Musicians in the Newport Symphony Orchestra have unionized with American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 99. The symphony’s board voted to grant voluntary recognition to the new union in July, pending a check of signed union authorization cards that would show that the union had majority support. The card check was completed in August. Musicians first requested recognition in April.
Toby Loftus, a violist playing in the symphony for more than 20 years, said organizing started during the pandemic, when musicians felt their concerns or ideas on topics like health and safety weren’t listened to. Loftus said relations have improved, but musicians still want a union contract.
“In the arts, sometimes leadership changes, the board can change, the executive director can change,” said Margarite Waddell, a member of the union organizing committee and the orchestra’s fourth horn chair. “While we have a really positive relationship with our board and executive director currently, you just never know what kind of situations you can run into in the future.”
“There was a lot of discussion on the board, and they had to take their time to think about it, but in the end, they heard what we were saying,” Waddell said.
The new unit includes 48 tenured musicians and around 35 regular substitute musicians and extras. Local 99 currently has around 550 members, including musicians at the Oregon Symphony and Portland Center Stage.
The Newport Symphony is now Local 99’s second largest bargaining unit and its first unit outside of the Portland metro area.
The Newport Symphony’s main season runs from September through March each year. Many of the musicians live hours from Newport, so they have to find temporary housing like homestays or hotels when they come into town for rehearsals and performances. Local 99 secretary-treasurer Mont Chris Hubbard said they work around six to eight weeks out of the year.
“We want everyone involved with our orchestra to feel safe, valued, and heard,” Newport Symphony executive director Dan Howard told the Labor Press by email. “Together, we will have wonderful conversations as we work through the collective bargaining process so we can continue to provide great music for our community for many years to come.”
