Posted by honest, not bitter on September 11, 2000 at 23:51:03:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Strike Votes _vs_ mgmt -vs- union-bustin posted by Jay Bertolet on September 11, 2000 at 19:55:44:
1) Lackluster performers are protected by the union because they have tenure, remember that decades ago MANY regional orchestras did NOT have the same
standards of musicianship/hiring/accountability that we have today. Tenure (I hate to say it) allows feeble players way past their prime to persist in regional orchestras
- a situation which doesn't make for the best possible product.
2) Yes, I have had bad experience with unions Jay, but not the AFM - it was the AFT and IAMAW, with 6 locals in one shop of over 2000 people.
Solidaritynyesk? Nyet! It was a management shop plain and simple, and for this they attempted to strongarm me into nearly 50 zops a week dues in 1985 dollars!
Do the math, even with 6 locals that leaves at least 2 million per local per year ! I left that shop physically after 5 months, and left their payroll after 5 years when I
was finally taken off disability.... after being physically assaulted by thugs ( my co-workers) who trapped me in a confined space (missle launch tube) and beat on it
with metal tools! Bitter? Not hardly, but the concept of drawing lines, choosing sides, and then "fighting" just seems to have potential to bring out the worst in people.
At least, in my experience that is what happened, and in Silicon Valley no less!!
3) How is it that the Seattle job, a good gig, and non-union, gets decent press from most of our list? I should think the players might be black-listed, but I suspect that
secretly the Seattle model is one that many of my AFM friends would like to see work in their town, reasonable pay, plenty of work, beats the heck out of having to
live with strike votes !
4) I am really sorry, had I been thinking I probably would not have even broached the topic, I remember reading that your group in Florida just took a strike vote,
and here on the opposite side of the country our local orchestramay well vote to strike at the end of the month also. It's not a good time to try to challenge
positions or discuss solutions when lines are so tightly drawn and emotions run so high. But you know it's the only time people are interested in the discussion too!