parterre box

On the eve of New York City Opera’s announcement of their 2011-12 season tomorrow at the Guggenheim Museum, La Cieca has been forwarded an email sent by AGMA to its members offering details of what Alan Gordon says are the company’s proposals for the beginning of contract negotiations. The text of the email after the jump.

Subject: NYCO

To: NYCO Chorus & Production Staff

As you know, there is a joint AGMA/802 press conference/rally across the street from the Guggenheim Museum at noon tomorrow, just prior to George Steel’s formal announcement of his proposed schedule. His lawyers have now sent us NYCO’s ‘proposals’ for the AGMA contract, and I have included a list of them below. Although they are destructive in the extreme, we continue to pursue action to save NYCO in all available forums, and it is obviously important for as many of you as is possible to attend tomorrow’s press conference.

NYCO PROPOSALS

• Eliminate all health insurance.
• Eliminate ‘contract year’.
• Eliminate all employment guarantees.
• Eliminate weekly artists.
• All employment to be on a per-performance basis.
• Eliminate re-engagement rights.
• Eliminate tenure.
• Eliminate minimum staffing provisions.
• Eliminate paid time off.
• Eliminate vacation pay.
• Eliminate travel time.
• Eliminate all references to New York State Theater.
• Eliminate releases and leaves of absence.
• Freeze severance pay. Payable only to people who resign now.
• Allow non-AGMA singers, not covered by contract.
• Eliminate dancers from contract.
• Eliminate production staff numbers and guarantees.