HSO musicians planned to meet on Thursday night to voice concerns about management's latest contract proposal.
After a year of contentious negotiations, protests, and the threat of a shutdown, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and its musicians may be edging closer to an agreement on a new contract.
Last January, the musicians of the HSO were presented with a contract that cut some of the musician's pay by 40 percent. The American Federation of Musicians, which represents the players, has held rallies and protests, and has filed several complaints with the National Labor Relations Board hoping to secure a better deal from the symphony.
In November, with contract talks stalled, the musicians stopped meeting with HSO management altogether. But last month, the HSO warned the AFM that the symphony may be forced to shut its doors for good if a contract can't be hammered out by the end of January.
Jeffrey Verney, Chairman of the HSO's board of directors, told WNPR last month that the symphony has been losing money for years and could run out of cash by the spring.
"We are fully extended from a line of credit perspective. We are down to the end of our unrestricted endowment," Verney said. "And most importantly, we've had our angel donors say, 'Guys, I can't keep doing this. We need to fix the underlying problem here that is causing us to lose this money.' So there's just no money left."
Rank-and-file musicians of the HSO planned to meet on Thursday night to voice their concerns about management's latest contract proposal, and take a non-binding, preliminary vote. Neither side will disclose the details of the contract, but it is expected that the musicians will give up significant concessions.
The latest contract offer that was made public had the core members of the HSO taking a 30 percent pay cut, a reflection of management's decision to cut the number of guaranteed services -- rehearsals and performances -- for the musicians.
