Negotiations

Moderator’s Note: Laura’s posting is in response to comments posted by Katin, a registered Polyphonic.org user.

Hello Katin,

In my last post I wrote, “The musicians, in turn, must become sophisticated participants in their organizations. They must learn to understand the orchestra’s financial pressures and external challenges so that they come to the table as stakeholders rather than as adversaries.” You replied by asking, “How are we supposed to do this?”

Katin, I remember well the time when I first got on that learning curve. I was on my first negotiating committee. The union’s stock response to management was, “We play the music, you find the money.” I found that concept very attractive. I did not know or care about what was going on upstairs and I liked it that way.

Then management presented a demand for a four-week cut to the season.

I began to understand a cold truth: for a burned-out, exhausted board, the easiest place to “find the money” was in the musicians’ compensation line of the budget. It suddenly became crystal clear. My colleagues and I needed to learn about orchestra finances, about bargaining strategy, about leadership. We needed to learn about best practices in successful organizations. I started reading, talking to people, getting involved. I am still on that learning curve. I will never be finished because the field changes every day.

The wonderful news is that there is a wealth of information available at the click of a mouse. If you do nothing more than read everything that is available on line, you will be a well-educated symphony musician. Start with this website, including Ron Bauers’ excellent on-line accounting course and the Harmony archives. Go to www.afm.org and click on “Symphonic Services for Members” to read the multitude of pamphlets on subjects ranging from “Musicians on Boards” to “Contract Administration.” Also on the AFM site, visit the archives of the International Musician, especially the August issues which are devoted annually to symphonic matters. Visit the American Symphony Orchestra League’s website at www.symphony.org and its links to Symphony magazine. Our moderator, Drew McManus, offers an excellent resource at www.artsjournal.com . All three player conferences of the AFM have on-line information services. Go to www.icsom.org and www.ropaweb.org to find out how to subscribe. ICSOM and ROPA also have on-line archives of their newsletters.

Katin, you expressed a desire for more services from your Local and from the AFM. You also suggested that you weren’t sure if contacting SSD Negotiator Nathan Kahn was “the right thing to do.” Trust me, there is no downside to calling Nathan or anyone else at the SSD. We will take your calls and e-mails. We will answer your questions. If you want to throw a copy of your orchestra’s financials on the fax machine we will walk you through it. If you need someone on-site between negotiations for education and consultation, ask your Local officer to write a letter to the SSD. If you are having trouble making that happen…

Call the SSD. 1-800-869-1330 ext. 222. We look forward to hearing from you!

Final Thoughts
Commentator “tomreel,” in his excellent submission, invites us to revisit the original question:

“Is the collective bargaining agreement negotiation environment the most effective tool professional orchestra musicians can use to influence the artistic and economic strategic direction for their respective organization?”

There appears to be consensus within our Blogger community that collective bargaining is an effective tool – perhaps the most effective tool – for influencing the strategic direction of an organization. There is also consensus that it is not the only tool. Some of us believe that in an ideal world meaningful strategic planning would involve musicians and their unions and would take place well in advance of formal negotiations.

Contract negotiations are effective because they are powerful, sometimes not in a good way. The intensity of the bargaining arena has driven more than one very good manager from the field. These are people that literally preferred to quit rather than face another negotiation. There is no question that we need to become better at this. Carla Johnson provided some excellent advice in her Day 4 posting in which she suggests that if we “…start by talking about baseball or the kids, it gets a little easier.” The outcomes of difficult conversations can almost always be improved if the participants start with a few kind words and an attempt at human connection.

The best path to an amicable negotiation is through outstanding performance and organizational success. Respect cannot be taken for granted. It must be earned. Curt Long’s loyalty towards his colleagues is laudable. We have heard, however, from seasoned negotiators on this panel that managements do not always behave and perform well. Nor do unions always behave and perform well. As a recipe for the future, consider the following: Find the good people on all “sides.” Build alliances. Get the word out. Work together to raise the level of practice in the field.

Thank you, Drew. This has been a good experience.