Spring is in the air, and so are the sounds of musicians fighting for a fair contract. By the time you read these words, the musicians of DCINY will have been on strike for over a month. We recently demonstrated outside of both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to protest DCINY performances. These venues are not our target and not the employer. However, both venues have the power to settle the dispute by creating “labor standards” in their lease agreements. These labor standards could prevent employers like DCINY from renting if they can’t settle fair contracts with their musicians. Local elected leaders have put this idea on their radar. On the state level, the concept of labor standards is already written into state law for the construction industry and building service work.

This is the truth: if our standards fall at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall, they can fall anywhere. If DCINY can afford to rent out Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, they shouldn’t need to rely on exploitative practices like paying well below industry standards for performances at such iconic venues. As New York City continues its recovery from the pandemic, a true cultural revival is possible with professional opportunities and standards for our world-class artists, who are the backbone of the NYC tourism economy. We demand a fair contract for the musicians of DCINY. Members of Local 802 can help by showing up to our picket lines and especially by not accepting work for DCINY. Keep an eye out for more actions. For more ways to help, see www.local802afm.org/dciny