Larry Gellerstedt and Doug Hertz, the then-current and current WAC Governing Board chairs, demanded outright that “Due to representations made to investors and key donors as well as the rating agencies, we must achieve and balanced budget [sic] and we require that half of the $5M gap comes from the contract with the musicians.” The Musicians accepted these one-time concessions in good faith, despite the economic and artistic harm they caused the Musicians and the Orchestra as a whole.
Ms. Hepner’s recollections, and those of Messrs. Gellerstedt and Hertz, apparently also need to be refreshed about the many other constructive ideas the musicians have volunteered, in addition to maintaining stunningly high artistic standards and exemplary professionalism. In May 2013, the ASO’s Artistic Advisory Committee (staffed entirely by musicians) conducted exhaustive research and created a 59-page report, which they presented to the CEO and management of the ASO, containing many revenue-producing ideas for concerts and activities that have proven track records of success in orchestras around the country. The Musicians continued to share this presentation and its ideas -- that have actually produced sold-out programs over multiple performances around the country -- with other staff and some Board members over several months, and were assured that the WAC was made aware of them. Yet not a single idea from this presentation was ever followed up on or implemented, resulting in missed opportunities to increase revenue and engage with our audiences. Deaf ear, indeed.
As demonstrated in the information just released on Saturday, October 4, the real fiscal problem for the Woodruff Arts Center is its tax-exempt bond liability -- neither related nor beneficial to the ASO, and certainly not caused by the Musicians or the ASO -- which increased by over $143.72 million to $173.02 million in 2003. This open drain on available funding for the actual Arts divisions of the WAC is never acknowledged by the WAC. The ASO’s deficits were funded largely by the interest and investment growth of the ASO’s endowment, as they are designed to be in the non-profit performing arts. On the other hand, the WAC spent $8 million servicing its debt during the last fiscal year. What, then -- and who -- has really put the Arts Divisions at risk?
It must also not be overlooked that the WAC Annual Corporate Campaign raised a record $9.6 million in FY14. If the WAC has to pay over $8 million to service debt taken on and not paid for in 2001-2003, only about $1.6 million from the Corporate Campaign is left over to help fund the entire Woodruff Arts Center.
Finally, the WAC also cut its annual allocation to the ASO from a high of around $2.2 million in fiscal 2007 to approximately $800,000 for the current fiscal year (this is the “allowance” from the WAC Endowment -- created to support the Orchestra and the other arts divisions -- that is actually given to the ASO to help it operate each year).
The WAC could have made any of these decisions in such a way as to enable the ASO to have not only a legitimate balanced budget, but possibly even a surplus. The WAC has instead chosen over a number of years to handcuff the ASO, restraining the Orchestra from charting a course to a healthier and more successful future.
Call the Musicians and their many patrons and supporters crazy, but something isn’t right here, and it has nothing to do with the Orchestra’s locked-out musicians.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
Press Statement 10-4-14
Atlanta, GA, October 4, 2014
Just yesterday, October 3rd 2014, in an exclusive interview regarding the crisis at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Douglas Hertz, Chair of the Woodruff Arts Center Governing Board, was quoted stating that “we’ve got a division of the arts center that threatens the ability of the other divisions (the Alliance Theater, High Museum of Art and Arts for Learning) to produce the great work that they’re doing. We owe it to everybody to make sure that everybody is pulling their weight.”
The Musicians believe that decisions made by the leadership of the WAC Governing Board during the expansion of the High Museum and Art Center, which was completed around 2005, warrants close scrutiny; the fiduciary decisions made associated with this expansion seem to be a significant cause of the financial strain impacting all of the WAC’s divisions, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
The fundraising efforts by the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center were extremely successful in raising the necessary capital for the expansion project; an amount well in excess of $164 million was secured. (http://www.dexigner.com/news/5871) Yet, despite having raised such a large sum, something troubling seems to have occurred.
In the year 2000, the WAC had an outstanding tax-exempt bond liability of $29.3 million. This number increased from 2001 through 2003 to a staggering $173.02 million, or an increase in liability of $143.72 million in only three short years. (http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/GA/Robert-W-Woodruff-Arts-Center-Inc.html#detailedReports_a - see link below) This increased debt coincided directly with the WAC’s expansion of the High Museum, which by all accounts had appeared to be fully funded.
The Musicians would also point out that the ASO did not benefit from this expansion in any way. If the High’s expansion project was fully funded, why did the debt of the WAC increase by $143.72 million? Where did all the funds raised for the expansion project go, if they were not utilized to pay for the project?
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
Atlanta, GA, October 4, 2014
Just yesterday, October 3rd 2014, in an exclusive interview regarding the crisis at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Douglas Hertz, Chair of the Woodruff Arts Center Governing Board, was quoted stating that “we’ve got a division of the arts center that threatens the ability of the other divisions (the Alliance Theater, High Museum of Art and Arts for Learning) to produce the great work that they’re doing. We owe it to everybody to make sure that everybody is pulling their weight.”
