In today's edition of the Washington Post there was an article about ongoing labor problems at The Washington Ballet. Apparently the dancers' union is at an impasse with the company -- and it may lead to a strike.

Washington Post - December 14

Has anyone heard whether a settlement has been reached??? It must be terrible for the professional and student dancers who have spent so many long hours rehearsing to be faced with a potential shut-down of their Nutcracker. Let's hope a settlement can be reached soon.



[Moderator's note: Edited to correct link]

Donning Moderator's cap

We'll have to wait until an *official* statement is issued from either the WB or the union. (These things are usually presented jointly.) Given the heat and delicacy of the situation, a word-of-mouth post in so public a forum as BT could be harmful and/or misleading.

Of course, any official updates from either party involved here -- or from a reliable news source -- would be very welcome. Please link!

Best wishes to both sides for a quick and mutually satisfactory resolution.

Doffing Mod's cap

DON HO, I couldn't get that link to work and I tried a search of the Washington Post website and came up with nothing for Washington Ballet.

Oops, Carbro, we were posting at the same time. I hope it's OK for DON HO to direct us to the newspaper article itself even though we won't comment about anything unofficially heard.

Of course, vagansmom, we may read the actual article and comment on it --wiithout speculating.

According to the company's website, I'm sorry to report that tomorrow's performance has been cancelled:

PRESS STATEMENT
Issued December 14, 2005, 5:00 p.m.

Despite the utmost efforts of The Washington Ballet to satisfy the concerns of the
dancers of The Washington Ballet – including agreeing to sign an Interim Agreement to enable the parties to continue bargaining without interruption – the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, which represents the dancers, has informed the company that it will strike The Nutcracker beginning on Thursday, December 15. In light of this tragic news and out of responsibility to its patrons, The Washington Ballet must regrettably cancel its December 15th, 7 p.m. performance of The Nutcracker.

“A strike by the dancers of The Washington Ballet is profoundly devastating not only for the entire institution, but for the community and for the families and friends of our performers,” said Jason Palmquist, Executive Director. “We have been negotiating with the dancers in good faith and wish for those conversations to continue. If AGMA and the dancers would call off this ill-advised strike and provide The Washington Ballet with assurances that The Nutcracker will be presented as scheduled, our hope is that future performances this holiday season can be saved.”

Patrons holding tickets for Thursday’s 7 p.m. performance should follow the specific directions below to exchange tickets or receive a refund: [omitted here].

In the interest of expediency, forgive me if the link doesn't work quite right.

Washington Ballet Press Release

This just in:

THE WASHINGTON BALLET FORCED TO CANCEL FRIDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE

OF THE NUTCRACKER

Washington, DC—Prompted by the continuation of its dancers’ strike, The Washington Ballet has been forced to cancel its Friday evening, December 16th performance of The Nutcracker. The American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO (AGMA) informed The Washington Ballet at 5:00pm today that the dancers would not show up to perform tomorrow evening.



“The Washington Ballet is saddened and disappointed that the dancers have chosen this time of year and these performances to walk out. We are hopeful that we can bring this situation to a resolution and salvage the remainder of the run,” stated Jason Palmquist, Executive Director of The Washington Ballet.

10 potential performances left between Dec. 17 and 24.

Here is today's article from the Washington Post about the cancellation of performances for a second day:

WashPost--Strike/Lockout continues

As was emphasized by Treefrog at BT4D, management is referring to these events as a "strike' but the dancers are calling it a 'lockout'.

Most unfortunate all around.

And as I pointed out, the difference between strike and lockout is merely rhetorical now, as both sides have fulfilled various definitions of both terms. The net effect is that there are dancers out of work at this time of year, and that's a bad thing.

Today's Post story says:

"'We want them to stop striking,' [WB board president] Kendall said. 'And we want them to give us a proposal that we can accept. . . . They put a gun to our heads. . . . We want everything to be there for the dancers, but we have to protect our artistic director also.'"

"The issues are not primarily about money, but about how much control Artistic Director Septime Webre should have over matters ranging from hiring and firing to how rehearsals are conducted to the size of the company and how students from the Washington School of Ballet can be used in productions."

