Mike Okun

WHEREAS, Attorney Michael G. Okun, of Patterson Harkavy LLC, has served as interim counsel to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians since August, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Mike Okun stepped in at a moment’s notice, at a time when legal advice and assistance were vital to the ICSOM Governing Board; and
WHEREAS, Mike Okun has been instrumental in assisting the ICSOM Governing Board with a reevaluation of ICSOM’s bylaws and an updating of the ICSOM Governing Board policy book; and
WHEREAS, He has readily shared his great knowledge and has been invaluable in his assistance to the ICSOM Governing Board throughout the 2009–10 season; and
WHEREAS, Mike Okun has been a wonderful resource, especially as an advisor to ICSOM Chairperson Bruce Ridge; and
WHEREAS, He has demonstrated tremendous respect, affection and admiration for musicians everywhere through his generous efforts on our behalf; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the officers and delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank Michael G. Okun for his invaluable work and dedication to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians this past year, and wish him every success in his future endeavors, and express our gratitude to him for his continuing friendship to ICSOM and all of its members.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Jaime Austria

WHEREAS, Jaime Suarez Austria was a valued member of the New York City Opera Orchestra bass section for 17 years; and
WHEREAS, Jaime had a varied career as a member of New York City Local 802 for 42 years, performing with Leopold Stokowski in the American Symphony Orchestra, and then in the orchestra pits as a Broadway musician during a fifteen year run of “A Chorus Line,” and American Ballet Theater; and
WHEREAS, Jaime was also a tireless advocate for many causes that were close to his heart, which resulted in the establishment of a number of successful programs; and
WHEREAS, Jaime believed that every child had the right to receive free music lessons and was successful helping to establish “El Sistema NYC;” and
WHEREAS, Jaime’s concern for the American Federation of Musicians and Employers Pension Fund moved him to establish the “Informal Watchdog Network” to assure that communication between the Fund and its participants was more transparent, and his work led to the passage of a number of resolutions at the 2007 ICSOM conference that led to the recent appointment of the first orchestra manager Trustee and the continued push for a transactional AFM-EPF website for participants; and
WHEREAS, Jaime’s greatest public success was spearheading a petition drive to urge President Obama to add the position of Secretary of Arts to his Cabinet, garnering more than 240,000 signatures; and
WHEREAS, Jaime’s death in May, 2010, dealt a blow to those who benefited from his championing the causes that were so dear to his heart; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference express their respect and admiration as well as their sadness for the great loss of such a remarkable and dedicated advocate; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the gratitude of musicians throughout the United States, who benefited from Jaime Austria’s advocacy, be expressed to his wife Christine, and to his children.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

JoAnn Falletta

WHEREAS, JoAnn Falletta is a great friend to ICSOM and its member orchestras; and
WHEREAS, As Music Director of both the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony, JoAnn Falletta is a recognized leader in the conducting field; and
WHEREAS, When the Honolulu Symphony musicians needed the services of a noted conductor, JoAnn Falletta agreed to lead the orchestra in their benefit performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in December 2009; and
WHEREAS, This performance came just after the Honolulu Symphony Society filed for bankruptcy protection, jeopardizing the future of one of America’s oldest and most resilient orchestras; and
WHEREAS, JoAnn Falletta donated her services in the interest of assisting the musicians of the Honolulu Symphony; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank JoAnn Falletta for her leadership, dedication and generosity in assisting the Honolulu Symphony musicians in their special and emotional evening during which they said thank you to their community for their support over the years.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Robert Tim Brown

WHEREAS, Robert Tim Brown, Esq., of New York City is a colleague of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians’ interim counsel, Michael G. Okun; and
WHEREAS, Tim Brown has tremendous experience in all levels of labor and employment law; and
WHEREAS, Tim Brown joined with interim counsel Mike Okun to advise the ICSOM Governing Board, and especially ICSOM Chairperson Bruce Ridge throughout the 2009–10 season; and
WHEREAS, His expertise, friendship, and eagerness to assist ICSOM were invaluable to the whole organization; and
WHEREAS, Tim Brown has professed and demonstrated great respect for the musicians of ICSOM; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank Robert Tim Brown for his expertise, guidance, and friendship to orchestra musicians throughout the country; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ICSOM extends its very best wishes to Tim Brown in all of his future endeavors.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Students Replacing Professional Musicians in the Workplace