The Musicians believe that decisions made by the leadership of the WAC Governing Board during the expansion of the High Museum and Art Center, which was completed around 2005, warrants close scrutiny; the fiduciary decisions made associated with this expansion seem to be a significant cause of the financial strain impacting all of the WAC’s divisions, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
The fundraising efforts by the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center were extremely successful in raising the necessary capital for the expansion project; an amount well in excess of $164 million was secured. (http://www.dexigner.com/news/5871) Yet, despite having raised such a large sum, something troubling seems to have occurred.
In the year 2000, the WAC had an outstanding tax-exempt bond liability of $29.3 million. This number increased from 2001 through 2003 to a staggering $173.02 million, or an increase in liability of $143.72 million in only three short years. (http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/GA/Robert-W-Woodruff-Arts-Center-Inc.html#detailedReports_a - see link below) This increased debt coincided directly with the WAC’s expansion of the High Museum, which by all accounts had appeared to be fully funded.
The Musicians would also point out that the ASO did not benefit from this expansion in any way. If the High’s expansion project was fully funded, why did the debt of the WAC increase by $143.72 million? Where did all the funds raised for the expansion project go, if they were not utilized to pay for the project?
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
Press Statement 10-3-14
Atlanta, GA, October 3, 2014
During the many months of negotiations that preceded the present lockout of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians by the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), numerous sources within the WAC shared with the Musicians several long-term strategic plan ideas for the ASO that were being quietly discussed among WAC Governing Board members. If implemented, these plans would permanently downsize the Grammy award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, destroying the prestigious reputation it has earned through decades of professional excellence.
During the summer of 2013, it was suggested multiple times both by Stanley Romanstein, the recently departed President and CEO of the ASO, and Virginia Hepner, the WAC’s current President and CEO, that the number of full-time tenured musicians of the ASO should be permanently reduced, and resulting vacancies could be filled with alumni from the ASO’s Talent Development Program (TDP), who would perform in an “internship” capacity. This suggestion was meant to replicate the design of the New World Symphony – a program dedicated to preparing highly gifted graduates of distinguished music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles around the world. In addition to elevating the TDP – and capitalizing on the funding that educational programs such as the New World Symphony and TDP sometimes enjoy – this proposal was designed to reduce musician expenses; the WAC/ASO expected to give these “interns” a small stipend for their efforts, instead of salary and benefits at all commensurate with that of full-time ASO Musicians.
In March of 2014, ASO Board Chair Karole Lloyd suggested to the ASOPA committee a two-tiered salary system, relegating all new members of the ASO to a severely reduced compensation package for the duration of their “probationary” periods with the Orchestra. Unlike in other professions, orchestra musicians are not hired with the expectation that they will grow into their jobs; a musician unable to consistently perform at the highest artistic level will likely not even win an audition, let alone achieve tenure. To demand that one musician be paid substantially less than his or her colleagues, all while performing the same work under the same intense pressure, exposes a profound deficit of understanding of professional musicianship on the part of the ASO’s Board Chair, Karole Lloyd.
Numerous ASO staff and Board members have told us that these ideas seem to have originated with the leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center Governing Board, including Board Chair Douglas Hertz. Mr. Hertz, who has a fine record of philanthropic work, also has an unfortunate history of trying to eliminate tenured positions within a workforce to reduce expenses.
Douglas Hertz was serving on the Tulane University Board of Administrators when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. In response to the financial problems the hurricane caused, Tulane then-President Scott Cowan proposed to eliminate tenured faculty at the university, and replace existing faculty members with less expensive, non-tenured new hires. This action was supported by the Tulane Board of Administrators, including Douglas Hertz, and the despite numerous lawsuits that ensued, notifications of release were issued to approximately 200 faculty members in December 2005. This action led to the immediate censure of Tulane University by the American Association of University Professors. (http://www.aaup.org/article/developments-relating-censure-association - .VCq5eb74vlJ)
Mr. Hertz’s Tulane University scenario is strikingly similar not only to the two strategic plan ideas described earlier for the ASO, but it also foreshadows one of the conditions of the “Last, Best, and Final Offer” that the WAC/ASO emailed to ASO Musicians on September 5, 2014. In this offer, the WAC proposed a “voluntary retirement incentive” in the amount of $150,000 to any Musician who had given over 30 years of service to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. This offer, in conjunction with the WAC’s refusal to stipulate any minimum number of players – or complement size – required by the ASO, is a thinly veiled attempt to reduce the size of the orchestra, and reduce the costs associated with more established, longer-serving Musicians. This element of the WAC’s proposal also paves the way for the creation of the “internship” orchestra that was suggested earlier; by steadfastly adhering to the need for a “flexible complement,” as the WAC has done in every one of its proposals, it is entirely possible that the WAC Governing Board Leadership is laying the foundation to replace seasoned Musicians with less experienced, less expensive “interns,” similar to what Mr. Hertz helped to do with the professors at Tulane University. Lastly, if every eligible Musician were to accept this buy-out, it would cost the WAC $3.75 million, which well exceeds the amount necessary over the expired agreement to fund the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th in its entirety.
