Musicians deserve a fair contract now!

Musicians deserve a fair contract! Local 802 has filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge against Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) for failing to negotiate in good faith with its musicians.

In 2019, DCINY musicians successfully formed a union with Local 802 to address issues of inadequate pay, no benefits, unreasonably long rehearsals, limited break times, intense and  physically demanding performance days, and an atmosphere of fear due to frequent retaliation for voicing concerns to management. Despite the musicians’ success in forming a union, DCINY management has refused to negotiate in good faith for a fair contract.

Specifically, DCINY has used the pandemic as the reason to arbitrarily delay negotiations, despite the fact that most major NYC cultural institutions (such as the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre and Jazz at Lincoln Center) have managed to negotiate fair agreements with their musicians and re-open their doors.

Local 802 and the musicians of DCINY call on management to immediately schedule negotiations and bargain quickly for a fair contract.