ROPA Conference 2012 Report

The 2012 ROPA Convention was held in Minnesota Minneapolis from Friday August 3rd to Saturday August 5th. On August 2nd, there was a Negotiations Workshop which I was eligible to attend. The entire convention was packed full of speeches, presentations and discussions.   I found myself taking notes at top speed in order to keep up. Two reoccurring topics were the importance of union membership, and the necessity for orchestras to connect with their communities.

The Negotiations Workshop included presentations by Janice Galassi and Barbara Owens.   They stressed the importance of solidarity and communication between orchestra committees, the musicians and the local. As well, they highlighted the need for all interests to be represented during negotiations(subs, extras, principal/section players, musicians of different ages).

A presentation by Nathan Kahn outlined the differences between Traditional and Interest Based Bargaining. He also talked us through how to analyze what kind of power we may have in upcoming negotiations in regards to support from the community, solidarity amongst ourselves and our history of negotiations. A presentation by Rochelle Skolnick gave us a comprehensive outline of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, discussing what it should and should not include.

The opening of the main convention greeted us with live music provided by a string quartet from the Minnesota Opera Orchestra.

One of the first speakers was Sheila Smith, the Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. She spoke about her experience as part of a diverse coalition to help get money for the environment and the arts. In an attempt to promote a bill, unconventional partners including hunters, environmentalists, and arts supporters, joined forces to promote the shared goal: “Protect the Minnesota you Love”.   Joining with non-music related members of the community was presented as an effective way to gain support from parts of the community not traditionally associated with the arts. She also encouraged us to join State Wide Arts Advocacy groups.

A presentation by Barbara Kucera from the University of Minnesota Labor Education Services further emphasized building community support. She highlighted ways to identify who you can reach out to, how to reach out to them and how to maintain those relationships. Later in the conference, Mary Bellman, also from the University of Minnesota Labor Education Services, spoke about solidarity. She led us through an exercise of practice conversations encouraging fellow musicians to get involved with their orchestra committees and union locals.

Friday afternoon we had an opportunity to meet in smaller breakout groups, each led by a ROPA Member at Large with assistance from a member of the AFM symphonic services department. Because I was representing PBO as well as SWFLSO, my time was divided between two groups with similarities to those particular ensembles. We were able to talk about what is currently going on in our orchestras and how some of the common themes of the convention applied to our own situations.

Later on, new delegates, such as myself, attended a New Delegate Training Dinner. We went through the delegate handbook section by section and got to know each other a little better.

On the evening of the 3rd, we were to attend two of four possible presentations, I attended the two that were aimed at new delegates. The first was by Deborah Newmark on the Integrated Media Agreement, what it is, how to join it, and why it is attractive. The second was a Wagechart seminar by Joel LeFevre, highlighting the importance of keeping our information up to date.

The first of Saturday’s presentations was by Julie Ayer, author of “More than Meets the Ear”, How Symphony Musicians made Labor History. This was followed by AFM president Ray Hair speaking of the benefits of unions and organizing. He also mentioned recent accomplishments of the AFM, such as greater ease of flying with instruments.

In the afternoon, ROPA attorney Shane Youtz spoke about the responsibilities of the OC and the Negotiation Committee from a labor law perspective. He emphasized knowing your role and who you are representing.

The importance of union membership, and the idea of considering ourselves part of the wider labor community, was further stressed with a video on the Minneapolis Truckers strike of 1934. We were encourage to get a place at our State Fair Labor Pavillion.

In the evening we were treated to a dinner put on by the host orchestra, Minnesota Opera, which took place in the room where they rehearse. We were able to go upstairs and view costumes and sets in their shops which was fun, and provided an opportunity to walk around and chat with other delegates.

On the final day of the conference, presentations were given by Janice Galassi, Nathan Kahn and Rochelle Skolnick. They covered topics such as artistic dismissals, peer review, communication between the OC, local and musicians, due process, and peer review committees.

Debbie Newmark and Paul Austin both spoke about a new Public Relations policy agreement. It sets guidelines for orchestras to create positive PR videos to reach the public when times are difficult. Using social media such as Facebook and twitter to give ourselves a face in the community was strongly encouraged throughout the convention.

The final presentation of the conference was by Janet Horvath, author of “Playing (Less) Hurt”. She spoke of injuries that occur in our field and made suggestions about how to negotiate our contracts to minimize these injuries. She brought several items to show us, one of which was the theracane, something you can use to message yourself around the neck and shoulder blades. I fell in love and have since purchased one for myself.

Overall, the conference was busy but informative with many opportunities to hear about how much we all have in common. Next year’s conference will be held in Spokane from Tuesday July 30th until Thursday August 1st.

Rebecca Diderrich, PBO ROPA Delegate