Allegro
PRE-COLLEGE MUSIC FACULTY AT MSM RAMP UP THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
Guest Commentary
Volume 125, No. 3March, 2025
This is a guest commentary provided by the ARTS-MSM union. UPDATE: As Allegro went to press, the Manhattan School of Music has agreed to mediation.
After six months of working on an expired contract, the faculty of the Precollege Division of Manhattan School of Music made history by undertaking the first strike at the institution in more than a century. The teachers, represented by ARTS-MSM (a local of New York State United Teachers), were driven to this action by the continued refusal of the MSM administration to recognize the necessity of agreeing to a fair contract that respects teachers and protects students. Faculty put forth a strongly united front, and — even in the face of the administration’s desperate attempts to entice scabs to replace striking workers — Manhattan School of Music ultimately had no choice but to suspend almost all activities in the Precollege Division during the strike.
ARTS-MSM was bolstered by the support of a wide coalition of unions, including Local 802, AGMA, UFT, various NYSUT locals around the state, PSC-CUNY, UUP, UAW Local 7902, and WGA-East. Many workers from those unions and others braved the frigid weather on February 1 to join their ARTS-MSM siblings in the raucous ten-hour non-stop picket in front of MSM that kicked off the strike. In addition to union solidarity, the presence of alumni and current students and parents of students at MSM was a notable indication of the strong community of support that continues to back up these hardworking teachers in their fight to earn industry standard wages. Elected officials, including local Assemblymember Micah Lasher, Assemblymember Alex Bores, and City Councilmember Keith Powers also dropped by to offer words of encouragement and to call out the MSM administration for its egregious behavior. Musical groups including Sing in Solidarity, members of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and the Red Snare lent their support throughout the day, sustaining a musical picket line for over ten hours.
Following the strike, ARTS-MSM has continued to negotiate in good faith, but remains disappointed with the administration’s unwillingness to engage productively at the bargaining table. After more than six months working on an expired contract from seven years ago, the pressing need for a significant raise NOW could not be more urgent. The notorious union-busting lawyer that the MSM administration chooses to employ also continues to reach new lows. At a recent meeting, he wielded the Trump administration’s evisceration of federal agencies as a strategic weapon, suggesting that we could file Unfair Labor Practice complaints if we wanted but that Trump’s hobbling of the National Labor Relations Board meant they would come to nothing. For a supposedly proudly progressive organization like Manhattan School of Music, the embrace of the Trump agenda in this context was especially repugnant.
In light of the school’s continued stubbornness following the strike action at the beginning of the month, ARTS-MSM called for a rally on February 22 to demand the administration get serious and agree to a fair contract now. Faculty were joined in front of the school by a powerful coalition of union siblings from across the labor movement.
Local 802 President Bob Suttmann delivered a powerful speech, highlighting that he is an alumnus of the school, but that the administration’s current behavior is shameful, making them “in fact a predator of the very faculty that is their life blood.” (In a previous statement, Suttmann also affirmed that “Local 802 supports these hard-working teachers. Many Local 802 members teach in this program, contributing their invaluable experience as performing artists to the education of young musicians. We know that the future of our profession lies in the development of new talent, and that pedagogical excellence is the key to nurturing tomorrow’s musicians and audiences for musical performances.”)
AGMA president Ned Hanlon also delivered remarks describing MSM’s reliance on music students’ tuition while refusing to pay the musicians that make up the faculty a fair wage a “Ponzi scheme” before leading members of the Metropolitan Opera choir and the assembled crowd in a stirring rendition of “Solidarity Forever.”
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine addressed the crowd, emphasizing that cultural institutions like MSM are vital to the lifeblood of New York City and pledging his ongoing support.
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal lambasted the union-busting tactics of the administration and expressed his ongoing solidarity.
Other speakers included ARTS-MSM faculty members, many of whom have decades-long relationships with the school and view this contract fight in part as essential to continuing the high quality and reputation of the institution. Parents of current students also spoke eloquently about both their appreciation for the high quality music education their children are receiving as well as the importance of the union movement to our social fabric.
Going forward, all options remain on the table, including continued activism and the possibility of further job actions. While ARTS-MSM remains dedicated to good faith bargaining, the union refuses to allow the administration or its notorious union-busting lawyer to gaslight teachers or anyone else into thinking that a top-tier music preparatory program can pay half the going rate and retain top quality faculty. The school can afford to pay its teachers fairly without raising tuition or increasing class sizes, and that’s exactly what it should do — NOW!
Thank you for your support!
In solidarity,
ARTS-MSM
Adam Kent, President
David Friend, Interim Co-Vice President
Adrienne Kim, Interim Co-Vice President
Elena Belli, Treasurer
Karen Rostron, Secretary
Please support MSM Precollege faculty:
PREVIOUS ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES:
PRE-COLLEGE MUSIC FACULTY AT MSM ANNOUNCE STRIKE FOR FAIR CONTRACT
Pre-college music faculty at the Manhattan School of Music are still fighting for a fair contract
Pre-college music faculty at the Manhattan School of Music are fighting for a fair contract