Published on: Sep 13, 2014
Met Opera New York Cuts Staff 2014
The Metropolitan Opera says it is cutting nine percent of its administrative staff in order to save money. The opera company announced Friday that it is eliminating 22 full-time positions, in keeping with the new agreements with its unions, which called for equivalent across-the-board cuts to both union and non-union payroll expenses.
The positions, which have been cut primarily through layoffs, involve several departments, including artistic administration, marketing and development. The Met and the union representing its stagehands reached a contract deal early Wednesday morning, clearing the last major hurdle before the company could go ahead with its coming season of operas featuring Figaro.
According to unions members negotiating committee, the agreement calls for an immediate 3.5% pay cut for singers and orchestra members, followed by another 3.5% pay cut in six months. Union members wouldn’t see a pay increase until six months into the fourth year, when they would receive a 3% increase. The deal, which calls for “equality of sacrifice,” also specifies that management will cut $11.25 million from its expenses outside the bargaining agreements. And it stipulates that Eugene Keilin, the independent financial analyst hired to assist with negotiations, will stay on, paid jointly by the Met and the two unions.
The Met set a new deadline of Tuesday night to make those agreements. A Met spokesman said the extension would allow the stagehands and the other remaining unions with unsettled contracts “more time to secure new deals with the institution.” The opera company’s opening night remains scheduled for Sept. 22. The threat of a lockout, which could have delayed it, had made some patrons hesitant about purchasing tickets for the coming season.
2014-15 Season | Metropolitan Opera
Aida
Un Ballo in Maschera
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
La Boheme
Carmen
Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci
New Production – Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci
Les Contes d’Hoffman
The Death of Klinghoffer
Don Carlo
Don Giovanni
La Donna del Lago
Ernani
Hansel and Gretel
New Production Gala – Iolanta / Bluebeard’s Castle
Iolanta / Bluebeard’s Castle
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Lucia di Lammermoor
Macbeth
Manon
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
The Merry Widow
New Year’s Eve Gala – The Merry Widow
Le Nozze di Figaro
Opening Night Gala – Le Nozze di Figaro
The Rake’s Progress
Rene Pape in Recital
La Traviata
Die Zauberflote
Go to The Metropolitan Opera Here
The Met Opera’s Full Press Release
Members of IATSE Local 1 and IATSE Local 764 Ratify New Contracts with Met
NEW YORK Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 1 and IATSE Local 764 have voted to ratify new labor agreements with the Metropolitan Opera.
In voting on Sunday, August 31, members of IATSE Local 1 voted to ratify the six-year agreement, with 90 percent voting in favour.
In voting that concluded last week, members of IATSE Local 764 voted to ratify their four-year contract, with similar overwhelming margins voting in favour of the agreement.
Every day in theaters and, on movie sets and in every venue imaginable IATSE members rise to the challenge of creating great entertainment, said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb. At the Met, we faced the threat of a lockout and a lost season. Our members rose to the challenge, and did not waver from our goal of contract that was fair to all parties. The end result is a forward-looking agreement that will keep great opera on stage in the heart of New York as well as on 1,900 movie screens and give a great institution the chance to create a long-term, sustainable business model, said Loeb. Will continue the ratification process with additional IATSE local union members, and work together to create a new beginning of stability for the Met.
Member of IATSE Local 1 are skilled craftsmen who are experts with carpentry, lighting, sound, props, set and building construction. IATSE Local 764 members are costume shop employees and dressers who assist the performers with their costumes.
IATSE members in five additional locals representing workers at the Met are still in the process of considering tentative agreements for ratification. These include:
Local 751 members, including Treasurers and Ticket Sellers, are the front line of the Met’s interaction with the public.
Local 798 members are the artists responsible for hair and makeup.
Local 794 members are technicians involved in the Met’s live broadcasts.
USA 829 members (Designers and Scenic Artists) are painters as well as the designers of sets, lighting, costumes, sound, and projection.
IATSE Local829EE members are responsible for posters and signage around Lincoln Center.
