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Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Step Off the Stage and Into the Audience With Their Message
Sunday Martin Luther King Concert is the Last Performance Before a Possible Strike
(Cleveland, Ohio…January 14, 2010) Just before their scheduled performance of tonight, members of The Cleveland Orchestra left the stage to go into the audience to pass out a brochure explaining their position in their contract negotiation with management. The Orchestra has been playing without a contract since September 1. Talks have broken down with management which is insisting on an immediate 5% pay cut. The members asking for a status quo, or pay freeze contract for the next eight months, after which bargaining would start again.
“We wish it hadn’t come to this,” Jeffrey Rathbun, oboist and co-chairman of the orchestra committee, said. “We have accepted concessions in both salary and benefits for the past two contracts, covering the past five years. Because of our concessions, we’ve helped management save millions of dollars. At the same time, unfortunately, our ranking has slipped from the top tier to number eight in the nation. There’s no way a city like Cleveland can stay competitive to attract and retain the best talent in the world without paying a competitive wage. We love living here, but not everyone agrees. We’re not doing this for ourselves as much as for the future reputation of this great orchestra,” Rathbun concluded.
The orchestra is scheduled to leave for a residency at Indiana University on Monday, followed by a sold-out engagement at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Unless meaningful talks resume in the next three days, a strike seems unavoidable.
“A strike is a lose/lose situation,” Rathbun said, “But we are passionate about protecting our reputation as one of the best in the world. The orchestra can’t maintain its level of quality in the future without the ability to compete financially with our peers. We apologize to our many fans, particularly those who have tickets and who were hoping to hear us play. We hope they understand that we are doing this for them too, so when they buy ticket or a CD that says The Cleveland Orchestra on it, they will be truly hearing the best musicians in an ensemble that is unparalleled in its precision and quality.”
