Musicians OK Wages, Not Other Concessions

Faced with the threat of the dissolution of their orchestra, locked-out symphony musicians have agreed to accept substantial wage cuts demanded by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Assn., the players said at a Wednesday press conference.

Musicians said they decided to acquiesce to the wage demands after symphony Executive Director Wesley O. Brustad indicated that the association would file for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code if a contract agreement was not reached by Friday.

Brustad refused to comment on any aspect of the negotiations Wednesday night.

The symphony canceled the winter concert season in November, citing continuing financial difficulties and the negotiating impasse with musicians.

Although the musicians have now agreed to the long-disputed wage demands of the symphony, agreement has not yet been reached with the association because it has refused to drop demands for non-wage concessions, the musicians said.

Angered by what they termed a management rebuff and fearful of the dissolution threat, the musicians broke an agreed-upon news embargo on negotiations for the Wednesday news conference.

Symphony spokeswoman Nancy Hafner said there would be no comment from the symphony until today.

The musicians will cast their official vote tonight on the symphony’s final proposal. Tuesday’s balloting by 46 musicians was a straw vote and not legally binding, but union representatives said it was “overwhelmingly” in favor of rejecting the symphony proposal.

“When somebody asks you to take pay cuts, they don’t normally ask for non-pay concessions,” said musicians’ representative Lynn Johnson.

“The orchestra is not pleased to have to do that,” said Rebekah Campbell, a member of the musicians’ negotiating committee. The symphony musicians have maintained that they are the lowest-paid players among major orchestras nationwide.

At a Tuesday night meeting, orchestra members passed a resolution rejecting the symphony’s final Jan. 5 contract proposal with “great regret” because the players would not agree to the “non-monetary” concessions and a surprising new monetary proposal that would reduce the size of the symphony to 81 members. The orchestra had previously agreed to a management proposal that cut the orchestra from 89 to 84 members.

“In bargaining, each party gives a little and each party takes a little,” said Gregory Berton, chairman of the musicians’ negotiating committee. “Their attitude the entire time has been take it or leave it.”

The musicians, who have been locked out by management since September, balked at most of management’s non-wage proposals that are connected with artistic control of the orchestra. The key non-wage demands by the symphony would deprive the musicians of substantial say in the hiring and firing of musicians, while empowering the music director in these matters.

The symphony wage proposal agreed to by musicians called for a 22-week season for the remainder of 1987, and a 40-week season the next two years. The minimum wage for the second and third years is higher than the symphony’s previous offer, made before canceling the season. But the current wage proposal represents a salary cut for those players who are paid more than the minimum wage.

If there is no agreement by Friday, the symphony has said, it will drop a proposed mini-series of concerts in March. There is no agreement at this time for a summer pops series.