WHEREAS, An orchestra of professional musicians represented by AFM Local 10-208 is being replaced by a symphony orchestra consisting of music students enrolled in the Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts to accompany upcoming performances by the Mark Morris Dance Group, a professional dance company of international standing, at a commercial venue and for which tickets will be sold to the general public; and
WHEREAS, The use of student musicians and ensembles to provide orchestral accompaniment for professional dance, opera, theater and other productions, for little or no compensation, constitutes exploitation of such students, devalues the work of professional musicians, and deprives professional musicians of their livelihood; and
WHEREAS, This action establishes precedents that will deprive those same student musicians of future employment and undermines the opportunity for them to make a career as professional musicians, one of the very purposes for which many of them are attending the Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts or any other performing arts university, college or conservatory; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference condemn the replacement by Roosevelt University of professional musicians by its students, or any performing arts university, college or conservatory where unpaid students replace paid professional musicians; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference condemn such exploitation of any student musicians by their college, and especially exploitation of its student musicians by Roosevelt University, the very institution that is preparing those musicians for careers as professional musicians; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference express their ardent opposition to, and hereby condemn, this blatant violation of the Code of Ethics of the MENC: The National Association for Music Education, which is “an agreement defining the jurisdictions of music educators and professional musicians;” and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference reaffirm their commitment to the MENC Code of Ethics as it applies to all performing arts universities, colleges and conservatories; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference hereby urge Roosevelt University to reverse its decision to replace professional union musicians with a student ensemble under its sponsorship and control, thereby depriving working musicians of work that should be performed by professional unionized musicians; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That all ICSOM orchestras join with the AFM to communicate this message to all performing arts universities, colleges and conservatories in their jurisdictions, and to the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the organization which establishes national standards for those educational institutions.
Submitted by Matthew Comerford (Chicago Lyric Opera), Robert Levine (Milwaukee), and the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Michael Greenfield

WHEREAS, Michael Greenfield has served as chief negotiator and legal counsel to negotiating committees of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and many other ICSOM Orchestras for over 45 years; and
WHEREAS, Mike also served as legal counsel to Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208 of the AFM for over 45 years; and
WHEREAS, His knowledge, skill, insights, strategic thinking and participation in all areas of legal counsel for orchestra musicians have always been of the highest level; and
WHEREAS, He has demonstrated tremendous respect, affection and admiration for musicians everywhere through his generous efforts on our behalf; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference express their respect, admiration and gratitude to Michael Greenfield upon his retirement, for his remarkable body of work for over 45 years on behalf of ICSOM orchestras, AFM Local 10-208, and particularly as legal counsel and negotiator extraordinaire for the Chicago Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the officers and delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank Michael Greenfield for his invaluable work and dedication, through the orchestras he represented, to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, wish him every success in his future endeavors, and express our gratitude to him for his continuing friendship to ICSOM and all of its members.
Submitted by Matt Comerford (Chicago Lyric Opera), Robert Levine (Milwaukee), Norbert Nielubowski (Minnesota), Rachel Goldstein (Chicago Symphony), Louise Alexander (Indianapolis), and Robert Prokes (Buffalo) and adopted by unanimous consent

Jimmy Butts

WHEREAS, Jimmy Butts, of the prestigious Atlanta accounting firm Clack & Associates, PC, is a colleague of International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians’ interim counsel, Michael G. Okun; and
WHEREAS, In conjunction with Mike Okun, Jimmy Butts assisted the ICSOM Governing Board this year as advisor on all financial matters involved with the proposed updating of ICSOM’s bylaws and the ICSOM Governing Board policy book; and
WHEREAS, He has, through his expertise, assisted ICSOM in its mission of service to symphonic musicians; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank Jimmy Butts for his expertise, guidance, and friendship to orchestra musicians throughout the country; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ICSOM extends its very best wishes to Jimmy Butts in all of his future endeavors.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

