• b-tbird
  • b-facebook
  • home

  • about

  • community service

  • musicians

  • featured artists

  • practice room

  • FAQ

  • why I love

  • Classical Fever Photos

  • find a teacher

  • musician ensembles

  • links

  • contact

  • smor

  • board

  • More

    Richmond Symphony Musicians

    © SMOR 2012

    • home

    • about

    • community service

    • musicians

    • featured artists

    • practice room

    • FAQ

    • why I love

    • Classical Fever Photos

    • find a teacher

    • musician ensembles

    • links

    • contact

    • smor

    • board

    • More

      Open letter to the members of the Board of Directors of the Richmond Symphony

      10/26/2012

      Dear Members of the Board:

      

      First we must acknowledge the time and resources that you and all RSO supporters provide.
      Without such support the RSO would not exist. Thank you.

      ​

      We write to you today to share our concerns for the future of the RSO, and to relay our experiences
      and impressions formed during the most recent negotiations. We believe that the RSO is at a
      critical juncture and we fear that our great orchestra is in jeopardy. The purpose of this letter is to
      address where we are, how we got to this point, and how we hope to move forward.

      ​

      As you know, despite meetings between representatives of RSO musicians and RSO management
      since January 2012, there is no agreement on a contract. Musicians rejected management’s final
      offer, and management subsequently implemented that offer unilaterally. To this point, RSO
      musicians continue to perform because we deeply believe that Richmond needs and deserves a
      first class symphony. We do not feel that the crux of the problem is a labor dispute, but rather a
      disagreement about management style, the organization’s mission, and a major lack of operating
      revenue.

      ​

      The primary mission of an orchestra is to perform. We believe the RSO is being led to a mission of
      education over performance. While it is important that we promote culture in schools and non-
      traditional venues, performances outside of our hall must entertain, influence, and educate with the
      ultimate goal of bringing as many of the people we encounter to a concert in our symphony hall.

      ​

      The shift away from a focus on performance is visible in other ways as well. In January 2012, we
      appealed to you not to cut subscription concerts, especially the Masterworks series. We still believe
      it must be a priority to restore these performances. RSO must present programs of interest to
      maintain current ticket buyers and attract new audiences. Of course, we do not naively believe that
      tickets sell themselves, but RSO management has yet to successfully improve its marketing strategy,
      including the use of social media, to analyze and connect with a broader community that, according
      to musicians and management, largely do not know that the RSO exists.

      ​

      At a time when the current per-capita income in Richmond is $40,872, full time musicians are being
      forced to take an annual wage cut from $32,785 to $28,886. Per-service musicians are being forced
      to take a 7% cut in wages and a 7% cut in services. Additional cuts include instrument insurance,
      health insurance, leave and the elimination of travel expenses and disability. RSO musicians,
      simply put, cannot afford these cuts. To attract a musician to the RSO in the future will be
      difficult. Tuition costs at a four-year conservatory of music and the purchase of an instrument
      for a prospective musician can easily exceed $250,000. This debt is ten times the annual wage a
      musician could expect to receive accepting a job at the RSO.

      ​

      While management portrays musicians as intransigent and unreasonable, past negotiations show
      the opposite to be the case. During the past ten years musicians have agreed to wage freezes and
      salary cuts five times. In August 2009, the musicians were asked to re-open the contract. We agreed
      to defer a contractually promised 5% wage increase, accept a wage freeze, and extend the contract
      to a fourth year. In July 2010, the musicians were again requested to re-open the agreement
      and accept a wage reduction. Both requests came at a time when most musicians and their
      representatives were away from Richmond. Though this serious financial matter should have been
      addressed before the end of the season and fiscal year, RSO musicians acquiesced to management
      demands.

      ​

      Upon professional review by an independent accountant, the musicians were advised that the
      organization was experiencing several financial challenges. Of concern was a recurring annual
      deficit, a large balance on the line of credit, and an opinion that fund raising to the endowment was
      occurring at the expense of revenue. RSO management advised us that donations to the endowment
      were unlikely to be given to the operating fund, and the increased endowment gifts were necessary
      to bridge the gap of income lost with the expiration of the Mellon Foundation initiative. Contrary to
      their condition of acceptance, the Mellon funds had been used for general operations.

