Double Times
Musicians Ratify New 3-Year Agreement
Musicians of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra have ratified a new 3-year collective bargaining agreement. Highlights of the new agreement include:
- increase in wages of 4%/5%/5% (immediate increase to $136.22 per service for section performance, rising to $150.19 in year 3)
- Increase in pension contributions of 1/2% per year (9% in year 1, rising to 10% in year 3)
- Increases in the size of the core orchestra by adding 2-first violin, 2-second violin, 1-viola, 1-cello, and 1-assistant/utility horn position, and tenuring those who have been consistently filling those positions
- Changes to the audition language to facilitate holding auditions in the spring
The first collective bargaining agreement with Palm Beach Opera was signed in 1999. Musicians elected a committee and began exploring union representation in 1998. Some of their initial concerns were:
- Preparing for the future as PBO began to grow
- Showing that the Orchestra was an integral part of the Opera company
- Concern over what would happen in Anton Guadagno, who was a strong supporter of the orchestra, were to leave PBO
- Rumors that PBO wanted to use the Florida Philharmonic for some of its performances
- That the higher pay for chorus members indicated that the PBO could afford to pay orchestra members more
- Being compensated for recordings, such as when their concert with Placido Domingo was recorded and sold
- Having the Opera hold legitimate auditions
