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Symphony talks strike sour note
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The contract between Youngstown Symphony Orchestra musicians and the Youngstown Symphony Society, which operates the ensemble, expired Sept. 30, and the two sides have met a few times to negotiate a new pact.
But those talks hit a bump this week when musicians say they were stood up for a negotiating session that had been scheduled.
The roughly 75 musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Youngstown chapter, Local 86-242. The bargaining committee of the AFM unit came to the YSO offices in the DeYor Center for the Performing Arts, downtown, Wednesday evening but no one was there.
Katie Shaffer, chairwoman of the union committee, said a meeting had been scheduled and confirmed but the YSS negotiators did not show and offered no reason why.
“Only three [bargaining] meetings have taken place in the past six months, despite efforts by the musicians to schedule more,” said Shaffer. “The last scheduled meeting was also canceled at the last minute by symphony management.”
Patricia Syak, president and CEO of the YSS, believed it was a miscommunication. “Our negotiator, Atty. Timothy Jacob, did not have a meeting scheduled [with the union],” she said.
Syak said Jacob has been meeting with the orchestra committee on a regular basis. “We’ve met with them quite a few times and plan to continue to have negotiations with them whenever all parties are available.”
Atty. Jacob also said no meeting had been scheduled. “I am the chief negotiator and negotiations have customarily been scheduled through me, and I did not agree to have a meeting Wednesday,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure what happened but the union’s negotiator, Todd Jelen, had scheduled meetings with me in the past. While Nov. 18 was one of the dates offered, I did not accept it. There was no meeting scheduled on the 18th that I had confirmed. ”
Atty. Jacob said he plans to contact Jelen soon to set a date for the next negotiating session.
Shaffer said the musicians have not had a pay increase since 2011 and are seeking a fair contract.
Like many of its counterparts across the country, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra has been struggling financially. Attendance is stagnant or dwindling due to changing consumer tastes, a tight economy, and the region’s shrinking population.
Syak noted that the Symphony Society has never asked for a pay cut or other concessions from musicians.
The musicians are paid at a rate of $83.50 ($96.03 for principal players) for each “service,” which is a period of two and a half hours for either a performance or a practice.
For example, if a musician attends three rehearsals and performs in one concert, he is paid for four “services” for that week.