The CSO Labor History

January 17, 2008

Elected representatives of the Musicians met with CSO Board Chair Robert "Buzz" Trafford and other Symphony officials. They informed the Musicians that they would publicly announce the following day their unilateral future vision and plan for the Orchestra, which was developed in secret over a long period of time. When he announced their intention to fire 22 of the 53 full-time Musicians at the end of this August when the current contract between the Board and the Musicians expires, the Musicians stood from the table and walked out of the meeting refusing to listen to him further. For a detailed account of this meeting and the events which led to it, click here.

June, 2006

Junichi Hirokami begins as CSO Music Director.

April, 2006

The CSO fills the position of Executive Director hiring Tony Beadle nearly two years after the departure of former Executive Director Daniel Hart in July, 2004.

May, 2005

The union representatives of the musicians and management of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra agreed to a revised collective bargaining agreement, effective immediately and continuing through August, 2008.

The new agreement which calls for reductions in the length of the season and benefit cuts representing a concession by the musicians of $1.3 million over the next two and one-half years. More about this.

September, 2004

The 2004-05 season began and the CSO Board honored the Master Agreement. Discussions regarding modification of the master agreement are ongoing.

August, 2004

CSO Board Chairman Michael McMennamin resigned as Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman of Huntington Bank as a result of an ongoing investigation of him by the SEC for alleged improper practices. Days later, he resigned from the CSO Board. Fordham Huffman, managing partner of the local office of Jones, Day, Reavis, and Pogue was selected as the next Chairman. A few weeks after being named Interim Executive Director, Mark Beeson resigned from that position but retained his position on the Executive Committee of the CSO Board. General Manager Susan Rosenstock was selected as the new Interim Executive Director.

July, 2004

The CSO Board rejected a revised donation of $1.5 million from the same group of donors who had previously offered $800K. In return, the donors wanted Maestro Alessandro Siciliani to remain as Music Director for two more years and for Executive Director Dan Hart to resign. As a result of this rejection by the Board, Local 103 and the CSOC broke off further talks with the CSO Board regarding potential wage and benefit cuts from the Musicians. Executive Director Dan Hart resigned from the CSO and accepted the same position with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

CSO Board Chairman Michael McMennamin announced the appointment of Mark Beeson, former President of One Group Mutual Funds, the investment arm of Bank One, as Interim Executive Director. One month ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it had fined Beeson $100,000 and barred him from the mutual fund industry for three years due to improper practices. As a further result of his actions, Beeson resigned from the bank and Bank One was fined $90 million dollars by the SEC.

June, 2004

The CSO Board rejected an offer by the Musicians to accept a 6% reduction in wages for the 2004-05 season resulting in $250K in cuts. The Musicians asked in return for a variety of mostly non-economic improvements to the contract. They asked further for the contract to continue as originally agreed.

May, 2004

The CSO Board rejected a donation of $800K from a group of donors who in return wanted Maestro Alessandro Siciliani to remain as Music Director for two more years. An overwhelming majority of the Musicians voted to support acceptance of this donation if it resulted in minimizing any potential cuts to Musician wages and benefits and if the search for a new Music Director continued.

April, 2004

Local 103 and the CSOC presented the results of an independent analysis of CSO finances over the past five years to members of the CSO Board and Management. The CSO withdrew their request for $400K in wage and benefit cuts from the Musicians for fiscal 2004. They maintained their request for $900K in cuts for fiscal 2005 and elimination of the last two years of the Master Agreement.

December, 2003

Local 103 and the CSOC were asked to meet with some members of the CSO Board and Management. The CSO asked the Musicians again to reopen the Master Agreement in order to accept wage and benefit cuts of $400K in fiscal 2004 and $900K in fiscal 2005, a total cut of $1.3 million. They further asked that the last two years of the Master Agreement be eliminated resulting in millions more in wage and benefit cuts from the Musicians.

November, 2003

The annual audit report for fiscal 2003 was distributed. The final deficit was $1.3 million, a million dollars greater than the figure given to the Musicians four months prior to the close of that fiscal year. The CSO stated that $700K of the deficit was the result of a shortfall in ticket sales, grants, and investment earnings. They stated further that $600K was the result of voluntary “write-offs” and management accounting errors.

July, 2003

On July 6, 2003 an interview with new CSO Board Chairman, Michael McMennamin appeared in the Columbus Dispatch. When asked if the CSO would continue to uphold the new Master Agreement he stated, “We signed a contract, and we have every intention of honoring it.”

Five days later, CSO Executive Director Dan Hart asked to meet with Local 103 and the CSOC. He asked the Musicians to reopen the contract in order to accept a wage freeze for the 2003-04 season. Because the CSO had an accumulated surplus of almost $3 million, the Musicians refused the request.

February, 2003

Five months later, the Local and CSOC were asked to attend a meeting with some members of the CSO Board and Management. The Local and CSOC were told of a projected deficit for fiscal 2003 of $300,000. The CSO asked the Musicians to provide relief and they later voted to donate their services without pay and benefits for a special concert by the Beach Boys. The value of this combined donation was $20,000.

September 10, 2002

The 2002-2007 Master Agreement was signed by Local 103, the CSOC, and the CSO Board of Trustees. The new agreement featured a gradual increase in season length from 46 weeks to 52 weeks.