DSO musicians vote to return to work with no contract

**Designerguy24** · March-01-11, 01:19 PM

Striking Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians have just approved an unconditional offer to return to work without a contract, according to spokesman Greg Bowens. The details of the surprise offer will be made public today at 2 p.m. in front of Orchestra Hall. In a press release on the subject, the musicians offer to "end the strike by returning to work under the conditions management has imposed on the employees and without a new contract settlement." Management's implementation of a contract with more than 30 percent pay cuts in first-year base pay sparked the Oct. 4 walkout, though Bowens declined to say whether those are the conditions under which musicians expect to return.. In January, DSO officials put a more generous offer on the table with cuts of about 20 percent, but withdrew it and suspended the rest of the 2010-2011 seasons when musicians rejected the proposal Feb. 19
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110...th-no-contract

**Detroitnerd** · March-01-11, 01:36 PM

Testing the waters to see if it's a lockout? They were mulling scabs, sources say...

**BrushStart** · March-01-11, 01:41 PM

Thank the old man beard on high that this has been resolved. I was nearly certain that we had seen the end of the DSO.

**Detroitnerd** · March-01-11, 02:00 PM

DSO goes south of the border
Detroit Symphony Orchestra to continue, but in Mexico

Detroit -- Despite an offer from its union to return to work without a contract, the leadership of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra unveiled plans today to move the entire orchestra to Matamoros, Mexico, a city near the U.S.-Mexican border. In a crowded press conference at the symphony's headquarters, DSO spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt revealed a replica of Detroit's Max Fisher Music Center that has been built with donor monies over the dormant concert season. Using cheaper Mexican musicians, she says, the symphony will be in a more competitive position to use metro Detroiters' donations more effectively. Weigandt said that instead of demanding unions and benefits and salaries of tens of thousands of dollars, Mexican musicians routinely work in the streets for mere pesos.
"This is win-win for metro Detroiters," Weigandt said during the 20-minute press conference. "We'll be live-streaming every concert so that we can watch every concert as it happens. We'll set up special flights to actually go down to Mexico and see the orchestra in action."
Also present was DSO conductor Leonard Slatkin, who, after a few jokes about how he loves the climate in Matamoros, said he's excited about working with the Mexican musicians, and hopes to keep bringing Detroiters the culture they love.
"We're getting past some language issues right now," Slatkin said with a smile, "but we already speak the universal language." After a pause, he added with a laugh, "That's money, of course."

THE ABOVE IS SATIRE, NOT NEWS

**Det_ard** · March-01-11, 02:18 PM

I'm sure this is all part of the union's master plan. Either that, or the music makers have some mortgage payments to make. I read all the percussionists are gone though, and probably others, so there's not going to be much of an orchestra season. Maybe they should just wait until the next season starts.

**bailey** · March-01-11, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

I'm sure this is all part of the union's master plan. Either that, or the music makers have some mortgage payments to make. I read all the percussionists are gone though, and probably others, so there's not going to be much of an orchestra season. Maybe they should just wait until the next season starts.

what master plan would that be? Sounds like their master plan was to bluff and then cave when management called it by canceling the season.

**Jimaz** · March-01-11, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

DSO goes south of the border
Detroit Symphony Orchestra to continue, but in Mexico

Detroit -- Despite an offer from its union to return to work without a contract, the leadership of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra unveiled plans today to move the entire orchestra to Matamoros, Mexico, a city near the U.S.-Mexican border. In a crowded press conference at the symphony's headquarters, DSO spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt revealed a replica of Detroit's Max Fisher Music Center that has been built with donor monies over the dormant concert season. Using cheaper Mexican musicians, she says, the symphony will be in a more competitive position to use metro Detroiters' donations more effectively. Weigandt said that instead of demanding unions and benefits and salaries of tens of thousands of dollars, Mexican musicians routinely work in the streets for mere pesos.
"This is win-win for metro Detroiters," Weigandt said during the 20-minute press conference. "We'll be live-streaming every concert so that we can watch every concert as it happens. We'll set up special flights to actually go down to Mexico and see the orchestra in action."
Also present was DSO conductor Leonard Slatkin, who, after a few jokes about how he loves the climate in Matamoros, said he's excited about working with the Mexican musicians, and hopes to keep bringing Detroiters the culture they love.
"We're getting past some language issues right now," Slatkin said with a smile, "but we already speak the universal language." After a pause, he added with a laugh, "That's money, of course."

THE ABOVE IS SATIRE, NOT NEWS

LOL! Wait. Why is the DSO suddenly playing mariachi?

**Orthophonic** · March-01-11, 03:44 PM

[QUOTE=Detroitnerd;227159]DSO goes south of the border
Detroit Symphony Orchestra to continue, but in Mexico

...]

Brilliant! I was really concerned about the fate of the DSO and this "press release" on the heels of the rather somber back-to-work announcement is better than a martini. But don't forget, in Detroit "south of the border" means Canada. Detroitnerd, you are clearly ready to lead the Detroit Onion. And if there is not a Detroit Onion yet we certainly need one.

**Detroitnerd** · March-01-11, 04:08 PM

They say that today's satire often becomes tomorrow's news. I do hope I'm wrong in this instance. Thanks for the props. And I regret any discomfort I caused to our Essex County readers ...

**kelseystatic** · March-01-11, 05:46 PM

30 percent pay cuts suck...but I'm really really glad the DSO is staying.

**detroitbob** · March-01-11, 11:17 PM

It appears that this is not "unconditional" -- now clarified as a request to submit for agreement to go to binding arbitration and at that point the musicians would return to work. Each side would select one arbitrator with the two arbitrators selecting the third. Prudently, the Board appears to be reviewing the offer with their legal staff. It seems the original announcement was "inaccurate" ... was it meant to be for headline purposes, sort of "agit-prop"?

**oldredfordette** · March-02-11, 07:50 AM

It's legalese/weasel words. I hope they know what they are doing. IMHO it's better to fight in the streets than in the courts. You get no justice there.

**Det_ard** · March-02-11, 10:36 AM

If they knew what they were doing they never would have gone out on strike in the first place. It's not like there's some tight-fisted billionaire they're up against and they just needed to apply a little pressure to his bottom line by shutting down the factory for a few weeks.

They work for a organization that, whether well-run or poorly-run, has a large financial deficit currently and no reasonable expectation of better financial times in the future. Everyone knew a haircut was necessary, that's why the strikers offered the reductions they initially did. IMO they just couldn't bring themselves to accept the larger cut outlined by management. Whether their reluctance to accept management's initial offer was due to concerns over orchestra quality, ego, need to save face, personal financial needs or feeling abused by management, the result was months without pay, personnel losses, a lost season of revenue for the DSO leading to a worse financial state, and a not insignificant portion of their public thinking they're frankly, a bit spoiled.

Now they offer to go back to work, subject to arbitration, likely for something very close to what they could have had before the additional damage was done. Brilliant. Game over.

**Danny** · March-02-11, 10:44 AM

Keep fighting DSO unions. I know you all need the money to pay your bills therefore you all have to work, but keep fighting on for the new contract. It's a pity that the DSO union will have to serve the elites or face being fired without union representation and other benefits.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Don't surrender to the conservative origarchies for Neda's sake.