
Met singers' union gets 5% increase partly funded by $5M appropriation from New York state
The Metropolitan Opera and the union for its soloists and chorus announced a one-year agreement Friday on a contract.
The agreement calls for a 2.5% wage increase plus an additional temporary 2.5% hike that followed the labor group's assistance in securing a $5 million appropriation in New York state's budget.
The deal between the Met and the American Guild of Musical Artists starts Aug. 1 and runs through July 31, 2026. It must be ratified by the union. AGMA also represents dancers, full-time actors, stage managers, stage directors and choreographers.
The Met said AGMA helped lobby the state government for the appropriation, and the additional 2.5% rise will sunset when the deal expires.
Two other major Met union deals expire July 31, with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents the orchestra, and Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents stagehands.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
As Musk's 'robotaxi' rollout approaches, Democratic lawmakers in Texas try to throw up a roadblock
A group of Democratic lawmakers in Texas is asking Elon Musk to delay the planned rollout of driverless 'robotaxis' in the state this weekend to assure that the vehicles are safe. In a letter, seven state legislators asked Tesla to wait until September when a new law takes effect that will require several checks before autonomous vehicles can be deployed without a human in the driver's seat. Tesla is slated to begin testing a dozen of what it calls robotaxis for paying customers on Sunday in a limited area of Austin, Texas. 'We are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September 1, 2025,' the letter from Wednesday, June 18, reads. 'We believe this is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations.' It's not clear if the letter will have much impact. Republicans have been a dominant majority in the Texas Legislature for more than 20 years. State lawmakers and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott have generally embraced Musk and the jobs and investment he has brought to Texas, from his SpaceX rocket program on the coast, to his Tesla factory in Austin. The company, which is headquartered in Austin, did not responded immediately to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The law will require companies to secure approval from the state motor vehicles department to operate autonomous cars with passengers. That approval, in turn, would depend on sufficient proof that the cars won't pose a high risk to others if the self-driving system breaks down, among other reassurances. Companies would also have to file detailed plans for how first responders should handle the cars if there is a problem, such as an accident. The letter asked Tesla to assure the legislators it has met all the requirements of the law even if it decides to go ahead with the test run this weekend. The letter was earlier reported by Reuters. Musk has made the robotaxi program a priority at Tesla and a failure would likely be highly damaging to the company's stock, which has already tumbled 20% this year. Musk's political views and his affiliation with the Trump administration have drastically reduced sales of Tesla, particularly in Europe, where Musk's endorsement of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party in February's election drew broad condemnation. Tesla shares bottomed out in March and have rebounded somewhat in recent months. Much of the rise reflects optimism that robotaxis will not only be deployed without a hitch, but that the service will quickly expand to other cities and eventually dominate the self-driving cab business. Rival Waymo is already picking up passengers in Austin and several other cities, and recently boasted of surpassing 10 million paid rides. In afternoon trading Friday, Tesla shares were largely unchanged at $320. ________ AP reporter Jim Vertuno contributed from Austin.


Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Michelle Obama's cruel parenting insult against Barack as she vacations without him in Europe
Michelle Obama made a snide jibe at her husband Barack as she shared how she is 'so glad' the pair never had a son because he would've been just like his father. The former first lady made the shocking remark on Wednesday's episode of her podcast IMO, which she co-hosts with her older brother Craig Robinson. It came up as the siblings discussed societal views on masculinity and challenges parents face as raising boys with radio host Angie Martinez. 'People say mothers raise their girls and love their sons,' Michelle, 61, said. 'And I'd say love your son, but raise him too - raise him to be as strong as you know he's going to have to be.' She rattled off a slew of tips for raising men before Martinez interrupted: 'You should've threw a boy in the mix.' 'I'm so glad I didn't have a boy,' she quickly shot back. Martinez, through her laughter, asked: 'Why didn't you throw in a third?' 'Because he would've been a Barack Obama,' the Becoming author replied. 'Baby Barack! It would've been amazing!' Martinez squealed, but Michelle doubled down, saying 'oh, no, I would've felt for him'. The remark comes amid swirling rumors about the state of the power couple's 33 year marriage. Earlier this week Michelle was spotted having lunch with a surprising date at an exclusive club in Mallorca. Barack, however, was noticeably absent. Michelle last month dismissed speculation about marital issues and addressed the rumors head on during an episode of The Diary of a CEO. 'If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,' she told the podcast. She also recently appeared on Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang's Las Culturistas podcast and made it clear she doesn't like being referred to as 'Mrs. Obama'. During their sit-down, Matt revealed that before cameras started rolling, Michelle had asked him not to call her 'Mrs. Obama.' 'Earlier I was like, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Obama," and you said, "Michelle,"' Rogers said. 'I did say that,' Michelle responded with a laugh, before explaining why she likes to avoid the name. 'We cannot have a real conversation if you're saying, "Mrs Obama," that's too many syllables.' Matt then asked if she is usually quick to 'put down that shield for people,' and Michelle claimed that she's generally tries to appear less intimidating. 'I was trying to do that when I was first lady because I just think... I am not that position. I am Michelle,' she explained. 'I'm always trying to break down that wall to say, "We're just all here." And the first thing to do is like, let's drop that title, that's a little heavy.' The couple's eldest daughter Malia has also dropped her famous surname and is now going by Malia Ann professionally. Michelle has publicly supported Malia's decision, emphasizing that she wants her daughter to 'carve her own path' and 'make her way'. Rumors that Michelle and Barack's marriage is on the rocks were fueled by her noticeable absence from several high-profile events this year; including January's presidential inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. In March, Michelle also skipped their usual courtside seats at the NBA All-Star Game. The couple were spotted out on a date night in NYC in May, after having also been seen going out to dinner in DC the month before. Social media and the tabloids have all served to amplify claims that the couple may soon be heading for a split. On a recent podcast Michelle revealed how she is in therapy to help her transition to what she thinks is the 'next phase' of her life. During the episode, Michelle acknowledged that marriage is 'hard' for her and the former president but added that 'I wouldn't trade it,' calling President Obama, 'as the young people say... my person.' 'The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really, ever going to quit at it, because that's not who we are. And I know that about him. He knows that about me.' Michelle has been open about her marriage struggles throughout the years, particularly on her and Robinson's podcast IMO. She has also discussed being an 'empty nester' and admitted to getting 'some help' as she heads into her 60s. 'At this phase of my life, I'm in therapy right now because I'm transitioning, you know?' she said on a recent episode of On The Jay Shetty Podcast. 'I'm 60 years old, I've finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I'm an empty nester, my girls are in - you know, they've been launched,' she said. Michelle said that she's got 'other voices' to talk to and a 'new person that's getting to know me' as she works through things. Being out of public service, she now finds herself in a situation where 'every choice that I'm making is completely mine.' 'I now don't have the excuse of, "Well, my kids need this" or "My husband needs that" or "The country needs that."' She says that therapy is a 'tune-up for this next phase' in an attempt to 'unwind some old habits and 'sort through some old guilt,' along with focusing on her relationship with her own mother.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Apple sued by shareholders over AI disclosures
June 20 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab was sued by shareholders in a proposed class action on Friday, accusing it of downplaying the time needed to integrate advanced artificial intelligence-based features into its Siri assistant, hurting iPhone sales and its stock price. The complaint filed in San Francisco federal court seeks unspecified damages for shareholders who lost money in the year ending June 9.