      ​

      We encouraged the development of a plan to reduce/eliminate the debt on the line of credit.
      Instead, the debt ceiling was increased to $1.5 million. During these discussions RSO management
      unilaterally refused to pay the musicians their contractually mandated wage increase. This move
      was met by a filing of an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
      Region 5 of the NLRB issued a complaint against the RSO, finding merit in the musicians' allegation
      that the RSO management’s admitted failure to comply with the contract constituted a violation of
      federal law.

      ​

      The musicians, willing to resolve the matter and not wage a public campaign, agreed to defer
      half of their raise for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons until August 31, 2012, the last day of the
      agreement. The musicians also agreed to withdraw the charge with the NLRB. Again the RSO would
      not agree to, nor did they offer, a workable plan to resolve the adverse financial position.

      ​

      Unfortunately this settlement agreement was reneged upon when the RSO, during this current
      round of bargaining, proposed its elimination. The deferred wages were eliminated as a result of
      the current implementation. The musicians began the 2012-13 season in good faith, agreeing to
      suspend the 5% wage settlement owed to them and freeze their wages. The RSO claimed it would
      run out of operating money and insisted that cuts were necessary and immediate, and upon the
      musicians’ rejection, implemented their final offer on October 1, 2012.

      ​

      For the current round of bargaining, which began in January 2012, RSO proposed further
      reductions in wages, benefits, and season length, amounting to approximately $150,000. Added
      to this amount were the conversion of the musicians pension plan from an industry “defined
      benefit” plan to a 403B with a twelve percent reduction in contribution, the elimination of parking
      reimbursement, and the employers demand of the musicians to waive their lawful right to collect
      unemployment when not employed. David Fisk announced at the end of the first meeting that
      he was working with the Virginia State Legislature to pass a bill to make musicians ineligible for

      unemployment. This action, and Mr. Fisk’s comments during legislative debate on this bill, raised
      questions to the public about the musicians’ honesty and integrity, and opened a very deep wound.
      Eventually it was determined that the RSO could not withdraw from the musicians pension fund
      without substantial financial penalty; the Virginia legislature determined that enacting such
      change would have an adverse effect on the State of Virginia’s entire unemployment insurance
      program and voted to table the bill indefinitely. This effort was an embarrassment to the RSO. At
      the conclusion of the first bargaining session, Mr. Fisk displayed the latest book written by Robert
      Flanagan. Flanagan has had little real life experience with symphony orchestras, yet he is promoted
      as an expert in understanding how they work. Mr. Fisk’s declaration that this book described how
      an orchestra must be run adversely affected the musicians’ confidence in the future of the RSO and
      the outcome of negotiations.

      ​

      With cuts in pension and unemployment off the table, additional cuts in wages and benefits were
      proposed. The cuts in wages and benefits totaled $250,000. During a meeting in May, cuts to wages
      and benefits were increased to $335,752, adding a pro-rated share of the deficit from the 2011-
      2012 season.

      ​

      The musicians have, on multiple occasions, responded to the request for cuts. There is no question
      that a funder’s first reaction to requests for support with an organization experiencing financial
      duress is to “come back when you get your house in order”; thus advising cuts. We cannot afford
      additional cuts. The solution must be an increase in revenue. During difficult economic times,
      the RSO was successful in exceeding the goal for endowment donations, and in a shorter time
      than projected. The biggest stumbling block currently is the lack of a clear plan that all parties
      can support which ensures success for the future of the RSO. This plan must include financing
      the debt, along with a combination of tools to raise new revenue to pay debt service and cover
      operating expenses. A second tier in the plan must be developed to bolster the endowment, to
      replace or augment intermediate (operating) gifts when they expire, and to assist the revenue side
      as expenses increase through normal inflation. In addition, a fund to be used for adventuresome
      programming must be formed.

      ​

      The City of Richmond and individuals have invested millions of dollars to renovate the cultural
      district and its surrounding area. This is an opportunity for the RSO, not a time for cuts without a
      serious plan. Richmond needs a world class orchestra. We look forward to a dialogue with you, the
      members of the Board of Directors, our funders, and our community. We must also begin to open
      our doors wider to the community and make sure that the citizens of Richmond feel welcome to our
      home.

      ​

      Thank you for your help and generosity.
      The Musicians of the RSO

      more press releases