[From the 9/5/04 www.sfcv.org] The local chapter of AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) filed an unfair labor practices suit on Monday against the San Francisco Symphony for failure to negotiate in good faith a new contract for the the award-winning, much-acclaimed Symphony Chorus. The complaint, filed with Region 20 of the National Labor Relations Board, alleges that SFS "within the preceding six months of the filing of the charge has failed to bargain in good faith during collective bargaining negotiations." In the escalating conflict, the orchestra players' committee assured the singers of its support. "If we walk, the orchestra will walk with us, once sanctioned by the Labor Council," Nora Heiber, San Francisco area representative for AGMA, told Classical Voice. The orchestra is represented by Local 6 of the Musicians Union. The Symphony administration had no comment, but a spokesman said "the parties agreed that negotiations for a new contract would begin on Sept. 10; six sessions have been completed so far. Negotiations continue October 4, 5 and 6." AGMA sources said efforts to smooth negotiations go back three years, when the last contract talks turned acrimonious. With the help of a federal mediator, an agreement was reached to arrange a conflict-resolution retreat (which was highly successful between SFS and the orchestra), but management eventually refused to participate. Now that talks are underway, negotiators for the singers feel "the situation looks bad, the administration doesn't seem interested in reaching an agreement." Although the Chorus can number over 150, only 30 singers are paid and covered by the AGMA contract; the rest are unpaid, uncompensated volunteers. (In contrast, another orchestra of comparable size, the Chicago Symphony, has a chorus with more than 100 paid members.) Besides the low number of professional choristers SFS allows, AGMA's main grievance is the amount of salary. It is $27.09 per hour for rehearsals, and $168.16 per performance, totaling under $10,000 per year. According to Heiber, "the lowest-paid members of the orchestra" receive a minimum of $2,000 per week. Additionally, a reduced number of concerts featuring the Chorus and fewer rehearsals mean a 30% drop in salary for the singers since 2001. The administration's latest offer, says AGMA, was freezing the salary for the next season, increasing it by 2% for the next two years. Other grievances include the administration's alleged "rejection of requests for reasonable guaranteed income; refusal to consider any health or other employee benefits; denial of job security; and demands for financial givebacks," even in face of the Symphony's continued financial success. Janos Gereben www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask]