Drama at the Met

Last month, the Metropolitan Opera was set to have 15 out of the 16 union contracts with expire. Without viable contracts with each of these unions, the Met could face a lockout from employees such as stagehands, lighting designers and musicians. Much of the disagreement to new contract terms could be attributed to declining ticket sales.

The Met wanted the unions to agree to lesser rates and terms due to the decline in attendance. The unions argued that the Met’s unmatched spending was penalizing them in the downturn of the opera. This year’s contract negotiations were not the first to turn sour for the Met but they were unique because of the play to the media. Details surrounding the proposed cuts were leaked to the media shortly after the unions received them.

Two of the major unions were able to come to an agreement this week that clears this year’s season to open without any delays.  A federal mediator was called in on behalf of the orchestra musicians as well as singers and dancers. The mediator released a press release announcing a deal had been reached although there were several budget cuts and compromises. The savings found in employee labor costs will be matched to the non-union employee costs.

The Met was also able to make an agreement with the stagehand unions that employees are represented by. This fifteenth hour agreement helped to stave off any potential lockouts from stagehands, which are essential to each production. While there are several other agreements that need to be made with smaller unions, it looks as if the show will go on. The Metropolitan Opera has also agreed to bring in an independent financial analysis of the organization’s spending. Salaries in the US among artistic workers are the highest in the world; orchestra musicians can earn a base pay of more than $100,000.