At any given time, as many as half of OCSM orchestras are negotiating collective agreements. That process can take a full year, or longer. So our negotiating teams, usually staffed by musician volunteers and Local officers, deserve our gratitude and appreciation.
Over the past several months, settlement bulletins have been published for newly ratified agreements by the Victoria Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Regina Symphony, Quebec Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony. A settlement bulletin is also forthcoming for an agreement ratified by the Canadian Opera Company.
Some highlights:
- Most new agreements included modest wage increases, often between 3-4% annually. No orchestras agreed to salary decreases.
- Many orchestras addressed health and sick leave policies, in the aftermath of the pandemic. Victoria Symphony clarified that sick leave may be used for care of a sick family member.
- Tenure procedures were an area of focus for the Calgary Philharmonic, OSQ, Canadian Opera Company, and National Ballet, which noted that changes were based on model procedures from the AFM Symphonic Services Division (SSD).
- Both OSQ and the Calgary Phil updated their dress codes to provide more options and remove outdated requirements.
Settlement bulletins allow us to share these and other highlights, though they can only provide a brief summary of the changes and their rationales. If you have questions, you are encouraged to ask a peer orchestra’s Delegate or a member of their Negotiation Committee. SSD staff can be a great resource in researching best practices for CBA language.
Please visit the Symphonic Services Division’s Resource Centre to view the Settlement Bulletins. You will need to log in as an AFM member to access the site.
Thanks to all the Negotiating Committees for their hard work, and to the Delegates and Negotiating Committee members for assisting in compiling these bulletins.
By Matt Heller, OCSM Secretary