New York Metropolitan Opera Struggles to Reach Labor Agreements with Unions as Lockout Deadline Looms

The New York Metropolitan Opera managed to come to labor agreements with two of its unions Monday morning, but that still leaves it ten unions short of having its working force nailed down. A spokesperson for the Met stated that the deadline for an agreement had been extended to Tuesday at midnight, which as you might have guessed, leaves the opera house in a tight spot to get those remaining agreements negotiated. If deals aren't reached, the Met could face a lockout and a cancellation of its upcoming season.

The Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, had been demanding pay cuts of around 17 percent, citing that productions costs were growing dramatically and shrinking audiences weren't helping the issue. The unions cried foul, pointing out that the opera house faced only a $2.8 million deficit on a $326 million budget. Pensions and healthcare were also on the chopping block. Protests by employees have been staged in front of the facility and negotiations have been ongoing since February.

Three unions—those representing security guard, ushers and janitorial services—reached new deals at the beginning of August. Monday's agreements came for the Local 802 of the musicians' union and the American Guild of Musical Artists. The new agreements represent unions with much more clout than the previous three, which may inspire others to make a deal, but expecting all ten remaining organizations to come to terms within 40 hours is a stretch.

Orchestra and chorus members aren't scratching the bottom of the barrel—the former makes a base salary of $100,000 and the latter $200,000—but it is highly competitive work. Cuts to salaries threatens both competition and desire to work in the New York market. A lockout isn't a cure for the already ailing opera market in the United States' healthiest market.