ASO Musicians and Woodruff Arts Center's Management Reach a Tentative Agreement

Musicians with The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Woodruff Arts Center's management have reached a tentative agreement in their long labor dispute. The U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) confirmed Friday afternoon that negotiators representing the musicians and management struck a potential deal after bargaining Wednesday and Thursday. The agreement now requires approval of the full union membership and the governing board of the Woodruff Arts Center.

"These have been difficult times for many arts organizations nationwide," says acting director of the FMCS Allison Beck. "The parties have been faced with complex issues and some very tough choices, which they were dedicated to resolving. Thanks to their efforts, the multi-Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony may be able to soon resume the orchestra's season. This . . . will help ensure the continuing viability of one of the premier cultural institutions of the South."

The players gathered at 10 a.m. today for an informational meeting on the proposed contract, which commits to bolstering the size of the ensemble over the next four years, according to a source among the musicians. They will have 24 hours to vote. The players have been locked out without pay for more than two months. They were asked to vote on whether to adopt a new four-year contract that ensures no wage cuts, a modest increase in health care and a gradual increase in the size of the orchestra to 88 musicians.

If the musicians agree to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement they could end one of the most protracted and bitter lockouts in ASO history. The musicians were also locked out in 2012, which ended with the musicians accepting a substantial wage reduction as well as a reduction in the size of the orchestra from 95 to 88.

The federal mediation process requires that neither side speaks to the media. Randy Donaldson, a WAC spokesman, would not confirm details Friday morning. "If and when there's an agreement, approvals would be required on both sides," he said. Reached Friday afternoon, Donaldson deferred to the statement by Beck.

"Many people are going to need time to sleep on it," associate prinicipal cello and ASO Players' Association negotiator Daniel Laufer said. "What [the musicians have] been put through in two years with lockouts has really hurt this orchestra in many ways and there are many emotions tied to that."

The major point of contention between the two sides throughout negotiation has been the size of the orchestra. The musicians have been determined to shore up the ensemble, which is comprised of 76 people after a wave of retirements and departures to other orchestras. Management, in turn, had refused to commit to any fixed number of musicians, a move that would break with standard orchestral practice across the nation, countering that the musicians needed to be "flexible" as the orchestra struggles with a $2 million annual deficit.

Over the last two days of negotiations with Richard Giacolone, a mediator with the FMCS, representatives of the ASO's parent company, the Woodruff Arts Center, backed off its position and committed to building the orchestra back up to 88 musicians by the end of the fourth year. While management's new proposal may not be what musicians ultimately hoped for, since it stops short of restoring the orchestra's size or pay to pre-2012 levels, it is a significant conciliatory move. During the last mediation effort, two weeks ago, management would commit only to maintaining the size of the orchestra at its current level of 76 for the next four years. This, the musicians argued, was not enough. They called for management to agree to build up the ensemble, arguing that without such a commitment they would diminish ASO's standing as a world-class orchestra and set a dangerous precedent for other orchestras across the nation.

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