More proof that the MOA knows who I am…
The MPR article – in which I and my blog got more space than Michael Henson – is now listed in Industry News.
Um. Why is management even obliquely promoting this blog? Is this a sign that the Industry News page is starting to post others’ viewpoints? What’s next? A link to SOTL? Is this a shift in strategy, or just a dumb mistake?
I don’t get this, at all, but I guess it wouldn’t be the first time I don’t get the logic behind the MOA’s PR tactics. So, um, thanks for the shout-out, MOA. If you want to…you know…actually contact me…………feel free. I’ve got a shiny Facebook page now through which you can do that.
Song of the Lark 
This is a classic ploy of the corporate world for organizations, companies, and/or non-profits are in trouble. The cause, as seen from the executive suite, is labor expenses, whether salaries or benefits, and these are often results of negotiations between unions and management. So the first thing is to break the union, and a typical and very effective tactic is to begin with a lockout. This saves money but also entails costs since the “product” is not being sold. Never mind there are ancillary costs, to suppliers, or in the case of orchestras, loss of revenue from restaurants and other “suppliers” such as musical instrument repair shops, educational experiences for schoolchildren, etc. What is never a cost issue is the “salaries” of management, in this case Mr. Henson, although there may have been not just the sacrifices of cost cutting and reducing staff but the fact that many others, beside the musicians, are off the payrolls. The next step, after further discussions of “solutions” is to declare bankruptcy and go into reorganization. This would then enable the Board and its CEO to implement cost saving measures and redefine the goals and purposes of the organization. The key here, is that the public, much less “stockholders” (donors? subscribers?) have nothing to say and must swallow their losses. Does this sound like a plausible scenario for the current crisis for the MO and SPCO? I would like to hear what labor/industrial relations from the Carlson School or Humphrey might say about this.