Additionally, Douglas Hertz has taken pains to remind the community that the ASO has been posting deficits for twelve consecutive years, and that the ASO “cannot have what it cannot pay for.” However, those deficits cannot be attributed to the Musicians, whose compensation has historically come in UNDER budget. It is the job of the ASO & WAC Boards and their staffs to raise the funds to support the ASO. Have the fundraising goals been raised to meet the needs of the ASO? The Musicians’ job is always to perform at the highest level of artistry, which has been demonstrated year after year. Furthermore, the Musicians have made tremendous sacrifices over the years in efforts to mitigate the institution’s financial problems. In 2004, the Musicians negotiated six months early to relinquish a contractual raise, which resulted in the extension of the then-current wage for an additional year and a half. In 2009, the Musicians volunteered a 5% cut in compensation. In 2012, the Musicians agreed to a 15% reduction in annual salaries, a reduction of full-time Musicians, and a reduction in the length of our season.
If the WAC and its Governing Board Chair Douglas Hertz are truly only interested in achieving a balanced budget, the Musicians have demonstrated through their previous actions a willingness to be a part of the solution. In contrast, Douglas Hertz’s previous actions demonstrate a willingness to break the backs of employees to achieve further financial concessions. The past and present actions of Douglas Hertz suggest that he is more interested in reducing the number of professional musicians in the ASO than he is either in securing financial stability or in preserving the high artistic standards of the institution he has a duty as a steward to serve and protect.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
Atlanta, GA, October 3, 2014
During the many months of negotiations that preceded the present lockout of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians by the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC), numerous sources within the WAC shared with the Musicians several long-term strategic plan ideas for the ASO that were being quietly discussed among WAC Governing Board members. If implemented, these plans would permanently downsize the Grammy award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, destroying the prestigious reputation it has earned through decades of professional excellence.
During the summer of 2013, it was suggested multiple times both by Stanley Romanstein, the recently departed President and CEO of the ASO, and Virginia Hepner, the WAC’s current President and CEO, that the number of full-time tenured musicians of the ASO should be permanently reduced, and resulting vacancies could be filled with alumni from the ASO’s Talent Development Program (TDP), who would perform in an “internship” capacity. This suggestion was meant to replicate the design of the New World Symphony – a program dedicated to preparing highly gifted graduates of distinguished music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles around the world. In addition to elevating the TDP – and capitalizing on the funding that educational programs such as the New World Symphony and TDP sometimes enjoy – this proposal was designed to reduce musician expenses; the WAC/ASO expected to give these “interns” a small stipend for their efforts, instead of salary and benefits at all commensurate with that of full-time ASO Musicians.
In March of 2014, ASO Board Chair Karole Lloyd suggested to the ASOPA committee a two-tiered salary system, relegating all new members of the ASO to a severely reduced compensation package for the duration of their “probationary” periods with the Orchestra. Unlike in other professions, orchestra musicians are not hired with the expectation that they will grow into their jobs; a musician unable to consistently perform at the highest artistic level will likely not even win an audition, let alone achieve tenure. To demand that one musician be paid substantially less than his or her colleagues, all while performing the same work under the same intense pressure, exposes a profound deficit of understanding of professional musicianship on the part of the ASO’s Board Chair, Karole Lloyd.
Numerous ASO staff and Board members have told us that these ideas seem to have originated with the leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center Governing Board, including Board Chair Douglas Hertz. Mr. Hertz, who has a fine record of philanthropic work, also has an unfortunate history of trying to eliminate tenured positions within a workforce to reduce expenses.
Douglas Hertz was serving on the Tulane University Board of Administrators when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. In response to the financial problems the hurricane caused, Tulane then-President Scott Cowan proposed to eliminate tenured faculty at the university, and replace existing faculty members with less expensive, non-tenured new hires. This action was supported by the Tulane Board of Administrators, including Douglas Hertz, and the despite numerous lawsuits that ensued, notifications of release were issued to approximately 200 faculty members in December 2005. This action led to the immediate censure of Tulane University by the American Association of University Professors. (http://www.aaup.org/article/developments-relating-censure-association - .VCq5eb74vlJ)
Mr. Hertz’s Tulane University scenario is strikingly similar not only to the two strategic plan ideas described earlier for the ASO, but it also foreshadows one of the conditions of the “Last, Best, and Final Offer” that the WAC/ASO emailed to ASO Musicians on September 5, 2014. In this offer, the WAC proposed a “voluntary retirement incentive” in the amount of $150,000 to any Musician who had given over 30 years of service to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. This offer, in conjunction with the WAC’s refusal to stipulate any minimum number of players – or complement size – required by the ASO, is a thinly veiled attempt to reduce the size of the orchestra, and reduce the costs associated with more established, longer-serving Musicians. This element of the WAC’s proposal also paves the way for the creation of the “internship” orchestra that was suggested earlier; by steadfastly adhering to the need for a “flexible complement,” as the WAC has done in every one of its proposals, it is entirely possible that the WAC Governing Board Leadership is laying the foundation to replace seasoned Musicians with less experienced, less expensive “interns,” similar to what Mr. Hertz helped to do with the professors at Tulane University. Lastly, if every eligible Musician were to accept this buy-out, it would cost the WAC $3.75 million, which well exceeds the amount necessary over the expired agreement to fund the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th in its entirety.
