Rhapsody in green

Musicians got the respect they thought they were due, and management got the union to play ball on health care costs in a new five-year contract at the Minnesota Orchestra.

By Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

Last update: October 12, 2007 - 6:26 PM

Even though the negotiations went to the brink, both sides say they got what they wanted from the five-year contract ratified Oct. 5 by musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra.

After issuing a steady mantra of "fiscal discipline," the board of directors believes it got the musicians to help contain health care costs. Musicians are happy with yearly increases that will push salaries to $120,016 by 2012.

"Their concerns were fiduciary responsibility, and that encompassed the health care thing," said Doug Wright, principal trombone and a member of the Musicians' Negotiating Committee. "For us, they were very receptive to our needs to remain competitive with the other top orchestras in the country. We figured out a way to address both of those at the same time."

Neither side would characterize the contract as groundbreaking. Still, it was the first five-year deal in more than 30 years, and it includes increases that will total 26 percent over the term. Put into perspective, musicians in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra agreed in June to a deal that will increase minimum scales from $63,950 to $78,223 over five years.

The "Big Five"

Osmo Vänskä, who himself just started a four-year contract as music director, has said he wants the Minnesota Orchestra to be considered among the top groups in the country. In the lore of classical music, the "Big Five" are said to be New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland. Recently, Los Angeles and San Francisco have been mentioned in the same breath. Minnesota's reputation has waxed and waned, but Vänskä's stewardship has led to a renaissance. Musicians thought their pay should reflect that.

"Remaining competitive in the national marketplace was key," said flutist Wendy Williams, chair of the Minnesota Orchestra Musicians' Committee. "The contract puts us in the top 10 and brought us closer to our peer orchestras. And it reflects our standing as one of the best orchestras in the country."

Minnesota's contract will certainly draw national attention. Philadelphia recently completed a pact that raises minimums to $131,000 in three years.

Board chairman Paul Grangaard said that he thought the ranking, or prestige, was more important than the money in this contract.

"The good thing about having a five-year contract is that it gave us more time to reach the levels of prestige that the orchestra was looking for," he said.

"It's going to take strategy and execution to build to a stronger business model that can support the higher compensation in the later years of the contract," he said. Other than building audiences, the only specific idea he mentioned in that business model was to "utilize the Orchestra Hall asset and the Peavey Plaza asset with performances by other organizations."

Concerning health care, which has become a central workplace issue nationwide, the musicians agreed to potential cost-sharing if expenses rise more than 10 percent a year in the second through fifth years of the deal. They also accepted more flexibility in the plan. Grangaard said the deal was a big step, "very important to the financial responsibility and sustainability of the organization."

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299

Graydon Royce • groyce@startribune.com