Perhaps management and the dancers should move beyond the "protect" and "control" rhetoric. Right now everyone, including Nutcracker-goers, seems to be losing.

Yes, it's official. Here's the press release:

THE WASHINGTON BALLET FORCED BY UNION STRIKE

TO CLOSE THE NUTCRACKER





Washington, DC—Prompted by the continuation of its dancers’ strike, The Washington Ballet has been forced to cancel all remaining performances of The Nutcracker. The American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO (AGMA) informed The Washington Ballet yesterday that the dancers will not show up to perform.

“AGMA’s strike and its resulting effect on public perception is devastating, leaving us with no choice but to close the production,” stated Jason Palmquist, Executive Director of The Washington Ballet.

“It is with profound regret that we are forced to close The Nutcracker and disappoint hundreds of local families who participate in this annual tradition,” said Kay Kendall, President of the Board of The Washington Ballet.

For ticket refunds:
· If you purchased tickets via the web OR by phone from TicketMaster: You will automatically receive a refund and this will appear on your next billing statement. If you purchased via phone or web and need more information, please call 202.397.7328.

· If purchased via The Washington Ballet: Mail your tickets to The Washington Ballet, 3515 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016 by Jan. 9th for a full refund. Be sure to include your contact information. If you purchased through The Washington Ballet and need more information, press 605 now.

· If purchased at a TicketMaster outlet including Warner Theatre, Please visit that same outlet for a refund OR call TicketMaster for more information at 202.397.SEAT (7328).

· If you purchased through TicketPlace, please visit TicketPlace to receive a refund.

This was the subject of a front page (A1) story in the Washington Post by Sarah Kaufman, to which I can't link for some reason. Crushing news.

The link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5121601734.html

Here's a story from the New York Times with this quote:

Sounds like a lockout to me.

At this writing the distinction is academic. We are dealing with journalism now, which is the raw material of history. The question of whether it is a strike or a lockout, or both, will have to wait until all the data are in and can be interpreted dispassionately.

According to the Washington Post (in today's LINKS).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5121601734.html

QUOTE:
"The dancers were to begin rehearsals Jan. 3 for their next production, "The Bach/Beatles Project," slated to open a five-day run at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 1. That schedule is now in doubt, Palmquist said.

"The dancers are still on strike," he said, "so we have no assurances that they would even be available for rehearsals. We are currently evaluating the effect of having to cancel 'The Nutcracker' on our ability to make the rest of the season happen."

---------------------------
I realize that management and union are both, to an extent, engaged in public relations exercises -- and that control of the vocabulary is a major way one can control the debate. But -- isn't "strike" something that has to be voted on and declared by the workers? Which hasn't happened. Very strange. As is the manipulation of language in the current NYC transit strike.

We should take a tip from the Mikado in the opera-comique of the same name and "reserve judgment for six months, and argue it before the full court."

I'm curious about this bit about the rehearsals being overly grueling... I wish someone would give some details so we might have a sense of where the balance of truth lies.

If a dancer, union spokesman, or company representative comes forward to discuss this topic, we'll be sure to link to it.

I thought that I read in one of the newspaper articles that the dancers did vote to strike. And one of the issues mentioned in the papers was that the dancers supporting these actions were feeling threatened by company management for vocalizing their dissatisfactions. I am so sorry for all at WB. And lets hope that they can work out all their differences.

The Post article mentions the following:

QUOTE:
"In general, money is not the source of the dispute as much as control over rehearsals, hiring and dismissals, the size of the company and how students at the ballet's affiliated school may be used in productions."

We don't want to speculate about the facts in this particular case, but -- does anyone know facts about how other unionized companies deal with such issues? I am particularly puzzled about the question of "hiring and firing," -- and the issue of job security generally -- which I assumed was always something controlled by the AD.

More from Sarah Kaufman at the Washington Post on the labor troubles:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5122102275.html

The union and TWB management are now before the NLRB, and more cancellations have been announced. This is very bad. The Washington Post reports:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5122301644.html

A very sad story.

I am still confused about this word "strike."

QUOTE FROM WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE:

"Dancers maintain they are not on strike but are victims of an unreasonably harsh lockout by management.

"The company insists the dancers effectively went on strike during "Nutcracker" when an interim agreement on a work contract fell through.

"There has been labor conflict at the ballet since late last year, when the 20 dancers began efforts to unionize.

-----------

All articles linked above refer to (a) the dancers' unionization and (b) the breakdown in contract negotiations. By what standards do either of these events constitute a strike? I need enlightenment.

This is indeed very ugly.

I, too, am confused by the word "strike". I know all contracts are not alike, but in our faculty contract the workers must 1) vote to strike, and 2) give management 10 days' notice of intent to strike. It is very clear what is a strike, and what is not.

It sounds as though management is confused by the concept of a contract. (Our administration is fond of calling the contract "your contract", as though they weren't signatories and the contract was something we imposed on them. We have to remind them that it is "their" contract as well. I think this distinction comes about because labor contracts generally curb abuses of power by management. Management thus feels contrained. I suspect this is especially true of new contracts.) I'll be interested to see what the NLRB rules.

Here is a link to the AGMA (dancers' union) website, with its press release and a copy of the interim agreement that was briefly on the table:

http://www.musicalartists.org/ImportantNew...kOutArticle.htm

And in the interest of equal time, here is a link to the Washington Ballet website - all I could find on the situation was the Nutcracker cancellation page:

http://www.washingtonballet.org/upcoming2003.htm

Thanks, Bill. I'm no particular expert in labor contracts, much less those for performing artists.

Does anyone know if the working hour conditions are in line with industry standards?

The stipulation that appropriate flooring be provided seems eminently reasonable. I wonder if things came to a head at this juncture because there were some private performances on the schedule--might these have been in venues with inappropriate flooring?

The stipulation that nonrenewal of contracts would be subject to usual grievance procedures seems nonstandard for performing arts--comments?

Earlier reports indicated that rehearsals were due to restart on January 3, so I would imagine that there will be some news one way or the other soon.

Good questions, koshka.

The following union statement (from Bill's link) seems to complicate the strike v. lockout situation (see second paragraph):

QUOTE:
"Exhausted by an unlimited rehearsal and performance schedule and becoming injured at an alarming rate, the dancers told their management, at a December 12 bargaining session, which looked more like a conglomeration of the walking wounded than a group of skilled artists, that they had no option but to insist upon a binding, enforceable interim agreement that protected their health and their safety and their jobs now, even as negotiations toward a collective bargaining agreement dragged on.

"They told the Ballet that commencing with the December 15 evening performance, they would not perform in Nutcracker until an interim agreement was concluded.

"The Company’s immediate response, refusing to meet with AGMA & the dancers, was to cancel the next two rehearsals and then, after again refusing to meet with AGMA, cancelled the rest of the Nutcracker performances."

Has any official work come out regarding the rest of the season? My understanding is that most professional ballet troupes count on 'Nutcracker season' revenues to foot the bill for the remainder of the season. The cancellation of 'Nutcracker' must have made a terrible hole in the operating budget for the rest of the season.

The Washinton Ballet was to have performed from March 21-26, 2006 at the Joyce Theater in New York, but there's now an announcement on the Joyce website saying the visit has been cancelled.

I believe that talks between the union and the Ballet were to resume today. Attached is a link to a picture of the dancers with their signs, from December when they picketed.

http://www.musicalartists.org/HomePage.htm

A GREAT-looking bunch of picketers, despite the cold. Thanks for the photo and the Link, Bill.

I am glad to read the interim agreement that was proposed to TWB management by the dancers.

Such a horrible situation.

On NPR on Weekend Edition - Saturday, with Scott Simon, there was a piece about what's been going on at TWB. It was quite well done. If you missed it, you should be able to access it via the website at about 1:00PM. NPR's Weekend Edition - Saturday

pmeja includes a LINK to a Washington Post story today. Apparantly the company has rejected Michael Kaiser's offer to help mediate the crisis. The union had supported this offer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6010602036.html

The dancers are evidently without unemployment benefits, too.

