Local opinion: Musicians deserve fair representation

In the 20 years since its founding, True Concord Voices and Orchestra has seen tremendous growth. Its artistic quality has garnered national attention and several Grammy nominations. It is an organization worthy of pride, both within our community and amongst our artists. The musicians of the orchestra are largely Tucson-based, and many of us also play with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. We are extremely dedicated to our work and firmly believe that our contributions are integral to its success.

We have asked TCVO to recognize our union (American Federation of Musicians) for the purpose of collective bargaining. So far, the Board of Trustees has declined and deferred. Why do we want to be unionized? More reasons than I have space to enumerate, but here are a few:

Unionized orchestras are the industry standard throughout this country. Being affiliated with AFM sends a message to the musical community that the organization is a serious entity with the highest standards of artistic quality and operational integrity. Doing so will secure long-term legitimacy for TCVO and make it a much more attractive workplace for musicians.

Unionized orchestras are more stable. Boards will come and go, as will music directors, and even musicians. With a solid union agreement in place, continuity between generations can create the stability necessary to build on past successes.

Union contracts give fair wages, safe working conditions and allow us to provide the best possible performances.

The Board issued a statement to all patrons in the program at our most recent concert:

“You may have seen or heard about some discussion on social media regarding a group recently approaching True Concord’s Board of Directors about unionizing the orchestra. The Board is committed to thoroughly understanding and discussing this topic, as part of its steadfast commitment to providing the best possible experience for all its artists and to following the law. We look forward to being able to answer any questions about this as soon as possible.”

While we don’t refute any of this statement, a bit more context and clarity is needed. Regarding this effort, describing it as “recent” is misleading, as it has been nearly nine months since we initially sought recognition. Additionally, the group of musicians that met with the Board was a small representation of the overwhelming majority of TCVO musicians who are ready to begin collective bargaining. During our campaign to assess support for unionization in Spring 2024, we collected signatures from a supermajority, over 70 percent, of our musicians. That number has only grown since. In the few meetings we have had, often many weeks and sometimes months apart, the Board has asked the same questions again and again. Many of the questions could have been answered with a simple Google search or short consultation with an attorney. It calls to question their commitment to truly understanding our effort and the law.

Musicians, like most workers, have a federally guaranteed right to choose collective-bargaining representatives. It is imperative that TCVO recognize us immediately to allow our democratic voice to be heard. Audience members can show support by emailing us at trueconcordorchestra@gmail.com and find other ways to support us through our social media accounts @trueconcordorchestra.

We want TCVO to be successful, and we share the goals of the Board. Any agreement that would undermine the success of TCVO (financial or otherwise) harms us in equal measure. At the conclusion of our most recent recording session, we were told that TCVO is a family. All we are asking is a seat at the table, so that we might nourish and be nourished with our family members in a mutually beneficial way.