Micah Howard, a bassist in his 21st season with PSO, is among them.
At issue: a demand from management that the 99-member orchestra take a 15-percent pay cut and a refusal by the musicians to do so.
This is “not about our individual salaries,” said Howard, chair of the musicians’ committee. “This is about maintaining excellence.”
6 comments:
Even though the circumstances around this strike are not good it is nice to see updates and see how things are going. In my previous comment about the strike I asked quite a few questions that were answered in this article which is cool. Normally we if you have questions about the details of things you don’t get an answer back unless you are directly related to it but in this case we can be kept updated. What surprises me the most in this article is that they cancelled all performances until October 27th but management didn’t talk to any of the folks in the union signifying they aren’t talking and trying to work together. They are just deciding to cancel performances and keep money away from working folks. It is sad that things are not in negotiation yet. It’s like a waiting game to see who will give up first.
We’ve been learning about unions in PPM this semester, and it so interesting to hear about a major case in Pittsburgh concurrent with the course material. It’s unfortunate that this is happening it Pittsburgh, however after talking to a few people, it has become evident that this is happening all over the country (not specifically the striking but the pay cuts and financial issues). This article addresses the immediate effects on the musicians which are very real concerns, however I am curious to know how this will affect the local businesses in the Cultural District that will be affected and just how much it will affect them. Another question is how much revenue is brought to the Cultural District because of PSO performances compared to a CLO performance or Broadway Series performance? What types of audiences are bringing additional revenue to the area? My hypothesis would be that PSO does bring as much external revenue into the Cultural District because the audiences are older, perhaps more subscribers that do not feel the need to eat or shop downtown before a performance compared to a CLO performance.
I left a comment on the earlier article regarding this strike, and I feel like it would only be necessary for me to comment again. In my previous note, I discussed the larger issue of this problem - the fact that there is less consumer interest in live classical music now than there used to be. Though there are of course those who appreciate and love attending and creating classical music, there is a lot more interest in pop and hip hop/rap. This article initially made me bite my words due to the mention of how Philadelphia Orchestra's musicians managed to negotiate a near $30k higher base salary to those of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's musicians. However, I do feel as though the numbers of $91k and $137k are remarkably high for annual salaries. Perhaps I do not understand salaries because I am still in college, but I have always been awed by ~$90-120k salaries. It even still amazes me that these musicians emphasize the need to hold multiple jobs despite this $90k annual salary. I have friends making full-time salaries of $60k in San Francisco and are faring just fine; I also have friends who wish they could make $50k a year. I am glad that these musicians are still happy to play free concerts, but I also feel as though they may be a little high-horsed to feel upset about a lower salary when they are holding so many jobs already and are making at least $90k a year for one of them. I hope this post is not offensive at all, it is just my opinion based on the article's numbers and my own experiences.
Being apart of an artistic community its hard to see other artist struggling. Each artist should have fair wages and everything they are striking for should be done. However seeing that the salary is around $100 k a year makes me feel weird about whats going on. Most artist are not having a salary anywhere close to $100k. In the article it was saying how many have to have second jobs to help offset costs. However most people I know are able to survive on way less than $100k. I feel like there should not be such a pay cut but maybe figure out a different solution so the musicians can play again, while the company can still afford to be opened.
I find it so interesting that the PSO strike has been gaining so much attention. Not because I think the attention is undeserved (I think it could use more attention), but because I wouldn’t have expected the community to be so invested in the orchestra. But it seems this strike is having a fairly large impact on the community and the arts world as a whole. It says a lot about the PSO musicians that upon the cancellation of their concerts, they created several free events throughout the city. One of such events was this past Friday at CMU. This shows a lot of dedication and I hope PSO management can extend a hand and reach an agreement. It is really inspiring to see other musicians standing in solidarity with PSO, including freelancers, non-union musicians, professors, and students. It shows that you cannot get away with treating artists poorly, and that they stand together as a community.
Here it Pittsburgh, we're lucky to have such a thriving arts and cultural scene. This strike is very upsetting, because it stems from the management's decision to take yet another cut from the very talented musicians' salaries. In order to have a city with strong artists, it is very important to support those artists financially. A 15% cut is pretty large. Others have commented that the musicians' current salaries are pretty high and could easily be cut. I would respond by saying PSO is one of the best symphonies in the country; they deserved to be compensated as such. Yes, it is possible to live on less than $100k a year. However, in order to keep our exceptional musicians, we need to show that we value them in a financial manner. This isn't to say that musicians are vain and only care about their salary. No; these are hard-working artists who are masters of their crafts. If we don't cut salaries (again), then what is the solution? I won't pretend to have the authoritative answer, but since this is the possible third pay cut for the musicians, the PSO management might need some restructuring so that they can better plan for the future.
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