Wonder if Palmquist would have been so quick to reject Michael Kaiser's offer to help ("it's too soon to mediate") if he had been denied benefits. I wonder just what he deems sufficient time. This gets worse and worse......

I know this is a late response, but someone had asked if the interim contract represented industry standards, as far as rehearsal hours, etc., and I can tell you that it does. In fact, it is much the same as other AGMA contracts. You can read the contracts that are currently being negotiated on-line at the AGMA websites- I think it is musicalartists.org. Click on agreements, and then choose dance.

That's right, and also bear in mind that both sides are making self-serving statements to the press right now.

We won't start to get anywhere near the whole truth on this unpleasant matter until one or both sides go to law, witnesses are sworn and testify and are cross-examined. And maybe not then.

I am trying to maintain a rigorous impartiality in this matter, and believe that something foul is going on, but I'm not certain where it is, or even what, or within whom it lies.

What I'm not clear on is the bit about the 3 year contracts. That's a standard now? I was under the impression that generally contracts were reviewed every year... so that letters of intent went out before the audition season...

It seems like the shelf life a dancer is so short that 3 year contracts might not work well for a company without a secure endowment (as I assume most ballet companies in this country are).

And then I started wondering about Europe where presumably things are more stable. How does job security work at the Paris Opera?

How does it work for professional ball players... presumably they have a short career span (compared to say insurance brokers) as well... but then again, there's that business about trading players... haven't figured out how that might play out in the dance world...

A three-year contract is a general contract of the company with the union. Individual contracts are hammered out annually with the individual artists. The Paris Opera Ballet dancers are in a more stable labor force, Civil Service.

So at the Paris Opera, how are dancers who cease to be desirable eliminated from the line-up? Or are they allowed to remain? Or is this why there is the mandatory retirement age there?

NPR aired a comprehensive story on Wash Ballet's labour troubles, reported by Elizabeth Blair. The link is below. The story includes sound bites from the Board chair, the articitic director and Chip Coleman, a dancer, among others.

Performing Arts
Washington Ballet's Labor Problems Jar Dance World
by Elizabeth Blair

Weekend Edition - Saturday, January 7, 2006 · Ballet companies around the country are watching a strike at the Washington Ballet with anxiety. The dancers' union feels an overly demanding work schedule is causing injuries, and union reps are pushing to organize companies around the country.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5134322

Actually, it seems to me that though the POB dancers are paid by the state, they are not exactly civil servants, but I'm not sure (perhaps cygneblanc knows better ?) It is very rare that a dancer gets fired, but it can happen, I remember reading that if a dancer was considered as unable to do his/her job properly, there was some sort of commission which could fire him/her, it happened a few times. But there probably also are some dancers in the corps de ballet who are cast very seldom. (Also, besides "regular" dancers, there are a few dancers on short-term contracts, whose contract might not be renewed).

But I guess it doesn't make much sense to compare the POB, with its huge budget and state subsidies (I suspect that even if there were a few incompetent dancers, they salaries would be very very little compared to what is spent for operas...), and with the French labour laws, with companies from other countries.

Thanks, Estelle, I thought it was at the other end of the spectrum from Washington Ballet, but I was wondering whether job security could have a negative effect. It certainly doesn't seem to have at the Paris Opera, at any rate, certainly not in recent years.

It's an interesting situation in DC; the Washington Ballet is not functioning and the visibility of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet has increased, with the staging of Don Q and Ms. Farrell's Kennedy Center honors. I imagine that all parties, including individual dancers and company staffers, are reviewing their options.

I should hope not. It would be terrible to lose my favorite local company!

Fret not (yet!), Hans--I think that Bill's comment is more like a "Hmmmm, what might happen". Face it, a couple of dozen dancers are out of work for the duration and there is a growing company in town.

Given that the Feb. and Mar. performances have been cancelled, we can only hope that WB can work things out now that there is less time pressure than there was during the Nutcracker.

Yes indeed, Koshka - that's how I meant it. And as a DC ballet fan, I'd love both companies to thrive.

In the Links section, Dirac posted this story about developments in the WB labor dispute:

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/...t_id=1001881538