The new collective bargaining agreement between AGMA and the Dallas Opera was approved by AGMA leadership on May 19, 2025, after being ratified by the shop.
This agreement delivers consistent wage and retirement fund increases across all artist categories, improves staging staff overtime rules and pay practices, and enhances payment timeliness and accuracy. It also advances artist well-being and workplace protections by ensuring clear scheduling guidelines, providing hair and makeup renderings in advance, prohibiting after-hours fittings for choristers, offering anti-harassment training with bullying explicitly banned, and formally including intimacy coordinators under the contract with defined engagement terms.
CONTRACT HIGHLIGHTS:
Compensation and Benefits:
- Chorus Wage Increases:
- Year 1: 6%
- Years 2-5: 3% each year
- AD Rate Increases:
- Year 1: 5.5%
- Year 2: 2.5%
- Years 3-5: 3% each year
- Increases for Other Artist Wages/Performance Rates:
- Year 1: 3%
- Year 2: 2.5%
- Years 3-5: 3% each year
- Increase all other payments to Artists except the Chorus Additional Services Fee by 2% each year
- Pay the Production Assistant assigned to an ancillary event (Institute of Women Conductors, Concerts, the Gala, Vocal Competitions and Family Concerts) a bump up equal to the rate for an ASM assigned as a Stage Manager for Student Performances
- AGMA Retirement Fund Contributions:
- Maintain the 10% contribution to the AGMA Retirement Fund on behalf of all Choristers and Dancers
- Increase to Retirement Fund contributions for all other artists by 3%, 2.5%, 3%, 3%, 3% each year
Payment, Compensation, and Work Hours Enhancements:
- The weekly overtime threshold for Staging Staff is lowered from 58 hours to 50 hours
- Stage Directors, Associate Stage Directors and Production Assistants will be reimbursed for using their personal car
- Staging Staff will be provided with their first 30 days of per diem electronically two weeks prior to arrival
- Weekly credited hours have been eliminated and Staging Staff will be paid for actual hours worked
- A Chorister temporarily covering a Principal Artist at a rehearsal will be paid 1/6 of the applicable Principal Rate for each day
- Principal Artists will be paid electronically to their preferred accounts even internationally
- Principal Artists will be paid electronically on the Wednesday before the first performance, unless they prefer other payment terms
- Paycheck errors of $100 or more will be fixed promptly
- All Artists will be paid electronically prior to the time the payment is due unless otherwise agreed upon
- Clear definition of Actor and Supernumerary added
Artist Well-being, Scheduling, and Workplace Protections
- Renderings of hair and makeup will be provided for all artists in advance of the first rehearsal with hair/makeup.
- Choristers cannot be required to attend fittings outside of their normal hours.
- Discussions around the scheduling of Principal Artists who participate in ancillary events such as the Hart Institute for Women Conductors alongside their mainstage production rehearsals will continue
- Anti-Harassment training will be provided
- “Bullying” has now been added to the list of prohibited harassment
- Intimacy Coordinators are now added to the list of Artists covered by the Agreement and terms for engaging Intimacy Coordinators and Intimacy Captains are now provided
- Choristers, Actors, and Corps Dancers can be excused from missing a scheduled fitting due to an emergency or if called in 24 hours in advance
- Infraction notices for absence or tardiness must be received within one week of the infraction
- Choristers will be notified of the following season’s chorus productions immediately following the season announcement
- Chorus Auditions will be scheduled after Regular Chorus contracts have been sent
- Delegates will be informed of the Chorus Auditions in advance
- Choristers will be provided with the Libretto and Score prior to the start of music rehearsals
- No rehearsal other than a piano or orchestra dress can exceed four hours
- Staging Staff can be scheduled for no more than two consecutive three-session days
- Staging Staff will be provided with an agreed upon information sheet explaining allowable travel arrangements at the time of contracting.
- If TDO engages a Production Stage Manager, the PSM will be engaged under the rules for engaging Regular Staging Staff