Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra strike

FW Symphony strike

I support the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s efforts to reduce costs.

Even after the proposed cuts, musicians in the FWSO will still be making more money than Fort Worth schoolteachers and much more than police.

There is no shortage of qualified musicians who would love to have the jobs that the current musicians have rejected. The FWSO cannot stay in business and meet the musicians’ demands.

I encourage the symphony to start auditioning replacements right away in order to minimize the number of concerts that will have to be canceled this season.

I think it is interesting that there is little public support about the symphony striking, but let the garbage workers go on strike and all hell would break loose.

I think it’s time for a rebirth of the unions in this country. It’s painfully obvious that corporations will not address our inequity issues.

Congress is incapable of helping anyone but themselves, so it’s up to the workers to unite and speak in unison for working-class Americans.

I may not agree with the FWSO musicians’ timing, but I do understand their agony and frustration.

The musicians are grossly underpaid both in absolute terms and relative to first- and second-tier orchestras in the U.S.

The cause is the shamefully low revenue from contributions and grants necessary for the maintenance of any symphony orchestra.

Many communities with populations similar to and smaller than the Fort Worth area, and not as economically robust, provide more funding for their valued orchestras.

It is a tragic failure on the part of Fort Worth’s city, business and community leaders. It can also be a betrayal of the musicians and those in the community who have contributed generously with respect to their means.

This lack of wider appreciation and support must be quickly corrected.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra strike."