Negotiations to find ground rules for a mediated settlement in the 11-month lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra are stumbling forward.
Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell made a proposal to soften the potential downside for musicians to engage in bargaining, according to the musicians' negotiating committee. Musicians agreed to the terms but management declined, according to a confidential letter that the musicians' team sent to board members Wednesday.
All sides stress that the process will continue with the involvement of Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader and a diplomat who brokered peace in Northern Ireland.
Mitchell is working with several key dates quickly approaching. The 2013-14 season would normally start in September. Music director Osmo Vänskä stated last spring he would resign Sept. 9 if no deal were reached.
According to the musicians' letter, Mitchell proposed a four-month interim agreement from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. During the first two months, musicians would receive salaries based on their expired contract. If no formal pact was reached by Oct. 31, they would take a 6 percent pay cut for the remaining two months. If no deal was reached by year's end, the parties would "return to their respective positions."
Michael Henson, the orchestra's chief executive, would not comment on the proposal.
"I can confirm that we are in a confidential negotiating process," Henson said.
Last month, musicians rejected a management proposal — offered through Mitchell's office — that similarly would have provided a window for mediation. Musicians would receive their old salaries for two months. If no agreement were reached, a contract would have been imposed to cut pay by 25 percent.
