New York’s Metropolitan Opera has proposed bringing in a federal mediator to resolve its most bitter labor dispute with musicians and other unionized employees in decades, the company said on Wednesday.
The suggestion comes a day before current contracts expire, but will not alter the Met’s plans to lock out employees and suspend their health benefits on Friday if new agreements are not reached, the company said.
A lockout could derail at least the start of the new season at one of the world’s preeminent opera houses, due to begin on Sept. 22 with Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
The Met has said its labor force has become too expensive in a time of declining global interest in opera. Pay and benefits for orchestra players, chorus singers, stagehands and other unionized employees accounted for nearly US$215 million of its US$326.8 million operating expenses in the last financial year.
Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said this week that opera could become obsolete “if measures are not taken to make it fit in the 21st-century economy.”
The mediation proposal was made at a meeting on Wednesday with the Met’s chorus, represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, said Alan Gordon, the union’s national executive director.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
The Met confirmed the proposal in a statement, saying having a representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service was “a more pragmatic way forward.”
Gordon said his union would be willing to accept mediation, although he could not speak for the 14 other unions with which the Met is separately negotiating.
The union representing the Met Orchestra, Local 802, said they were considering the proposal, but wanted the lockout averted.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
“We believe it would have a much greater chance of success if Peter Gelb would back off his lockout threats and extend the current contract,” Local 802 president Tino Gagliardi said in a statement.
The dispute has turned increasingly sour since Gelb wrote a letter last week to employees informing them of a possible lockout.
The Met Orchestra has publicly denigrated the new productions brought in under Gelb and lambasted what they called his “failed management and lack of artistic vision.”
The union compiled a tally of reviews of new productions since Gelb took over in 2006, suggesting critics had generally disliked them. The Met says new productions under Gelb have garnered the same mix of praise and brickbats as his predecessors.
(Reuters)
紐約大都會歌劇院週三表示,已提議請一位聯邦調解人,協助化解歌劇院與音樂家及其他工會組織員工數十年來最嚴重的勞資糾紛。
該公司表示,這項建議時間點就在當前合約到期日的前一天。倘若無法達成協議,歌劇院將不改其原定週五要員工停工並終止其健保福利的決定。
這個世界夙負盛名之一歌劇院停工的可能後果,至少會造成其新樂季開季節目異動。新樂季預定九月二十二日以莫札特的《費加洛的婚禮》開場。
大都會歌劇院已表示,在當今全球歌劇退燒的年代,其勞方支出已變得太過昂貴。在去年財政年度中,總營運費用達三點二六八億美元,而樂團團員、合唱團成員、劇場工作人員,以及其他工會員工的薪資福利支出就高達近二點一五億美元。
劇院總經理彼得‧蓋爾伯表示,「若沒有採取任何措施讓歌劇院營運符合二十一世紀的經濟現況」,歌劇院就可能關門大吉。
「美國音樂家協會」總監艾倫‧戈登表示,這項藉由調停者解決問題的提議,是在週三與代表歌劇院合唱團的「美國音樂家協會」在一場會議中達成。
歌劇院在一份聲明稿中證實了這項提議,並表示能有美國聯邦調停和解署派出代表是「一個較實際的解決方法。」
戈登表示,雖然他無法代表其他十四個工會表達意見,但其工會樂意接受調解。歌劇院正個別和其他十四個工會談判中。
代表大都會歌劇院樂團的紐約802音樂家工會(Local 802)表示,他們正考慮這項提議,但要求資方取消停工決定。
紐約802音樂家工會主席提諾‧利亞爾迪在一份聲明中表示:「我們相信若彼得‧蓋爾伯可以撤回停工的恐嚇並且延長合約期限,解決爭議的勝算將大幅提升。」
自從蓋爾伯上週發信給員工,告知他們可能停工的消息後,該爭議即變得愈加劍拔弩張。
大都會歌劇院樂團已公開貶低在蓋爾伯領導下推出的新歌劇製作,並且強力抨擊他們所謂蓋爾伯的「失敗經營與缺乏藝術視野」。
該工會彙整自從蓋爾伯二00六年上任以來,其所推出新歌劇製作的大量樂評,暗示樂評者普遍都給予負評。大都會歌劇院則表示,如同歷年來擔任過劇院總經理的評價一般,蓋爾伯主導下推出的新製作也是得到褒貶不一的評價。
(路透/翻譯:林亞蒂)
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A: Entertainer Mickey Huang’s #MeToo scandal has kept snowballing. B: Didn’t Huang just escape prosecution on several sexual misconduct charges due to a lack of evidence? A: He has now been accused of raping a woman identified as "Miss K." B: It’s like one trouble follows another! A: His decent “persona” in the showbiz has totally collapsed. A: 藝人黃子佼的#MeToo事件真是沒完沒了。 B: 他的性騷擾案不是因為證據不足獲得不起訴? A: 但他又被某位「K小姐」指控性侵。 B: 天啊,真是一波未平,一波又起! A: 他在娛樂圈的優質「人設」都崩壞啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Jumping rope has long been considered an excellent form of exercise. It not only burns calories but also improves cardiovascular health and __1__ core muscles. Anyone who has used a traditional jump rope, though, knows that it requires a certain level of skill and coordination. However, with the development of the cordless jump rope, this is __2__ the case. The cordless jump rope is an innovation in the fitness industry that has gained popularity in recent years. As its name suggests, it doesn’t have a cord connecting the two handles. Instead, each handle features a short cord with a
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish. 讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食:浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食,再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品,雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯,但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材,而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。 peculiar (adj.) 獨特的;古怪的 The belly of a milkfish is considered the most