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Since Day 1 the Minnesota Orchestra lockout has been taking a personal toll on musicians. Now, one year into the work stoppage, things are getting personal for the orchestra’s Board of Directors too. Union musicians, members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 30-73, marked the one-year anniversary of the start of their work stoppage […]
The Twin Cities Labor Chorus put solidarity into song Tuesday night, hosting “Labor Sing” with Minnesota musician Charlie Maguire at the State Fairgrounds’ Labor Pavilion. The sing-along did more than raise the spirits of 30-plus people in attendance, however. Donations collected at the concert were split evenly between relief funds supporting locked-out musicians of the […]
Local 26 of the Service Employees International Union announced today it will protest outside the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ annual membership meeting tomorrow, urging members not to elect U.S. Bank CEO Richard Davis to their Board of Trustees. Davis is the immediate past chair of the Minnesota Orchestra’s board. The orchestra has been locking union […]
Orchestrate Excellence, a grassroots group of audience members and business owners working to end the Minnesota Orchestra lockout, will host a community forum, “Our Community’s Commitment to the Minnesota Orchestra,” Aug. 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. The forum will explore the community’s role in supporting the Minnesota Orchestra. […]
The Twin Cities Labor Chorus and Minnesota musician Charlie McGuire will host “Labor Sing,” a sing-along and fundraiser, July 30 at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion on the State Fairgrounds. The Labor Chorus announced the event Monday in a press release: “It’s an excuse to get together, enjoy a summer evening, and have fun. It’s […]
Legislative leaders called 2013 the “education session” for the new investments in E-12 students, and a bill to extend union rights to 21,000 child-care providers and home health care workers grabbed headlines as Republicans tried to filibuster it to death. But the 2013 legislative session yielded many other victories for union members and middle class […]
Lockouts have gained popularity among Minnesota employers looking to flex their muscles in contract negotiations with union workers, but state lawmakers yesterday began examining the impact these prolonged work stoppages have had on families, communities and businesses. The House Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee’s hearing on lockouts was likely a first step toward legislative action […]
The 2013 legislative session presents Minnesota’s labor movement with opportunities we haven’t seen since 1990, the last time we had a pro-labor governor and labor-friendly majorities in both the House and Senate. After 22 years of playing defense, we finally have an opportunity to accomplish positive change for working people. The Minnesota AFL-CIO, working with […]
Musicians locked out of their jobs by the Minnesota Orchestra rallied with patrons, union leaders and other supporters in Peavey Plaza downtown Minneapolis today, as the lockout of 95 members of Twin Cities Musicians Union Local 30-73 entered its second month. Although buoyed by strike benefits from their international union, the American Federation of Musicians, […]
Union musicians in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been locked out of their jobs by the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO), leaving a deafening void in the Twin Cities cultural scene. SPCO musicians, who had been working under a “talk-and-play” agreement after their contract expired in September, were locked out […]
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