Negotiation between the Metropolitan Opera and one of its 16 unions began on Tuesday. The Opera, which has seen ticket sales fall and its endowment diminish, opened talks by asking the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees for cuts between 16 and 17%. The Met has indicated that it will be seeking similar cuts from the other unions it works with. The unions are contending that while their jobs have grown more complicated, through programs such as ?Live in HD? which broadcasts performances to movie theaters, yet other parts of the budget have ballooned, even as sales have grown weaker and that the management should look elsewhere for cuts first. The Met counters that labor costs take up two-thirds of its current budget.
See "Labor Talks Begin at Metropolitan Opera", Michael Cooper, The New York Times, May 13, 2014