October 12, 1996
from Orchestra Players United of Shreveport
After a three-hour meeting with federal mediator Willis Bartlett, talks broke off between Local 116, American Federation of Musicians and negotiators for the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra to resolve contract negotiations for this season.
Prior to the meeting, musicians' negotiators sent a counterproposal to the Symphony management making movement on their earlier offers on wages, health insurance, pension, and other unresolved issues. The musicians have been performing since the beginning of the season under a work-and-talk arrangement.
During the Saturday afternoon meeting, management representatives refused to deviate from the financial offer that the orchestra musicians overwhelmingly rejected at the beginning of September.
"With no movement being made by management, there was no reason to continue meetings to discuss a plan already rejected by our musicians. We canceled our planned Sunday meeting. No other meetings are scheduled," said musicians' press spokesman, Andrew Brandt. "We even made a second, off-the-record offer through the mediator, which was refused out-of-hand by the management's chief negotiator, Mary Bicknell."
The musicians are represented by fellow musicians on the orchestra's negotiating committee, Pres. "Cass" Acosta of Local 116, and Chris Durham, a negotiator with the AFM's Symphonic Services Division. Management was represented by Board members Bicknell, Don Toppett, and members of their staff.
"Our chief negotiator, Chris Durham, who lives in Illinois, flew here after meetings with the Tulsa Philharmonic yesterday. We planned two days to negotiate a deal with the mediator, at management's request. We were ready to make a deal, but the management was unwilling to negotiate," Brandt said.
The musicians will continue to work and talk. The next scheduled service for the orchestra is a rehearsal Sunday night for the Shreveport Opera production of "Porgy and Bess."
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OPUS
Orchestra Players United of Shreveport
Affiliated with Shreveport Federation of Musicians
Local 116, American Federation of Musicians
Shreveport, Louisiana
Press Spokesperson:
Andrew Brandt
E-mail: abrandt@afm.org
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