The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Players Association stood out in the cold again Wednesday to protest the Philharmonic’s ongoing attempts to bring in outside musicians.
These demonstrations come amidst an ongoing labor dispute between the Philharmonic and its musicians.
Musicians gathered in front of the Allen County Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon, holding signs and playing music to garner the attention of passing cars.
This is the second protest the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Players Association have organized this month in response to the Philharmonic hiring outside musicians.
On Dec. 5, the musicians gathered outside of the Clyde Theater on Bluffton Road.
Alex Laskey plays french horn for the Philharmonic, and said the move to the Allen County Courthouse is also a response to a Philharmonic change.
“And so today, the Philharmonic has attempted to hire more musicians for another outside performance at a separate location, a private location that we can’t be at to protest," Laskey said. "So we figured we’d protest here in downtown.”
Laskey said the hope for the protests is to bring awareness of the ongoing furlough of musicians.
Discussions between management and musicians have been stalled since September. In November, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic was placed on The American Federation of Musicians’ “International Unfair List.”
Philharmonic management has said musicians “have failed to respond to repeated requests to return to the bargaining table.”
