Mark your calendars: Pittsburgh Ballet picketing

Dance with musicians in the streets of the cultural district for labor and the arts!

Dear AFM Sisters & Brothers and Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra Supporters,

On August 18th we held what we believe to be a very successful demonstration and gathering of audience support at the Pittsburgh Ballet's free public performance at Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh.

Now comes the opening of the season's performances of the Pittsburgh Ballet WITHOUT THEIR ORCHESTRA. It is our goal to flood the streets in front of the Benedum Center Theatre with as many people as possible, who feel that this situation is not only a severe injustice to the Pittsburgh Ballet Musicians, but has serious ramifications for all AFM musicians who play for Ballet and other pit productions. We believe our Hartwood Acres demonstration DID make a difference, and a large demonstration for these opening productions will go a long way towards settling this dispute.

The dates and times of the picketing are as follows (shows start a half hour later):
October 6, 2005 7:00PM
October 7, 2005 7:30PM
October 8, 2005 7:30PM
October 9, 2005 1:30PM

ALL performance will be at the Benedum Center Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh-719 7th Street, 15222. It is on 7th Street between Penn and Liberty Streets.

Please come and join with us in these most important demonstrations. If you are coming from out of town, please do advise the Pittsburgh Ballet Committee and the Pittsburgh Musicians' Union via email (see addresses in the "copy" section), so we may have sufficient signs for everyone, and perhaps arrange for some hospitality.We also hope to have a large turnout from various segments of the Pittsburgh area community.

We hope you can join us in Pittsburgh; together we can win this fight.

Nathan Kahn, Negotiator
Symphonic Services Division
American Federation of Musicians