But I thought the rant was that the players refused to work unless they got paid a livable wage? Teachers all over the state complaining that their 65k starting salary isn't a living wage. I can't keep up with all the grandstanding? So 42k IS a livable wage for an orchestral musician or are we trying to get everyone to a 6 figure salary, (again, whiplash because all I ever hear anyone complain about is they aren't paid enough no matter how much they are actually making)....

I mean if we are making the average wage 42 instead of 100 then you can cut some of the operating budget. However, if the musicians are expecting benefits then medical costs are the same, (per number of employees and not their income), and the building operational costs are still the same, (the utilities don't care how much the musicians are paid) and I'm pretty sure you can't turn off the AC when it's not in use as that would be catastrophic to the equipment and facilities.

I'm just so confused on what is defined as livable wage these days.