Negotiations

I have read the interesting and diverse opening statements. There are, however, some underlying congruencies in our views. One area is in musician/committee service.

In my venue, rarely, if ever, are musicians selected by Management for its committees. This would make the musicians suspicious of Management’s motives for one thing, and, additionally, of the musician’s own loyalties. Generally I feel strongly that decisions of this nature involving musicians should be made by musicians—the feeling of empowerment is important here, because there are so few areas in the orchestra environment in which a musician may experience this sense (see Robert and Seymour Levine’s excellent article in Harmony Magazine, Why They’re Not Smiling).

Flags do go up in certain areas, however. I agree wholeheartedly that extreme care and vigilance must be exercised to avoid any discussion of wages hours and working conditions in these forums. We all know where that is supposed to occur. And yes, musicians who serve on board/administrative committees may be made to feel that their presence is a form of tokenism. Some orchestra women who have served in my venue have been subject to misogyny on occasion, but that depends solely upon who populates the administrative wing.

Certainly, as mentioned, the strategic direction of an organization falls under the aegis of employer rights, but the musicians are not “chopped liver” here. They are a lobby, and, since many Board members are serving an industry they know nothing about, these committees can be an educative tool in both directions.

As an aside, one of our musicians recently served on our Finance Committee. After making several contributions in the meeting, another member complimented him and asked him at which company he was employed.

Respectfully, Erich Graf