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Recent News

Supporters of Hartford Symphony Orchestra Rally at Connecticut State Capitol Building

playing to prepare for rallyOn September 8, Hartford musicians, Local 400 President Joseph Messina and Secretary Candace Lammers, and their supporters gathered outside the Connecticut State Capitol building to rally in support of Hartford Symphony Orchestra, which is fighting for a fair contract. Their last contract expired in 2013, and management has asked them to concede to fewer services and 40% pay cuts.

Among those who came to the Connecticut Capitol to show their support were AFM President Ray Hair, Secretary-Treasurer Sam Folio, and Symphonic Services Division Director Jay Blumenthal; ROPA Treasurer Donna Loomis; ICSOM Chair Bruce Ridge; Connecticut AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Treasurer Lori Pelletier; Connecticut AFL-CIO President and Executive Director AFSCME Council 4 Sal Luciano; Connecticut AFL-CIO Trustee Mark Espinosa; Connecticut AFL-CIO President Emeritus and longtime leader John Olsen; representatives of Danbury and Hartford Central Labor Councils; State Representative Andy Fleischmann who is a longtime friend of the labor movement, as well as arts in the schools; Connecticut Education Association representative and former House speaker Chris Donovan; workers from IATSE, AFSCME, United Food and Commercial Workers, AFT Connecticut, and FCIU; plus retirees and other concerned citizens.

Ray Hair gave a rousing speech at the rally where he called out David Fay, president and chief executive officer of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for trying to cut the musicians’ already meager $23,000 salaries, and in effect, destroy the orchestra.

https://youtu.be/8lDx42_AHVI

“Nobody can live on $23,000 a year,” explained Hair. “That’s why they schedule rehearsals at night, during the week, to allow symphony musicians to supplement their jobs with daytime teaching and other things. Management wants to cut the workload down to about 115 [from 185] services annually for about $15,000 a season—a reduction of 38%. And what’s worse, that 38% pay cut is in the context of having daytime services. That forces musicians who make ends meet with multiple employers to choose between one job or the other. It’s a no win situation.”

All this is despite perfect concerts, recordings, and sold out shows, he continued. “The spirits that we raised here in the community and the money that we made for the businesses here are not enough for David Fay anymore.” Hair went on to detail more figures: Fay earned $400,000 last year; The Bushnell, Hartford’s performance venue, has assets of $43 million and posted profits last year; and the symphony has assets of nearly $10 million.

people at rally

“I think it’s time for David Fay to face the music in Hartford,” concluded Hair. “The concessions that David Fay is asking this orchestra to concede are completely and totally unjustified. For the employer/employee relationship to function there has to be a fair bargain. If we don’t put a stop to this union busting attitude, not only here in Hartford, but everywhere else, nobody’s ever going to do it. It threatens to destroy what much of labor has achieved over the past century and it’s about to destroy the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.”

Following the rally, Hartford Symphony Orchestra musicians and their supporters marched to The Bushnell and back while carrying signs and chanting.

Recent News

Union Leaders Celebrate New DC Bank of Labor Office

On August 11, union officials, including AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Boilermakers International President Newton B. Jones, and AFM Legislative-Political and Diversity Director Alfonso Pollard, celebrated the opening of the Bank of Labor office in Washington, DC. Jones, who is also the bank’s chairman and CEO, dedicated the new office to former Boilermakers International President Joe Franklin, who served the union from 1908 to 1944, and led the effort to form the Brotherhood State Bank, the forerunner to the Bank of Labor. Several AFM musicians performed at the opening ceremony.

Recent News

Writers Guild Accuses ITV of Violating Federal Labor Law

Almost five years after ITV’s Kirkstall Road Enterprises employees in favor of Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) representation, they still do not have a contract with the union. The WGAE states: “the company has engaged in bad-faith bargaining since that time in an effort to thwart its employees’ decision to unionize.” The National Labor Relations Board is investigation several charges against ITV. In a previous settlement with the NLRB the company agreed to provide the guild with information about the company’s health plan, as well as to advice employees that it would not interfere with their right to unionize.

“We are pleased the company has notified employees it will not violate their right to union representation,” a statement from WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson says. “We look forward to receiving the health benefits information we are entitled to review under the law. We remain utterly mystified that a giant multinational media corporation like ITV continues to engage in legalistic maneuvers to avoid negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.”

In the past few years, WGAE has made organizing reality TV a priority.

Recent News

NBCUniversal Go to Trial Over Age Discrimination Claim

A trial is scheduled for November 2 to determine if former investigative reporter Frank Snepp was fired due to age discrimination. Snepp’s career as an investigative journalist began following a stint as a CIA analyst. However, Snepp made the news in 1980 when a landmark Supreme Court ruling upheld his confidentiality obligations with US Government over his First Amendment rights as a whistleblower in regards to his Vietnam-focused book Decent Interval. As an investigative reporter, his award-winning stories covered breaking news about the Iran Contra scandal, Monica Lewinski, SEAL Team 6, and more. In 2006 he was hired by LA’s KNBC as a field producer, two years later re-hired as a content producer, then fired in 2012, at age 69. Snepp has submitted evidence of ageist statements from NBC that he should quit or retire because of his age. NBC claims he was fired for inadequate performance.

Recent News

Do EU Listeners Pay for Music?

A new European Commission report showed that 60% of nearly 27,000 European consumers surveyed early this year had either streamed or downloaded music in the past 12 months, but they are paying for music at relatively low rates. While nearly two in three people use the Internet in Europe to access music, but less than a third of those people (17%) paid. Growth in global recorded music revenue has been fairly flat in recent years mostly because of free, legal music, rather than piracy, one article in Billboard contends.

Recent News

British Songwriters Take Legal Action Against SoundCloud

According to Variety, PRS for Music, a British songwriter agency, has initiated legal action against music streaming site SoundCloud amid claims that the service is not paying royalties and securing licenses from its artists. A letter to the group’s members stated that the action follows five years of unsuccessful negotiations. A SoundCloud spokesperson told Variety that the service is “working hard to create a platform where all creators can be paid for their work, and already have deals in place with thousands of copyright owners, including record labels, publishers, and independent artists.”

Recent News

Hartford Musicians to Rally at Connecticut State Capitol

If you are in the Hartford, Connecticut, area and free on Wednesday, September 9, come out and show your support for the musicians of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra who are fighting for a fair contract. A rally is planned for noon on the north steps of the state capitol building. Speakers at the rally will include AFM International President Ray Hair and Connecticut AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Treasurer Lori Pelletier. Following the rally, musicians will march to Bushnell theater to engage in informational picketing.

Hartford Symphony musicians, members of Local 400 (Hartford, CT), have been fighting for a fair contract since June 2014. Their last contract expired in 2013, and as negotiations began, musicians agreed to a one-year extension. The symphony has proposed nearly 40% wage cuts for core musicians and more restrictive scheduling. These changes would adversely affect the ability of the part-time musicians to earn a living through other part-time jobs.

Additionally, the current proposal does not include any in-school educational performances. In past years, the musicians have done more than 200 interactive educational performances of small ensembles for students.

 

Recent News

Ontario Public Service Union Calls for End to Work Stoppage

CarePartners workers, members of The Ontario Public Service Employers Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) in Canada, have been on strike for four months trying to negotiate a new pay structure and improved sick time and health and safety provisions. Previously, home care was provided by salaried employees who worked for nonprofit organizations. Then, the 100% taxpayer-funded Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) put home care out to competitive bidding from for-profit companies. The cheapest bid won, and the winners drove down their costs by suppressing wages and benefits. Regional CCAC nurses are now paid per visit, not per hour, and many of them are no longer earning even minimum wage. They also have no sick days or compensation for overtime. Meanwhile, the owners of CarePartners set themselves up with high salaries and fancy offices.

The result, according to OPSEU President Warren Thomas, is “patients are receiving poorer care and healthcare professionals are seeing good jobs destroyed. In a statement released last week, Thomas called on the provincial government to take action. “Using taxpayer dollars to prolong legal work stoppages is not only a waste of money but belies any claim that this Liberal government is progressive towards the needs of our most fragile citizens and our skilled healthcare workers, the vast majority of whom are women,” he says.

Recent News

Latin Grammy Leader Addresses Trump’s Comments

Following multiple Latino musicians who have spoken out against presidential candidate Donald Trump’s anti-Latino statements, Latin Recording Academy CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. issued a statement condemning the presidential candidate’s attacks on the Latino population. “Whether you’re talking about Mexico, South America, Central America, Spain, or Portugal, Latin culture has been so beautifully intertwined into American culture that it is almost imperceptible to recognize the benefits of that integration,” said Abaroa. “Nonetheless, we should not take for granted the countless contributions Latinos make to American culture. Given his recent statements, Mr. Trump needs a respectful reminder of that fact. This denial of Latino contributions and the division it will create cannot be tolerated, and we appeal to Mr. Trump to discontinue his affront on the millions of Latinos who have helped make America the great nation it is. Just as music brings people together, so, too, should those who aim to lead us.”