Additionally, Douglas Hertz has taken pains to remind the community that the ASO has been posting deficits for twelve consecutive years, and that the ASO “cannot have what it cannot pay for.” However, those deficits cannot be attributed to the Musicians, whose compensation has historically come in UNDER budget. It is the job of the ASO & WAC Boards and their staffs to raise the funds to support the ASO. Have the fundraising goals been raised to meet the needs of the ASO? The Musicians’ job is always to perform at the highest level of artistry, which has been demonstrated year after year. Furthermore, the Musicians have made tremendous sacrifices over the years in efforts to mitigate the institution’s financial problems. In 2004, the Musicians negotiated six months early to relinquish a contractual raise, which resulted in the extension of the then-current wage for an additional year and a half. In 2009, the Musicians volunteered a 5% cut in compensation. In 2012, the Musicians agreed to a 15% reduction in annual salaries, a reduction of full-time Musicians, and a reduction in the length of our season.
If the WAC and its Governing Board Chair Douglas Hertz are truly only interested in achieving a balanced budget, the Musicians have demonstrated through their previous actions a willingness to be a part of the solution. In contrast, Douglas Hertz’s previous actions demonstrate a willingness to break the backs of employees to achieve further financial concessions. The past and present actions of Douglas Hertz suggest that he is more interested in reducing the number of professional musicians in the ASO than he is either in securing financial stability or in preserving the high artistic standards of the institution he has a duty as a steward to serve and protect.
Contact:
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Facebook: ATL Symphony Musicians
Twitter: @ATLSymMusicians
www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
ATL Symphony Musicians respond to the resignation of CEO and President of the ASO, Dr. Stanley Romanstein.
Press Statement 9-29-14
Atlanta, GA September 29, 2014
This afternoon the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra learned of the resignation of ASO President and CEO Dr. Stanley Romanstein. The Musicians remain locked out by WAC/ASO management since September 7 and have been told their health coverage will be cancelled in two days. They hope this decision will lead to an agreement and end the lockout, and that the ASO Board will seek the help of a proven and experienced symphonic arts leader with an outstanding record of fundraising, marketing, and innovation.
This is a good opportunity for the WAC/ASO and Atlanta to take heed of a statement made by the former President of the Woodruff Arts Center, Dr. Charles E. Glassick, on its 25th anniversary on November 8, 1993: “It was never a part of Mr. Woodruff’s vision that we would reach a plateau and then level off; it was never a part of Mr. Woodruff’s dream that we would achieve a certain level of quality, and that would be good enough for Atlanta. No, today as in the past the Woodruff Arts Center is on a continuous search for quality, where excellence is our only yardstick. And we invite you to join us on that quest.”
Contact: Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Press Statement 9-29-14
Atlanta, GA September 29, 2014
This afternoon the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra learned of the resignation of ASO President and CEO Dr. Stanley Romanstein. The Musicians remain locked out by WAC/ASO management since September 7 and have been told their health coverage will be cancelled in two days. They hope this decision will lead to an agreement and end the lockout, and that the ASO Board will seek the help of a proven and experienced symphonic arts leader with an outstanding record of fundraising, marketing, and innovation.
This is a good opportunity for the WAC/ASO and Atlanta to take heed of a statement made by the former President of the Woodruff Arts Center, Dr. Charles E. Glassick, on its 25th anniversary on November 8, 1993: “It was never a part of Mr. Woodruff’s vision that we would reach a plateau and then level off; it was never a part of Mr. Woodruff’s dream that we would achieve a certain level of quality, and that would be good enough for Atlanta. No, today as in the past the Woodruff Arts Center is on a continuous search for quality, where excellence is our only yardstick. And we invite you to join us on that quest.”
Contact: Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Press Statement 9-29-14
Atlanta, GA September 29, 2014
On September 25th, 2014 Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) spokesman Randy Donaldson stated that, “The bottom line is this: the leadership of the arts center wants financial and artistic success for the ASO. Any implication to the contrary is absolutely wrong.” (http://www.artsatl.com/2014/09/news-aso-cancels-performances-board-member-resigns-protest-lockout/) However, the accounting practices of the Woodruff Arts Center in general – and the specific actions of Virginia Hepner in particular – belie that claim and instead suggest that the WAC has zero interest in fostering the artistic success of the ASO. During Ms. Hepner’s tenure, millions of dollars in contributed revenues have been manipulated and diverted from supporting the operations that fund the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - the very institution that generates the greatest prestige and the greatest revenue for the WAC. Instead, the ASO has been made to show continuing deficits, which could and should have been avoided in FY14.
