Luke swarm Luke swarm

La Cieca (pictured) fears that the parterre hive mind proved itself populated with more drones than workers this time around.

on August 21, 2014 at 4:50 PM
And all the rest is talk And all the rest is talk

“Labor! Oh, the problem of labor at the Met is gargantuan,” Our Own JJ (not pictured) would have said, had he thought of it.

on August 14, 2014 at 5:03 PM
Only connect… Only connect…

La Cieca has discovered that the independent auditor chosen by the Met, AGMA and Local 802 to report on the company’s finances, Eugene Keilin, is a major donor to the Met, giving at least $25,000 in 2011-2012 according to that season’s Annual Report.

on August 05, 2014 at 11:30 AM
Blood and Sandow Blood and Sandow

Friend and friend-in-law of parterre box Greg Sandow pours the oil of calm and rational analysis upon the troubled waters of the Met’s current labor negotiations in the most recent installment of his always excellent (not to mention eponymous) blog.

on August 01, 2014 at 11:49 AM
Back from the dead? Back from the dead?

AGMA and Local 802 have agreed to the Met’s proposal that Allison Beck, a representative of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, be appointed immediately to mediate negotiations, working with both sides to find a compromise agreement.

on July 31, 2014 at 1:12 PM
Séance on a partly cloudy afternoon Séance on a partly cloudy afternoon

Your conduit to the spirit world, La Cieca, isn’t feeling quite as clairvoyante as usual today, cher public, so she’s going to ask your help in predicting what will happen in the course of the Met’s current labor negotiations.

on July 24, 2014 at 4:11 PM
The pit and the pendulum The pit and the pendulum

“The award-winning MET Orchestra’s global reputation as a top-tier ensemble is critical to New York City’s tourism and cultural economy.”

on June 18, 2014 at 9:47 PM
So sleepy So sleepy

Oh, Christ, can you fucking believe a spokesperson for the Met chorus is still clanking on about the price of the poppy field in Prince Igor?

on May 30, 2014 at 9:56 AM
Drive on Drive on

The battle of the management-labor emails continues with Alan Gordon demanding Peter Gelb fire his driver.

on May 28, 2014 at 12:01 PM
Sledgehammer Sledgehammer

Alan Gordon replies to a letter from Peter Gelb we haven’t seen yet. La Cieca has to wonder if the Wendy White thing is really going to turn out to be an effective negotiating tactic.

on May 21, 2014 at 2:48 PM
Numbers game Numbers game

The Met has released what the press office calls “background financial information” relevant to the company’s ongoing union negotiations.

on May 15, 2014 at 6:46 PM

This just landed in La Cieca’s inbox:  “We regret to inform you that Lyric Opera of Chicago season is in peril. Yesterday Lyric advised us that if we do not accept their one year demand for a two week reduction of employment, an elimination of wage parity with the orchestra, and an additional 5.2 %…

on August 11, 2011 at 5:05 PM