David Herring

WHEREAS, David Herring has been a longtime valued member of the Minnesota Orchestra trombone section; and
WHEREAS, On multiple occasions David has served on various Minnesota Orchestra members and negotiating committees; and
WHEREAS, David, in addition to being a professional musician and member of the American Federation of Musicians, and of the Twin Cities Musicians Union Local 30-73, is also a professional software designer; and
WHEREAS, Working with the encouragement of ICSOM and the AFM Symphonic Services Division, David has devoted the past year to developing a straightforward, useful interactive Wage Chart web computer application; and
WHEREAS, David’s application will allow orchestra musicians and their negotiating committees to compare, analyze and generate results from multiple years of relevant data over any number of available parameters; and
WHEREAS, David has successfully completed this task and has created new software that will aid current and future negotiating union musicians; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the officers and delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference wholeheartedly thank David Herring for his innovative work in developing a powerful negotiating tool on behalf of all orchestra musicians.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Robert Matisoff

WHEREAS, Robert Matisoff, of the prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm O’Donoghue and O’Donoghue, is a colleague of International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians’ interim counsel, Michael G. Okun; and
WHEREAS, In conjunction with Mike Okun, Robert Matisoff assisted the ICSOM Governing Board this year when, among other things, he provided it with a lengthy training session of labor law issues, and also advised on the proposed updating of ICSOM’s bylaws and the ICSOM Governing Board policy book; and
WHEREAS, He has, through his expertise, assisted ICSOM in its mission of service to symphonic musicians; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference thank Robert Matisoff for his expertise, guidance, and friendship to orchestra musicians throughout the country; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ICSOM extends its very best wishes to Robert Matisoff in all of his future endeavors.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Richardson Symphony

WHEREAS, The musicians of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) have been the essential element of the Richardson Symphony’s musical product since its inception; and
WHEREAS, The musicians of the RSO voted to be represented by the Dallas–Fort Worth Local 72-147 AFM since 1992; and
WHEREAS, Continued bargaining between the RSO and Local 72-147 since 1992 has resulted in significant improvements in working conditions for those musicians as well as significant improvements in the Richardson Symphony’s musical product; and
WHEREAS, The Richardson Symphony Orchestra management’s decision to refuse to collectively bargain with Local 72-147 has resulted in the placing of the RSO on the AFM International Unfair List; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference call upon the Richardson Symphony Orchestra management and board to bargain with the musicians of Local 72-147.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

Web-Based Resource Center

WHEREAS, The dissemination of ideas of interest to orchestras is of the utmost importance; and
WHEREAS, The existing tools for such dissemination, namely Orchestra-L and Delegate-L, are not well-suited to the retention and organization of such ideas, nor to the dissemination of ideas in certain formats; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference direct the Governing Board to research the feasibility of establishing a web-based resource center with a searchable, organized knowledge base, available to all orchestras.
Submitted by Penny Brill (Pittsburgh) and Peter de Boor (Kennedy Center) and adopted by unanimous consent

Honolulu Symphony

WHEREAS, The Honolulu Symphony, as embodied in its professional union musicians, is an irreplaceable cultural treasure central to the quality of life of Hawaii that must not be allowed to disappear; and
WHEREAS, The Honolulu Symphony Musicians have been and continue to be on the front lines of the struggle to protect professionalism, rights and dignity for symphonic musicians everywhere; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference reaffirm their support for the Honolulu Symphony Musicians in their fight to maintain their orchestra as a core community resource and a beacon of artistic excellence.
Submitted by the Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent

In addition to the adopted resolutions printed in this issue, delegates to the 2010 ICSOM Conference approved extensive revisions of the ICSOM bylaws. Those bylaw revisions may be viewed online at www.icsom.org.