Boston secretively settles its musicians
OrchestrasThe Boston Symphony has reached a three-year agreement with its musicians.
Absolutely no details have been given.
See press release below.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s musicians and Board of Trustees are pleased to announce that they
have ratified a new three-year labor agreement to take effect August 28th.
The new contract restores traditional annual wage growth going forward and includes a “catch-up”
increase for the musicians following a three-year pandemic pause in their wages under the existing
contract approved in 2020. The agreement also offers artistic management greater flexibility in
scheduling concerts in both Boston and the Berkshires to respond to changes in audience preferences
and to advance the organization’s goals of achieving financial sustainability over the longer-term.
Joint Statement by Barbara Hostetter, BSO Board Chair; Todd Seeber, Chair of the BSO Players
Committee; and Pat Hollenbeck, President of the Boston Musicians Association:
“We are very pleased to have forged this new agreement in a spirit of genuine cooperation and goodwill
and are collectively excited to open a new chapter in the BSO’s long and storied history with a new
three-year labor contract. The contract’s terms recognize the financial sacrifices the orchestra made
during the pandemic and their extraordinary contributions to making the BSO one of the world’s most
preeminent orchestras and teaching organizations. The agreement also responds to the need for greater
flexibility in scheduling Boston Symphony and Boston Pops concerts to meet the evolving audience
demand for live music performances in the post-pandemic world. Performing orchestral music in-person
remains at the center of the BSO’s mission, and this agreement will ensure that we can continue to do
that at the highest level for years to come. We are especially proud to have reached a mutually
satisfying agreement three weeks before the current contract was set to expire through a deeply
collaborative process that strengthened our positive working relationship. We all agree that both the
process and the outcome are ‘wins’ for the organization and audiences alike, and we look forward to
continuing to work together collegially to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the Boston
Symphony.”
This is what a well-run organization looks like.
Neither the BSO nor the union are obligated to release specifics of a new contract. The language here seems quite professional, respectful and harmonious. Congratulations to all parties for reaching a “mutually satisfying agreement.”
A lot of unions do make their CBAs public so to help set precedents for other other unions in their feel. It’s a lot easier to bargain for an increase in sick days, for example, when you can point to other CBAs with the same provisions.
They may make it available to other unions, yes, but that doesn’t mean the information has to go into a press release.
A secret collective bargaining agreement?
How will they ever tell prospective new hires the conditions of their prospective employment?
And is there a secret court system to settle disputes arising from this secret agreement?
It sounds unlikely.
Basically, it’s none of your business. Ok, if you’re a donor or on the Board.
Otherwise, snot.
When the BSO advertises auditions — in International Musician, for example – they list the salary and benefits. That’s different than listing it in a press release for the general public.
Actually, most of the bigger orchestras do not do this anymore. The smaller ones still do.
It’s not secret at all, they just didn’t publicize it at this time. An ICSOM bulletin will go out to every ICSOM orchestra detailing the pay and other significant issues.
I agree. Why does everything have to be so snide?
Just one, big, happy BSO family!!! (Until some disgruntled relative starts snitching about where all the bodies are buried! It’s just a matter of time! Hey, aren’t ALL families disfunctional to some degree?)
That place is and was a dumpster fired of neponomics and insiders.
Well, it seems like the new CEO Chad Smith is getting the job done already. Congrats to him for fixing the perpetually dysfunctional BSO.
Congratulations Boston.
The class and professionalism of this outstanding orchestra inevitably reminds me of the clumsiness and incompetence of that other American orchestra (whose name now escapes me, like it escapes most folks).
This other ridiculous ensemble went on strike for months and publicized picket lines which, screaming of elitist entitlement, planted the seeds for an audience diaspora from which they haven’t and won’t recover. They even hosted their clownish music director on the picket lines, who (though being historically an enemy of unions and musician strikes) hypocritically joined them for photo ops, hoping to cement his blood alliance with the musicians, but in turn got on the bad side of his major donor, therefore laying the foundation for getting himself out of the job.
The union side of the house was led by a genius (I can’t remember his name, I think his initials were S or L ..), who preserved the entitlements of the old dinosaurs but pretty much doomed the pension plan of all new and future hires.
Can someone help, what orchestra was this again?
Why should they or the union spill interna to the tabloid press?
Nothing about this was ‘secretive’, there is nothing nefarious about negotiating a labor contract. The more accurate word would be confidential…
Let’s hope for a similarly smooth negotiation at CSO
Hope is not a strategy.
Well, it seems like the new CEO Chad Smith is getting the job done already. Congrats to him for fixing the perpetually dysfunctional BSO.
No disrespect to Mr. Smith but these negotiations were surely going on for several months, way before he was named the new CEO. Plus, the BSO’s own website says he begins “as the institution’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective early Fall 2023.”
I’m glad to hear Chad the Impaler is taking care of his minions. Great news indeed!
According to the BDSO website, he begins “as the institution’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective early Fall 2023.”
Boston has always been behind closed doors as it should be.
It was the last Big Five orchestra to unionize and musicians, from what I can tell, have never had reason to strike as they have been treated fairly for years.
Correct me if I’m wrong esp if you play in the BSO. But I think it’s a very different game than the other US orchestras.
Not a secret. Pay rises from 184k in 23-24 to 203.5k in 24-26. Pension increases to 90k. Pretty sweet deal. Puts NYP to shame!