The San Francisco Opera, faced with of an all-time high deficit, is negotiating something between no-raise and "give-back" contracts with eight unions, and there is a chance agreements may be announced before the season opens next Saturday. Meanwhile, in addition to layoffs, there are significant de-facto wage cuts in effect for the year, even under the current contracts. The chorus, for example, started rehearsals at the end of April instead of the originally-planned date in February, plus the season is trimmed by two weeks: the resulting loss of 10 weeks' employment means an approximately 25% reduction in salary. Meanwhile, if you have to drive to rehearsals and performances, you're paying 25% more for gasoline than in the spring. "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore in franto!" Janos Gereben/SF www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask]