Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Union Calls City Opera Strike ‘Likely’ Given Demands
Bloomberg.com: "A strike may cripple the New York City Opera later this year if its new general manager and artistic director, George Steel, seeks extensive concessions, said the union representing opera singers, stage directors and other production staffers."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
While I support the chorus members and their organizing force, and agree that the situation is greatly out of their favor, it is sad that a strike seems to be the only solution to this problem. A strike will effectively shut down the New York City Opera, depriving a great number of people of their chance to view art. I felt the same way when the stagehands went on strike. I almost feel like they should strike the way teachers and healthcare workers protest-- not completely refusing to work, as this would hurt the clients more than the employers, but through other, more focused methods which would affect the employer more directly.
Once again, it saddens me to hear of this news. I'm sure the Opera is being his just as hard as the rest of the world with this financial crisis and needs to find some way to stay afloat. I would hope though, that's its loyalty lies to its employes, and not necessarily to its fans. While it sounds like they are in dire straights, perhaps they could have been a little more pro-active this year in trying to ensure the company would survive another year. Best of luck to all of them.
While I understand that the current financial situation requires sacrifices, the idea of making the performers a part time job seems wrong. The difficulty and amount of effort that goes into these shows is extremely high and deserves the respect of at least semi-decent wages. I do agree with the idea of only paying people for when they actually work though. The current union rules that pay full days pay for small things is utter inflated. Even though its good for the crews, it destroys the theatre itself. I think a complete overhaul or new way of thinking about theatrical finance is needed.
Post a Comment