Manhattan School of Music Faculty Rally for a Fair Contract

After months of working without a contract, the Precollege Division faculty of Manhattan School of Music (ARTS-MSM, NYSUT 6498), parents, students of the program, and members of other New York City musician unions, including New York University’s support staff union, rallied outside of the school on Saturday morning to demand a fair contract that meets industry standard wages. Faculty are seeking wage increases to bring pay rates more in line with industry standards after years of making barely ½ of what peer institutions offer. Outrage among faculty has boiled over as the School’s public-facing financials reveal an easy ability to afford the proposed increases, high profit margins, and impressive compensation packages for senior administrators. As a result the union voted overwhelmingly on Jan. 8 to authorize a strike—the first in the school’s history of over 100 years.

The private music conservatory's Saturday program provides world-class musical training to gifted students ages 5-18.  Parents of enrolled students are demanding to know where their tuition dollars are going in this high-priced program, since so little is being spent on the people who educate their children. Read more from The Columbia Spectator, MSN, Operawire, and The Violin Channel, and check out statements of support from fellow unions here. You can also take action by signing an online petition here.