That’s what Christoph Mueller wrote commenting on yesterday’s post on reports last week that the management of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra had locked out its musicians after stalled negotiations on a renewed labor contracts.
While management wants musicians to take a pay cut, musicians say they already have. Plus, musicians say, if you want to maintain your budget, raise more money. Jim Van Vleck, chair of the orchestra’s board of directors, says the budget would be fine if musicians conceded. In comments reported in the Florida Times-Union, Van Vleck seemed to reflect a perspective among board members that musicians should stop complaining and take what’s offered.
“There’s something about a 37-week year and 20-hours a week that doesn’t seem too onerous,” Van Vleck told the newspaper.
In response, City Paper reader Christoph Mueller had this to say:
It is shocking to read that the chairman of a symphony orchestra actually believes that the orchestra musicians only work the hours of rehearsal time.
He ignores the mandatory personal preparation time, which adds up to a 45-55 hour week, plus permanent weekend work, expenses for the maintenance of the instruments, etc.
The business model didn’t work, and the managers responsible are still hired, while the musicians are asked to accept pay cuts. Is that the way how to do business? I don’t think so.
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If the chairman of the orchestra has no idea what goes into being a musician in an orchestra, what hope is there in a successful business?
How many bosses in the world have no clue what their employee’s jobs entail?
Most musicians care a great deal about their artistic product, and ensuring that product requires hours of work each and every day, starting at an age where many musicians learn how to read music before they can read a book.
It seems that one rudimentary problem of many orchestras is that management has little knowledge of what musicians do, and to be fair, vice-versa. I feel that a successful orchestra begins with an understanding of the two sides with a common goal, knowing that concessions will eventually have to be made on both sides.
Let’s not confuse board members with “management.” Management refers to the paid professionals who handle the day-to-day business of the orchestra. They certainly know what a musician’s life is like. It is definitely true that most board members don’t!
Of course the “budget wouldn’t be in bad shape if we didn’t have to pay all those musicians so much. They don’t even put in a regular 40 hour week” Truly clueless reasoning. I wonder if the administrative staff side of the budget has the same austerities. I would venture the answer is no. It seems to be all the rage these days,”We will not do what it takes to pay you what we used to pay you. Of course, you should simply accept less”. It is likely that no public and possibly no internal benchmarks are in place to evaluate the board’s abilities to manage this organization. Mr. chairman, you need to submit to such evaluation or step aside and make way for a president who will fight to preserve and enhance the cultural trust of the community and not cannibalize it. The snake can only eat it’s own tail for so long until it is time to pay the piper.