{"id":5354,"date":"2010-09-25T16:30:19","date_gmt":"2010-09-25T23:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/?p=5354"},"modified":"2013-02-07T20:30:55","modified_gmt":"2013-02-08T04:30:55","slug":"clock-strikes-midnight-detroit-calls-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/09\/25\/clock-strikes-midnight-detroit-calls-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"clock strikes midnight: detroit calls strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

In response to the management of the Detroit Symphony imposing their “last, best offer”, the musicians have called a strike, set to begin on October 4th at 10:00 a.m.\u00a0 Here’s the press release from the players:<\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n

DSO MUSICIANS TO GO ON STRIKE OCT. 4<\/p>\n

DETROIT, Sept. 26\u2014\u201cThe strike is on, effective Monday, October 4, and the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and their families, along with the musicians\u2019 union, the Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local 5 of the American Federation of Musicians, will start picketing at Orchestra Hall at 10 am,\u201d cellist Haden McKay, speaking for the musicians, said today.<\/p>\n

McKay also said that the musicians and the union have filed charges of unfair labor practices by management with the National Labor Relations Board.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter continually refusing to negotiate, they claimed an impasse existed, enabling them to impose their last offer to the musicians.\u00a0 That offer not only slashed salary and benefits 33%, it imposed many onerous changes in work rules that have nothing to do with cutting expenses but would seriously damage the quality of the orchestra.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a four-hour meeting convened Friday by three mediators, we indicated to the mediators that we would be willing to modify our position if we were told by management that they would be willing to do likewise. The mediators consulted with management and reported back that management was unwilling to make any changes to their position.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaturally, we were puzzled as to why management even agreed to this meeting if they were unwilling to negotiate. We were also puzzled by comments in the media by Anne Parsons, the DSO\u2019s executive director, that management had offered to discuss changes to working conditions and other elements of their last proposal. No such comments were ever made to us or reported to us by the mediators.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKay said that management has advised the musicians that they will cancel all of the insurances under which the musicians are covered even though the musicians have offered to pay the premiums themselves. Those insurances include medical, dental, vision, life, long term disability, and instrument insurance.<\/p>\n

They have also had their lawyers threaten to sue the musicians to prevent them from publicizing benefit concerts and from telling their side of the story on their website, detroitsymphonymusicians.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still hope that management will be willing to meet with us, work with us to arrive at a fair agreement, and thus avoid the strike,\u201d McKay said.<\/p>\n

############ <\/cite><\/p>\n

CONTACT: News Desk at (248) 569-5400 ext. 28 or
\nnewsdesk@detroitsymphonymusicians.org
\nVisit us at www.detroitsymphonymusicians.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to the management of the Detroit Symphony imposing their “last, best offer”, the musicians have called a strike, set to begin on October 4th at 10:00 a.m.\u00a0 Here’s the press release from the players: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DSO MUSICIANS TO GO ON STRIKE OCT. 4 DETROIT, Sept. 26\u2014\u201cThe strike is on, effective Monday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[186,2],"tags":[2361,2380],"class_list":["post-5354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-labor-issues","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-detroit-symphony","tag-strike"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-1om","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5840,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/21\/whisky-tango-foxtrot\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":0},"title":"whisky tango foxtrot??!!","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Or, as they say on the internets, WTF??!! The Detroit Symphony regime, er, management, has taken a Qadaffi-esque approach to the musicians' strike with a spray of gunfire, er, announcement that if the musicians don't settle for more concessions than were proposed in their last, best offer, then the orchestra\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Gaddafi1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5431,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/13\/detroit-news-roundup\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":1},"title":"detroit news roundup","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a collection of links to news and related blog posts about the current strike at the Detroit Symphony. UPDATED: Latest info: Detroit Musician's concert to be televised - NY Times DSO bosses risk orchestra's future - Detroit News Sarah Chang Flap Links: Sarah Chang lands in S. Cal following\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6107,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/04\/04\/tentative-agreement-in-detroit\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":2},"title":"tentative agreement in detroit","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Detroit Free Press has announced that the Detroit Symphony musicians and management have come to a tentative settlement of the six-month long strike. Face-to-face meetings resumed after an unnamed intermediary proposed terms that were accepted by both sides. Details here and here.\u00a0 [shout out to Drew McManus at adaptistration.com\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5127,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/07\/29\/severe-cuts-proposed-in-detroit\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":3},"title":"severe cuts proposed in detroit","author":"Charles Noble","date":"July 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This came over the PRNewswire today (thanks to Elaine for bringing it to my attention): Detroit Symphony Musicians Targeted for Deep Slashes; Will Other Symphony Orchestra Musicians Also Be Under Gun? DETROIT, July 29 \/PRNewswire\/ -- Salary cuts upwards of 28 percent, drastic cuts in their health insurance, elimination of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "administration"","block_context":{"text":"administration","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/administration-the-orchestra-world-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5225,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/08\/28\/detroit-musicians-reject-management-offer-give-strike-authorization\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":4},"title":"detroit musicians reject management offer, give strike authorization","author":"Charles Noble","date":"August 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Video from the Detroit FOX affiliate:","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5820,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/19\/dso-musicians-reject-contract-season-suspended\/","url_meta":{"origin":5354,"position":5},"title":"dso musicians reject contract, season ‘suspended’","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, here we are. The game of brinksmanship at the Detroit Symphony has been carried to its (il)logical conclusion - the musicians are still on strike, and management has 'suspended' (n\u00e9e canceled) the remainder of the current season. Is this what both sides of this contract warfare were hoping for?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5354\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}