Symphony Notes - Nashville Musician — July - September 2024

BY MELINDA WHITLEY

We negotiated a good increase in wages for a one-year deal. We’ll return to the table again in the coming season.

I am happy to say I have some good news to share! I imagine the most interesting news is that our symphony contract negotiations have concluded, and we have a deal.

As I mentioned in my last article about negotiations, no one gets everything they want, and this time was no different. The biggest takeaway is that the symphony association bought itself a little time to do better. We have agreed to a one-year contract extension with some important modifications in work rules and processes. Perhaps the most significant gain was our hard-won raise of 5.11 percent for the year. Our symphony musicians have been in survival mode for a long time, and considering the realities of this moment in our organizational story, we negotiated a good increase in wages for a one-year deal. We’ll return to the table again in the coming season. I would like to thank each of our committee members for their time and dedication during the process.

Here is a picture of our negotiating committee on our last, long day at the table after agreeing to a deal. Included left to right: Patrick Walle, attorney Kevin Case, committee co-chairs Brad Mansell and Mindy Whitley, Louise Morrison, Matt Abramo, and Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy.

In other news, back in mid-May I had the opportunity — between symphony rehearsals — to meet for lunch with AFM President Tino Gagliardi and AFM Vice President and Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy. I am grateful to have the kind of relationship with our local president that allows me to talk about my concerns whenever I need to do so, but it was my first time meeting with Tino and I did not know what to expect. I appreciated that he was willing to take the time to talk with me over lunch between my rehearsals, and I was pleasantly surprised that he and Dave returned to the hall with me and listened to a bit of the rehearsal after lunch too!

While we covered several normal subjects for a conversation between an orchestra’s shop steward and the AFM president, I was

especially appreciative that Tino was willing to listen to me express a few concerns and thoughts about sexual harassment in the symphonic workplace. The topic has been a difficult one for the AFM regarding recently publicized events, and myself along with my colleagues here in Nashville had our own thoughts we felt needed to be heard. After discussing some of my concerns with the symphonic services director earlier in the spring, I’m grateful to Dave Pomeroy for helping me to follow through when I heard that Tino was going to be in town on union-related business. I like being able to report back to my colleagues when our voices are heard.

After meeting with Tino, I had another opportunity to add my voice to the AFM’s conversations regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Dr. Karen Suarez Flint, secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, had put together a Change the Culture Committee and I was invited by Keith Carrick, chair of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, to participate after the committee had already met once. Unfortunately, due to our symphony contract negotiations schedule, I was only able to participate in one of the remaining two meetings of the committee and had to keep up via email the rest of the time, but that one meeting had quite an impact on me.

Never before have I participated in a meeting with a group of such respectful, supportive, well-spoken, and well-informed women in my industry. I hope to have more experiences like that in the future. I found the discussion with these women both invigorating and inspiring. I spend a lot of time studying perspectives and the role of things like cultural differences, bias, and harassment within a conflict. I would like to acknowledge the other women on the committee for their commitment to this often-difficult work. Many thanks to Dr. Flint, and committee members Jennifer Arnold, founding member, Black Orchestral Network; Heather Boehm, president of the Theater Musicians Association; Marta Bradley, secretary-treasurer, Local 161-710, Washington, D.C.; Tammy Noreyko, secretary-treasurer, Local 7, Orange County, California; Stephanie O’Keefe, president, Local 47, Los Angeles; AFM Director of Symphonic Services and Special Counsel Rochelle Skolnick; Amanda Swain, secretary, Regional Orchestra Players Association; Ellen Trainer, president, Local 77, Philadelphia; and Michele Zach-Belanger, Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians.

I am pleased to be able to share that the Change the Culture committee came up with six initial recommendations regarding how to better protect all of the musicians within our union workplaces. They were presented to, and unanimously accepted by, the AFM’s International Executive Board on June 13, 2024. Here is a link to the recommendations that were accepted: CHANGE THE CULTURE COMMITTEE

Among the things I learned from this committee and would like to share include that since 2021 the Chicago AFM Local 10-208 has been using the #NotMe app to report workplace concerns of any kind, either anonymously or by name. Also, New York City’s Local 802 has just initiated the use of the #NotMe app for its members. In addition, Lara St. John has been interviewed on a recent podcast episode of “Mind Over Finger” that you might find interesting. She discusses recent events and examines what we can do now: Creating Change: Ensuring Safety & Equity in Classical Music Podcast