ASO Board members received materials at their September 19, 2014 meeting that portrayed the ASO as responsible for 23% of the WAC’s total earned revenue. However, Virginia Hepner stated separately that ASO Presents — part of the ASO — brings in an additional 20% of the WAC’s earned revenue, making the ASO responsible for 43% of the WAC’s overall earned revenue. It is intentionally misleading for Ms. Hepner to represent the ASO and ASO Presents as two unrelated divisions: ASO Presents was created as a part of the ASO for the purpose of supporting the “core” product – the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – and is considered a part of the ASO. Total FY14 ASO ticket revenues, including concerts for both ASO and ASO Presents, generated over $19 million. The ASO thus accounts for almost half of all earned revenue received by the WAC.
It is also misleading for Ms. Hepner to state that, as a separate entity, the WAC receives 26% of the total contributed revenues. It is no secret that the WAC is the recipient of the great majority of corporate funding through its Annual Corporate Campaign, which has shown increased success over the last few years. Such donations are not meant to fund the WAC per se, but rather are meant to support the artistic divisions of the Woodruff Arts Center, including its largest founding member of the WAC – the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. And yet, the WAC Endowment’s allocation to the ASO has seen a 65% drop from $2.236M in FY07 to around $800,000 in FY15.
Aside from the WAC charts that falsely show the ASO and ASO Presents as separate divisions within the WAC, one has to wonder why the combined ASO receives only 31% of the total contributed revenues to the WAC, while producing 43% of the WAC’s earned revenue.
In what appears to be an effort to further diminish the funding allocated to the ASO, Ms. Hepner chose to donate the funds received from the 2014 sale of the 14th Street Playhouse to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (CFGA) – an organization on whose Board of Directors she served at the time of her appointment to the WAC in 2011. If the WAC truly wanted to safeguard the financial success of the ASO, perhaps even a portion of the proceeds from this sale could have been directed to the ASO’s bottom line rather than to another organization. Hepner’s actions demonstrate that the leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center apparently does not wish financial success for the ASO, contrary to the assertion of its spokesman, Randy Donaldson.
If the President of the Woodruff Arts Center can be allowed to steer such significant donations to honor her former business associations, one must question to what degree Woodruff Arts Center executives are able to steer business, favors, and funding to corporations in which they have a personal stake.
Contact: Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Atlanta, GA September 29, 2014
On September 25th, 2014 Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) spokesman Randy Donaldson stated that, “The bottom line is this: the leadership of the arts center wants financial and artistic success for the ASO. Any implication to the contrary is absolutely wrong.” (http://www.artsatl.com/2014/09/news-aso-cancels-performances-board-member-resigns-protest-lockout/) However, the accounting practices of the Woodruff Arts Center in general – and the specific actions of Virginia Hepner in particular – belie that claim and instead suggest that the WAC has zero interest in fostering the artistic success of the ASO. During Ms. Hepner’s tenure, millions of dollars in contributed revenues have been manipulated and diverted from supporting the operations that fund the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - the very institution that generates the greatest prestige and the greatest revenue for the WAC. Instead, the ASO has been made to show continuing deficits, which could and should have been avoided in FY14.
ASO Board members received materials at their September 19, 2014 meeting that portrayed the ASO as responsible for 23% of the WAC’s total earned revenue. However, Virginia Hepner stated separately that ASO Presents — part of the ASO — brings in an additional 20% of the WAC’s earned revenue, making the ASO responsible for 43% of the WAC’s overall earned revenue. It is intentionally misleading for Ms. Hepner to represent the ASO and ASO Presents as two unrelated divisions: ASO Presents was created as a part of the ASO for the purpose of supporting the “core” product – the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – and is considered a part of the ASO. Total FY14 ASO ticket revenues, including concerts for both ASO and ASO Presents, generated over $19 million. The ASO thus accounts for almost half of all earned revenue received by the WAC.
It is also misleading for Ms. Hepner to state that, as a separate entity, the WAC receives 26% of the total contributed revenues. It is no secret that the WAC is the recipient of the great majority of corporate funding through its Annual Corporate Campaign, which has shown increased success over the last few years. Such donations are not meant to fund the WAC per se, but rather are meant to support the artistic divisions of the Woodruff Arts Center, including its largest founding member of the WAC – the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. And yet, the WAC Endowment’s allocation to the ASO has seen a 65% drop from $2.236M in FY07 to around $800,000 in FY15.
