A few weeks ago, AGMA and Dayton Performing Arts Alliance announced the FIRST agreement for Dayton Ballet dancers. Time to share some more highlights! Thank you to the negotiating committee, and congratulations on this historic first contract!
CONTRACT HIGHLIGHTS:
Economics
- Year 1: Average compensation increase of 19%
- Year 2: Minimum increase of 3.25%
- Year 3: Minimum increase of 3.25%
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
- Hazardous duty provisions
- Guaranteed use of high-quality flooring for all Dayton Ballet performances and tours
- Substantially improved access to physical therapy, including a requirement that dancers approve their PT
- Improved short- and long-term disability protections
- Improved parental leave provisions:
- Six weeks of fully paid leave, plus 12 weeks of short-term disability, for birthing artists
- Three weeks of parental leave for all other parents
- Smoke and fog protections
- Weapon, fight, and intimacy safety provisions
Quality of Life & Working Conditions
- Improved salary payment timelines, with compensation distributed equally throughout the guaranteed weeks period
- Improved holiday days off
- Improved shoe allotment and distribution procedures
- Tripled the number of paid leave days for dancers
- Substantial improvements to working Saturdays, including a cap on the number of Saturdays worked and required Sunday/Monday days off afterward
- No more Friday evening work
- Protective force majeure language
- No-strike/no-lockout provisions
More Workplace Protections
- Individual Artist Agreements and Pay-or-Play protections
- Quarterly Joint Committee meetings, including an annual meeting with the Board Chairperson
- Improved artistic evaluation and reengagement timelines
- Deficiencies must be identified during evaluations when non-reengagement is a possibility
- Five additional PTO days for artists who are not reengaged
- Guaranteed reengagement for the following season if the Artistic Director changes
Respect, Safety & Artist Rights
- Respectful and inclusive workplace protections, including IDEA, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment provisions
- AI protections and safeguards for artists’ personal data
- Body autonomy protections and procedures addressing health, weight, and physical appearance