Symphony-Musician Talks at Standstill

Contract negotiations between the Ventura County Symphony Assn. and its musicians have reached a standstill, with both sides accusing the other of stalling the process and jeopardizing the concert season.

“They’ve been threatening us with cancellations since the end of last season,” said bassoonist Steven Thiroux, a member of the musicians’ negotiating team. “I feel we’ve negotiated in good faith (and) prepared a comprehensive proposal and they could not, or were unable, to respond to it in a timely manner.”

But Mike Robbins, an attorney representing the symphony, said the union’s chief negotiator has refused to meet with him for a one-on-one conference to discuss the biggest differences.

The negotiations mark the first time the musicians union has sought a contract with the 30-year-old community orchestra. The symphony agreed to bargain with the union last spring after the musicians threatened to strike.

The two sides have met four times, and no additional negotiating sessions are scheduled. The symphony is scheduled to kick off its season Oct. 8 with a concert in the Oxnard Civic Auditorium.

Thiroux accused the symphony’s directors of jeopardizing the group’s musical identity by only offering contracts to 20 musicians in an initial proposal. The symphony is normally composed of 30 to 60 musicians, depending on the program.

“We can’t go in front of our members and say, ‘Here’s the proposal, and it’s for 20 musicians,’ ” he said.

But Robbins said the symphony’s initial offer of 20 contracts was only a starting point in negotiations. It was a counteroffer to the union’s demand that about 70 musicians be offered full-season contracts, he said.

“Yes, it’s true we initially proposed 20, and frankly we expected to be negotiating up to some degree,” he said.