Aside from the WAC charts that falsely show the ASO and ASO Presents as separate divisions within the WAC, one has to wonder why the combined ASO receives only 31% of the total contributed revenues to the WAC, while producing 43% of the WAC’s earned revenue.
In what appears to be an effort to further diminish the funding allocated to the ASO, Ms. Hepner chose to donate the funds received from the 2014 sale of the 14th Street Playhouse to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (CFGA) – an organization on whose Board of Directors she served at the time of her appointment to the WAC in 2011. If the WAC truly wanted to safeguard the financial success of the ASO, perhaps even a portion of the proceeds from this sale could have been directed to the ASO’s bottom line rather than to another organization. Hepner’s actions demonstrate that the leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center apparently does not wish financial success for the ASO, contrary to the assertion of its spokesman, Randy Donaldson.
If the President of the Woodruff Arts Center can be allowed to steer such significant donations to honor her former business associations, one must question to what degree Woodruff Arts Center executives are able to steer business, favors, and funding to corporations in which they have a personal stake.
Contact: Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
[email protected]
Daniel Laufer, Vice President ASOPA
[email protected]
Jessica Oudin
[email protected]
Press Statement 9-18-14
Atlanta, GA September 18, 2014
On September 15th 2014, Woodruff Arts Center spokesman Randy Donaldson said that it was “totally laughable” to imagine that the WAC manipulated earned and contributed revenues in an attempt to engineer posted deficits. (http://www.artsatl.com/2014/09/news-aso-lockout-enters-second-week/) Yet in each of the fiscal years that preceded a lockout -- 2012 and the current lockout of 2014 -- significant funds were received by the Woodruff Arts Center that could have mitigated, or eliminated completely, the posted deficit for each operating year.
In November 2011, the Woodruff Arts Center received a $15 million gift from the Woodruff Foundation. While $5 million was allocated to retire debt held by the Alliance Theatre and the High Museum, no part of this gift was allocated to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Contract negotiations with the Musicians were scheduled to begin only four months later.
During FY14 (June 1, 2013 – May 31, 2014), the Woodruff Arts Center sold the 14th Street Playhouse to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for $1.9 million, and then donated all funds acquired from the sale. WAC President and CEO Virginia Hepner admitted that, as “tempting” as it was to use the nearly $2 million to address the myriad needs of the WAC, donating the proceeds just felt like “it was the right thing to do.”
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra sold the14th Street land originally intended to house the new Symphony Center in April 2014. With the proceeds received from this sale, $15.42 million was used to pay off debt associated with the bonds on that land; approximately $6 million was left in available funds to the ASO. The WAC decided to use $4.5 million of the remaining funds to pre-pay loan payments – payments that had originally been scheduled to take place over four years – associated with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The ASO was still left with almost $1.5 million in proceeds from the land sale.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra also received additional anonymous gifts totaling $3.121 million during the last fiscal year.
With the enormous influx of funds due to the sale of two properties and the gifts received last year alone, the Musicians question how such a significant deficit was still posted by the ASO; a mere fraction of those earnings allocated to operating expenses would have eliminated the FY14 deficit. It would make all the difference if the WAC would reconsider its decisions that prohibited financial balance to occur. It is not that the Musicians are opposed to a wise debt retirement plan, but the Musicians are opposed to one that needlessly undermines the organization’s work by not allocating any earnings like these to it directly – in essence, starving the family to pay the bank. The WAC has repeatedly told the Musicians that the ASO producing a balanced budget is the key to greater support from foundations and donors – including the WAC itself. Yet, the WAC seems determined that the ASO continue to post operating deficits, particularly during negotiation years with the Musicians. The Musicians would like nothing better than to work with a vigorous, unrestricted ASO fundraising initiative to produce not only a balanced budget, but a restored luster that will attract new audiences and new fiscal support.
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Atlanta, GA September 18, 2014
On September 15th 2014, Woodruff Arts Center spokesman Randy Donaldson said that it was “totally laughable” to imagine that the WAC manipulated earned and contributed revenues in an attempt to engineer posted deficits. (http://www.artsatl.com/2014/09/news-aso-lockout-enters-second-week/) Yet in each of the fiscal years that preceded a lockout -- 2012 and the current lockout of 2014 -- significant funds were received by the Woodruff Arts Center that could have mitigated, or eliminated completely, the posted deficit for each operating year.
In November 2011, the Woodruff Arts Center received a $15 million gift from the Woodruff Foundation. While $5 million was allocated to retire debt held by the Alliance Theatre and the High Museum, no part of this gift was allocated to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Contract negotiations with the Musicians were scheduled to begin only four months later.
During FY14 (June 1, 2013 – May 31, 2014), the Woodruff Arts Center sold the 14th Street Playhouse to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for $1.9 million, and then donated all funds acquired from the sale. WAC President and CEO Virginia Hepner admitted that, as “tempting” as it was to use the nearly $2 million to address the myriad needs of the WAC, donating the proceeds just felt like “it was the right thing to do.”
