San Antonio Symphony News and Archive

Contract tiff may silence symphony




By Mike Greenberg

from the San Antonio Express News 8/12/98



Just a month before opening night, the San Antonio Symphony's 60th season is threatened by a game of brinkmanship between its governing board and musicians.

Citing a "profound financial crisis," the chairman of the San Antonio Symphony board said Tuesday that the coming season is in peril unless the musicians agree to renegotiate their contract.

But the musicians attorney, Leonard Leibowitz, has resisted entering into formal contract talks while most of the musicians are out of town for the summer hiatus.

"The board feels very strongly that before we make a decision to launch our 60th season, we have to deal in a straightfoward manner with the financial crisis we face," chairman Charles Lutz said after a board meeting Tuesday.

The season is scheduled to begin Sept. 11.

"A key ingredient ofour decision to go foward is a renegotiated contract with the musicians." Lutz said.

"And I would suggest that a renegotiated contract is essential to our going to a group of stakeholders and asking them for sustaining support," he added.

Another board meeting has been tentatively set for Aug. 25. Asked if a go-or-no-go decision would have to be made then, Lutz replied: "Not necessarily."

Flutist Jean Robinson attended the board meeting as chairman of the orchestra committee, which also would be the contract negotiating team.

"We are committed to keeping our orchestra alive, and we are doing all we can to ensure its survival. We can't talk about any specifics right now," Robinson said.

The current musicians' contract has two years to run. Last February, however, the board declared a state of financial emergency, which allows the symphony to force the musicians to reopen their contract.

The symphony is asking to freeze the musicians' base weekly salary at $732, reduce the number of paid weeks from 39 to 36 and cut pension payments and other benefits, according to a letter from symphony attorney George P. Parker Jr. to Leibowitz.

The symphony also has filed a complaint against Local 23 of the American Federation of Musicians. Parker charged the musicians union had "refused to bargain over changes in the parties' collective bargaining agreement."

Both Lutz and Robinson declined comment on the contract Tuesday. Lutz also declined to give specifics about the symphony's current financial position.

The symphony has an accumulated debt of about $1.5 million and repeatedly was late in making payroll during the second half of the previous season, which closed at the end of May.

A task force, including board members, staff, musicians and others not associated with the symphony, has spent the summer studying a wide range of the orchestras problems.

Lutz said the task force recommendations were reported to the board Tuesday, but he would not disclose what those recommendations were.

"What we now must do is bring together all the constituencies... and reach agreement with them that the right thing to do is move foward with the 60th season."

"Each of these groups is essential - the orchestra members, the corporate community, season subscribers, City Council and the city leadership, the board, and local and national foundations and trust," Lutz said.

He declined to say what role the board expects the City Council to play.

"I can't really talk about that. I won't do anything to jeopardize these important discussions," he said.



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