The musicians also believe that artistic control should rest with the Music Director and not an outside entity that does not have a vested interest in the future of the FGO. All of the opera companies in the top fifteen metropolitan areas of the United States, except the FGO, hire their orchestras directly. These other major opera companies do not relinquish complete control of the orchestra to an outside entity. FGO has stated that they have no control over whom Miami Symphonic Services sends to the FGO pit.

The FGO management and Alfredo Oliva have both refused many requests to meet either with representatives of the FGO orchestra musicians or with Local 655.

The Local Executive Board believes that now is the time for musicians to show unity and refuse to continue to work at the mercy of management's whims.  We want the musicians of the FGO orchestra to be acknowledged as the actual employees of FGO, with a collective bargaining agreement and the job security they deserve.  The opera, however, simply wants to continue to hire musicians through one independent contractor after another, grabbing the least binding situation they can, with no legal assurances or protections for the musicians.  Musicians could once again suddenly be out of the work they count on.

It is perhaps a little-known fact that the orchestra is the only element of the production which has no CBA – the chorus, the stagehands, the wardrobe department all operate with union contracts.  There is no reason why the orchestra musicians should not be afforded the same respect and job security, a guarantee which the musicians of the Palm Beach Opera orchestra enjoy and deserve.

We believe that musicians contribute an invaluable service to our community, and that only by standing together will we finally be able to receive the respect, security, compensation, and recognition that we deserve.

An independent contractor is a small businessman working for himself, whereas an employee works for someone else. An example of an independent contractor is a computer consultant, who can show up whenever he wants (or send someone else instead), do his work however he choses to without being directed by a supervisor, and gets paid a flat fee regardless of how long the work takes. For more information on the tests used by the IRS to determine if someone is an independent contractor or an employee, visit the IRS website http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/may2004/stump.htm

While the orchestra was waiting in the corridor for Heuer's speech to end, one employee of the opera was heard to say into her radio, "Yes, it seems that the orchestra is in the hallway again...."

The musicians returned to the pit after the conclusion of Heuer's speech to play both performances.

The musicians wish Florida Grand Opera to recognize that the Opera is the true employer of the musicians. They also wish the Opera to recognize the musicians' union as their bargaining representative.

Who Are the FGO Musicians?

The musicians are members of the community, teachers at local colleges and universities, teachers of local private music students. They are graduates of some of the most prestigious music schools in the country.

How long have they performed for FGO?

The musicians as a group have performed for the Opera since 2000. Individually, several of the musicians performed for the Opera for several years prior to 2000 as members of the Greater Miami Opera Orchestra and/or the Florida Philharmonic.

Hasn't the FGO always hired the orchestra through a third party?

No. In fact, during the 1980's the Opera had their own orchestra, the Greater Miami Opera Orchestra. Because many of those musicians were also members of what was to become the Florida Philharmonic, the musicians voluntarily gave up their contract with the Opera on the condition that the Opera continue to employ them under the Florida Philharmonic contract as a joint employer. The Opera was a signatory to the Florida Philharmonic contract up until the time they began using the current orchestra.

Florida Grand Opera also pays a significantly smaller percent of their budget to the orchestra than other opera companies do, as the chart below illustrates. 

Maestro Stewart Robertson, 2003-4 FGO program book