Truthspotting

Highlight from ASO's 9/27/12 press release announcing the contract settlement. The financials which support these statements should be thoroughly examined because according to sources, they add up to a big fairy tale:  

"Since 2008, the ASO management has suggested that board members contribute more heavily to the Annual Fund and to financially support other efforts and events, which they have done. In that same time frame, ASO staff has endured layoffs, mandatory furloughs, salary freezes, hiring freezes, and increases in contribution to healthcare coverage.

Ticket sales have increased by 113 percent over the last decade and donations have also increased by 112 percent. In addition, the ASO initiated two additional net-positive contributing businesses: In 2004 it purchased SD&A Teleservices, Inc., (formerly MKTG Teleservices, Inc.), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of telemarketing services for cultural and cause-based non-profits; In 2008, it opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, giving the Orchestra three performance venues in the metro Atlanta area. Both of these businesses are significant positive contributors to the Orchestra’s bottom line."

The truth is that orchestra operations are segregated from the entire institution.  When Verizon was built, the musicians began to notice that the symphony concerts (as opposed to the ‘ASO Presents’ concerts) were a separate line item in Verizon budget ... and the symphony concerts are always shown to be losing money.  Musicians were told that management was ‘unable’ to find a corporate sponsor for the symphony.  The players noticed, too, that summer performance schedules were getting thinner and thinner.  So where is this 'significant positive contribution' to the bottom line?  It goes to pay the debt owed on Verizon, and not to support the orchestra.

There was a time when an Atlanta investigative reporter would be all over this.

The entire press release can be found here.

http://asocmember.blogspot.com/2012/09/union-busting-101.html