The past five months, as Director of SSD, have been some of the most exciting since my first employment with the “Symphony Department” in 1989. The fact that we are experiencing some of the worst economic times adds a unique perspective and challenge to a department which I am otherwise quite familiar.
Concessionary contracts, strikes, lockouts, threats of bankruptcy, late payrolls, no payrolls, whatever the dilemma our industry has faced it. Nearly every orchestra at some point in their history has faced or will face some degree of excruciating suffering and frustration. What is unique today is the number of organizations experiencing such a crisis at once and its depth. The number of orchestras not currently facing a crisis resembles the number of orchestras who in the course of a “normal” year face such problems.
We are not alone! Our brothers and sisters in all sectors of the labor movement are suffering. Our strength is in knowledge and unity. I look forward to this conference season to again experience the energy generated by creative minds and experience that is shared for the good of the collective and returned with each delegate to their home orchestras.
During our first SSD staff meeting this past May I shared department goals and focus:
The focus of the SSD shall be to assist locals, committees and members in the negotiation, enforcement and administration of collective bargaining agreements through education, on-site visits and technological means.
Communication between locals, committees and members is a matter of paramount importance. The goal is to develop functional relationships between committees and local officers where such a relationship does not exist or where relations are strained and promote and foster relationships which are good.
It is more important now than ever for us to understand and utilize our structure of locals, conferences and committees. To network and communicate about issues which affect our workplace. In all, the effectiveness of our unity is vital. As we embark upon a season of conferences where networking and communication is plentiful my hope is that we talk, listen and share.
The relevance of our industry must be told to the public and not just in our own backyard. We must work together, across the country and with a united AFM, to send the message of our industry’s economic engine and cultural relevancy to the nation. We must send this message as one and as a union of artists.
The SSD staff has continued to rise beyond the demand. We’ve received over 45 requests for on-site bargaining assistance from ICSOM, ROPA and unaffiliated orchestras. SSD staff works 24/7 to be there to assist local officers, delegates and committee members. To see the number of hours worked and our travel schedule is beyond belief. I am pleased that we have expanded our pool of staff resources.
Barbara Owens and Joe Goldman will be assisting us and in attendance at ROPA and ICSOM. Barbara, a former violinist & former President of Local 9 (Boston), is the AFM International Representative for the Midwest. She will be assisting us with negotiating and committee/officer training programs. Joe Goldman is a violinist with the Detroit Symphony. Joe has chaired many committees in Detroit over the years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience with benefit programs. Joe will assist in analyzing benefit plans such as pension and health insurance. After the conference please request Joe’s assistance through the Directors office (as you would all requests for assistance) and not by direct engagement with him.
Janice Galassi and David Schoenbrun continue to be available for on-site bargaining assistance. They are a great resource. We truly appreciate their expertise and willingness to help.
Nathan Kahn needs no introduction. Nathan was the idea behind ROPA. His persistence in seeing ROPA created and tireless efforts to see it succeed allow ROPA to celebrate 25 years this summer. Thank you Nathan! Nathan maintains a full bargaining load as well as administering audition issues.
Doug Lyons has given us this past year in the New York AFM office as the contract administrator. Doug worked magic to bring the wage charts to us in spite of the loss of the old template.
Debbie Newmark interacts with probably more orchestra members and managements than all of us put together. She modulates in and out of local contracts and national contracts with amazing form and style.
I personally thank the entire staff for their dedication and hard work especially this past year as we searched for a director and faced a huge economic crisis.
Activities
Tucson Symphony A truly pleasant experience to see the return of the Tucson Symphony. The musicians in this organization have experienced tough times for several seasons. They are a kind and dedicated collective.
On site visits In addition to the many negotiation assignments, I had the opportunity to meet and visit with the orchestra committees of Cleveland and Detroit. Two orchestras facing challenging negotiations in 2009. I look forward to the opportunity to visit more orchestras in the future to offer AFM assistance and support.
Pacific Symphony At the conclusion of ICSOM 2008 I travelled to Local 7. What I believe to be a first, and hopefully not the last, planning meeting with orchestra members and officers of Local 7 as well as ROPA chair Carla Lehmeier, ICSOM secretary Laura Ross and President Brian Rood. This was a wonderful meeting and a great show of strength in unity and knowledge.
Strike Fund A wonderful benefit and in great financial shape. Again a big thank you to Lorraine Bartlett for her guidance, wisdom and advice on the investment of the strike fund assets last year which resulted in no loss in value to the fund.
Future SSD
New World Symphony The current fence agreement between New World and the AFM provides for AFM participation in educational seminars as part of the curriculum. We will be working towards this end soon. Any input you have is welcome, please contact me. Educational programs at other venues will be an SSD focus as well.
Wage Charts This years’ wage charts were completed without the previous years’ computer program. The program was linked to the AFM database which was revamped. During this process the program used for the charts was deleted. A scramble to piece and patch was ultimately successful to produce the charts but heavy in labor and time. I have been of the opinion that the wage charts could be more user friendly both in set up (answering of questions) and use especially at the bargaining table. I have some thoughts and have been in communication with David Herring (Minnesota Orchestra) at the encouragement of ICSOM and Paul Gunther. I look forward to a productive discussion at each player conference on the content and use of future wage charts. An early fall discussion by a sub group to assist us with reformatting will produce a better product.
CD-ROMS Given the number of negotiations (almost everybody) this season it was of little benefit to produce new CD-ROMS usually distributed at the conferences. With input of the conferences it was concurred that we will produce a new disc sometime in September/October. This will better serve the 2010 negotiating season with current information rather than old.
Communication We live in a world where communication is at the tip of a finger and a phone to ear. We must remember the best communication is within our own membership, committee and local officer. To that end the SSD will strive to improve relationships and communication between local officer’s members/committees through everyday action and education seminars. These programs are not fully developed but will become a priority only restricted by the current mass of negotiations.
Directors Role I have been asked on more than one occasion about my continuing role as a negotiator. Personally I enjoy negotiating and believe that the Director must maintain a schedule of negotiations to understand the dynamic of the field. Effective staffing will ensure that we are able to assist members/officers needs. If you will recall the SSD focus earlier stated, bargaining is and should be the focus of the SSD.
I would like to thank all of you for your support and help during the past five months. The many emails and calls of congratulations, support and condolences were appreciated. I look forward to a new season where we see the economy move ahead. We live in a strong country where the economy has experienced bad times before. Each generation lives better than the previous. Many times we take for granted that which we are fortunate to have had passed on to us. We forget that the inheritance of contracts with good wages, conditions and benefits was not something we earned at the audition (we earned the job) but gained at the bargaining table. If we learn anything about this economic downturn perhaps it is how we value that which we posses as a result of collective bargaining be it passed down or won of our own insistence and persistence.
Respectfully Submitted
Christopher Durham, Director
Symphonic Services Division
American Federation of Musicians