After 16 months of negotiations, the management and musicians of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra on Monday announced the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Given the disparate views held by management and the musicians union at the outset of the process, the challenge, symphony Orchestra Committee Chair Marjorie Shansky said in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, was to find a way to ensure the future of the organization as a contributing component of the community “without compromising the artistic integrity of the orchestra.”
Candace Lammers, treasurer and secretary of Local 400, American Federation of Musicians, said on Wednesday, “We are pleased that the orchestra will be able to go forth … (and) maintain the integrity of a full symphony orchestra.”
A source close to the negotiations said that the three-year agreement would restore the orchestra, which is currently a 61-piece ensemble, to a 65-piece ensemble in the 2012 – 2013 season and a 70-piece ensemble in the 2013 – 2014 season.
In a press release issued on Monday by the organization, Shansky was quoted as saying: “The members of the NHSO owe a debt of gratitude to Local 400, American Federation of Musicians, whose support was key to the success of the negotiation,” a sentiment she echoed on Wednesday.