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra sold the14th Street land originally intended to house the new Symphony Center in April 2014. With the proceeds received from this sale, $15.42 million was used to pay off debt associated with the bonds on that land; approximately $6 million was left in available funds to the ASO. The WAC decided to use $4.5 million of the remaining funds to pre-pay loan payments – payments that had originally been scheduled to take place over four years – associated with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The ASO was still left with almost $1.5 million in proceeds from the land sale.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra also received additional anonymous gifts totaling $3.121 million during the last fiscal year.
With the enormous influx of funds due to the sale of two properties and the gifts received last year alone, the Musicians question how such a significant deficit was still posted by the ASO; a mere fraction of those earnings allocated to operating expenses would have eliminated the FY14 deficit. It would make all the difference if the WAC would reconsider its decisions that prohibited financial balance to occur. It is not that the Musicians are opposed to a wise debt retirement plan, but the Musicians are opposed to one that needlessly undermines the organization’s work by not allocating any earnings like these to it directly – in essence, starving the family to pay the bank. The WAC has repeatedly told the Musicians that the ASO producing a balanced budget is the key to greater support from foundations and donors – including the WAC itself. Yet, the WAC seems determined that the ASO continue to post operating deficits, particularly during negotiation years with the Musicians. The Musicians would like nothing better than to work with a vigorous, unrestricted ASO fundraising initiative to produce not only a balanced budget, but a restored luster that will attract new audiences and new fiscal support.
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www.atlsymphonymusicians.com
PRESS RELEASE: Atlanta, GA September 11, 2014
The Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) is the non-profit umbrella organization of its four divisions: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The High Museum of Art, The Alliance Theatre, and Arts for Learning.
Although the ASO has a fully functioning Board of Directors and its own administrative staff, the WAC has been exercising increasingly greater control over every facet of the ASO. The Symphony has been placed in the position of running deficits that have been engineered by the WAC with the intention and for the purpose of extracting more concessions from the Orchestra’s musicians.
Two years ago, when the Musicians’ contract expired on August 25, 2012, the ASO management and the ASO Executive Board reached an agreement in the contract’s final hours that would have averted a lockout. However, the WAC rejected the deal out of hand, and promptly locked out the musicians for four weeks in an effort to exact further concessions.
Since the lockout of 2012, funds earned by and donated to the ASO have been manipulated in such a way as to force the ASO to continue to post deficits. This is a blatant attempt by the WAC to complete the permanent diminution and destruction of the ASO that it set out to do two years ago.
While the WAC bemoans the accumulation of deficits, it manages to secure funding to usher out veteran members of the ASO with a retirement incentive that would cost the ASO up to $3.75 million. This is almost double the amount needed to fund the Musicians’ proposal over the course of four years. The WAC is capable of raising money - and ignoring deficit accumulation - when the purpose is to diminish the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The WAC is also able to approve deficits in non-negotiation years (as they did at the end of FY 13), yet suddenly mandates that the budget be balanced – and only on the backs of the Musicians -- during a negotiation year. Practices such as these exemplify how the Woodruff Arts Center fails to live up to its charter to be stewards of the Arts for the city of Atlanta.
ATL Symphony Musicians
The Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) is the non-profit umbrella organization of its four divisions: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The High Museum of Art, The Alliance Theatre, and Arts for Learning.
Although the ASO has a fully functioning Board of Directors and its own administrative staff, the WAC has been exercising increasingly greater control over every facet of the ASO. The Symphony has been placed in the position of running deficits that have been engineered by the WAC with the intention and for the purpose of extracting more concessions from the Orchestra’s musicians.
Two years ago, when the Musicians’ contract expired on August 25, 2012, the ASO management and the ASO Executive Board reached an agreement in the contract’s final hours that would have averted a lockout. However, the WAC rejected the deal out of hand, and promptly locked out the musicians for four weeks in an effort to exact further concessions.
Since the lockout of 2012, funds earned by and donated to the ASO have been manipulated in such a way as to force the ASO to continue to post deficits. This is a blatant attempt by the WAC to complete the permanent diminution and destruction of the ASO that it set out to do two years ago.
While the WAC bemoans the accumulation of deficits, it manages to secure funding to usher out veteran members of the ASO with a retirement incentive that would cost the ASO up to $3.75 million. This is almost double the amount needed to fund the Musicians’ proposal over the course of four years. The WAC is capable of raising money - and ignoring deficit accumulation - when the purpose is to diminish the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The WAC is also able to approve deficits in non-negotiation years (as they did at the end of FY 13), yet suddenly mandates that the budget be balanced – and only on the backs of the Musicians -- during a negotiation year. Practices such as these exemplify how the Woodruff Arts Center fails to live up to its charter to be stewards of the Arts for the city of Atlanta.
ATL Symphony Musicians
As of midnight September 7th, 2014, ASO President and CEO Stanley Romanstein had refused all requests to meet with the Musicians during the final hours before the 2012-2014 CBA expired, forcing them to submit their most recent proposal electronically. The musicians emphasized in their proposal that they wish to avoid a labor dispute and propose to continue negotiating while working under the concessionary 2012-14 contract. The musicians have received no response; it appears that the Woodruff Arts Center has locked out the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the second time in as many years.
In over eight months of negotiations, the Woodruff Arts Center and ASO Managements have displayed no willingness to find a workable agreement. They have refused to meet in person during the final days before our existing contract expired, and obstinately cling to the concessionary terms of their “last, best, and final offer,” under which the musicians would continue to hemorrhage income and lose orchestra positions.
Stanley Romanstein publicly accused the Musicians of not being willing to explore alternative health care solutions. Not only is that claim false – but the Musicians have offered the WAC healthcare solutions that would yield a greater savings without cutting into musician compensation any further.
According to the last, best, and final offer presented by the Woodruff Arts Center, the WAC has $3.75 million dollars available to further reduce the size of the orchestra by one third through a voluntary retirement incentive, and yet they will not apply such funding towards an agreement that we can sign. $3.75 million dollars exceeds the amount necessary to fund the musicians proposed increases. This is a WAC attempt to forever deprive the orchestra of its ability to function in the first league of orchestras.
The WAC has not demonstrated through their actions an understanding in the last two years of what is required to sustain a great American Orchestra – either artistically or financially. Because of this, the musicians can not afford to give up control to the WAC in determining the size of the orchestra.
The cost of the compensation package of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians was $12.2 million dollars in 2012. The cost of the compensation package as outlined in the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th will be $11.68 million dollars in 2018, the fourth year of the proposed agreement. Under the Musicians’ proposal, the orchestra’s costs will be less in 2018 than they were six years prior in 2012.
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
In over eight months of negotiations, the Woodruff Arts Center and ASO Managements have displayed no willingness to find a workable agreement. They have refused to meet in person during the final days before our existing contract expired, and obstinately cling to the concessionary terms of their “last, best, and final offer,” under which the musicians would continue to hemorrhage income and lose orchestra positions.
Stanley Romanstein publicly accused the Musicians of not being willing to explore alternative health care solutions. Not only is that claim false – but the Musicians have offered the WAC healthcare solutions that would yield a greater savings without cutting into musician compensation any further.
According to the last, best, and final offer presented by the Woodruff Arts Center, the WAC has $3.75 million dollars available to further reduce the size of the orchestra by one third through a voluntary retirement incentive, and yet they will not apply such funding towards an agreement that we can sign. $3.75 million dollars exceeds the amount necessary to fund the musicians proposed increases. This is a WAC attempt to forever deprive the orchestra of its ability to function in the first league of orchestras.
The WAC has not demonstrated through their actions an understanding in the last two years of what is required to sustain a great American Orchestra – either artistically or financially. Because of this, the musicians can not afford to give up control to the WAC in determining the size of the orchestra.
The cost of the compensation package of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians was $12.2 million dollars in 2012. The cost of the compensation package as outlined in the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th will be $11.68 million dollars in 2018, the fourth year of the proposed agreement. Under the Musicians’ proposal, the orchestra’s costs will be less in 2018 than they were six years prior in 2012.
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
From Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
September 23, 2014
To our valued patrons --
Today we regretfully announced the cancellation of all orchestral concerts through November 8, 2014, including the opening performance of the 2014-15 season on September 25, due to negotiations between ASO management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement.
If an agreement is reached between ASO management and ASOPA before November 8, the classical season will be re-launched as soon as possible.
We are encouraging all of our patrons to keep their tickets until a new agreement can be reached. In the interim, there are a few options for you to consider.
Season ticket holders are encouraged to contact the ASO Season Tickets office at (404) 733-4800 with any questions.
We deeply appreciate your patronage and look forward to continuing to make music in Symphony Hall.
Best regards,
Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Today we regretfully announced the cancellation of all orchestral concerts through November 8, 2014, including the opening performance of the 2014-15 season on September 25, due to negotiations between ASO management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement.
If an agreement is reached between ASO management and ASOPA before November 8, the classical season will be re-launched as soon as possible.
We are encouraging all of our patrons to keep their tickets until a new agreement can be reached. In the interim, there are a few options for you to consider.
- You may exchange your tickets to a future Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert. A list of future concerts with good seating availability will be mailed out when the work stoppage is over in order to help you make a choice of concerts.
- You may consider the full face value of your unused tickets as a contribution to the ASO.
- You can request a full cash refund for any concerts that are cancelled. You will be reimbursed for any service fees.
Season ticket holders are encouraged to contact the ASO Season Tickets office at (404) 733-4800 with any questions.
We deeply appreciate your patronage and look forward to continuing to make music in Symphony Hall.
Best regards,
Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
MAJOR-LEAGUE PLAYERS, IN TUNE WITH OUR COMMUNITY