One woman Ed Lee won't defy

Turns out Mayor Ed Lee isn't exactly a ladies' man after all.

The mustachioed mayor is getting flak from women workers who claim he's stiffing them on pay. The women are upset over the Mayor's proposal to cut wages to 16 city jobs that are primarily held by females; they want to know how a liberal city like San Francisco could be going in backwards in time.

Today, those hard-working women will slap on their mustaches and gather at City Hall to picket Mayor Ed Lee and his Department on the Status of Women.

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A new contract is the jam

Nothing soothes the soul like the sound of sweet harmony.

It appears that San Francisco's orchestra is headed back on stage, perhaps as early as tomorrow, after musicians and management tentatively reached an agreement that's music to their ears.

According to press reports, both sides have agreed on a 26-month contract, subject to the approval of the full orchestra and the symphony's Board of Governors. However, they weren't ready to release the details of that agreement until it's officially ratified.

See Also: Symphony Timpanist David Herbert Explains Why He's Ditching S.F. for Chicago Orchestra

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Facebook/ Friends of the San Francisco Chronicle Guild

Believe it or not, reporters are people, too

Technically, Chron workers will walk out today, but it's not a walkout, per se. As SFist reports, the union is staging a quiet yet visible protest this afternoon, hoping to draw even more attention to their ongoing health care squabble.

At 3:15 p.m. sharp, the workers over at 5th and Mission streets will take (probably for the first time ever) their entitled 15-minute breaks and leave the office to have a healthy jaunt around the Hearst building. You will know it's them because they'll probably be donning all red and perhaps looking a little more pissed-off than usual.

See Also: Chronicle Staff Fights Their Health Care Squabble on Twitter

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Kristen Loken

We're not talking about small violins here

It probably won't make up for the canceled shows, but the San Francisco symphony is hosting a public concert today outside the Davies symphony hall. However, today's musical show is less about performing for you and more about celebrating the musicians' one-week mark of the ongoing strike.

According to press reports, the concert will begin today at 11:30 a.m. where a brass quartet will perform while other musicians picket. Even if you don't support or care about the strike, you at least get to hear some free music.

See Also: Symphony Timpanist David Herbert Explains Why He's Ditching S.F. for Chicago Orchestra

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Kristen Loken

Another sad song

Musicians with the San Francisco Symphony are reportedly steadfast in their strike, refusing to play their East Coast tour scheduled for later this week.

The Examiner reports this morning that musicians and management remain at odds after a federal mediator attempted to intervene and suggest the symphony continue its tour while both sides take a 60-day "cooling off period."

Yesterday morning, at the end of the fourth consecutive negotiating session, both sides were deadlocked as management was willing to abide by the mediator's recommendation, but the musicians were not.

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JG percussion

David Herbert follows the drum beat to Chicago

As we told you yesterday, roughly 100 of the SF Symphony musicians went on strike in protest of a prolonged wage battle with their management. The musicians, who canceled today's performance, are demanding a raise, citing the astronomical rent in San Francisco and real concerns that the local talent will leave San Francisco.

In an open letter to symphony management, the musicians crafted a clever analogy for poaching in the orchestra world. "Next season we are losing a world-class timpanist, David Herbert, to Chicago, which would be like the San Francisco Giants losing Buster Posey to the Dodgers."

Apparently, classical music is cutthroat.

To punctuate the ongoing protests, Herbert has decided to publicly explain what led to his departure.

See Also: SF Symphony Goes on Strike

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Kristen Loken

More money would be music to their ears

If you had tickets to the local symphony tomorrow night, time to make other plans. Some 100 musicians of the Grammy-winning SF Symphony walked off the stage today (so to speak) to protest their prolonged and unsuccessful wage negotiations with symphony management.

David Gaudry, the chair of the musicians' negotiating committee, noted that "management is seeking a contract that will not even allow us to keep up with the cost of living, while cutting our retirement."

Adding insult to injury, Gaudry explains, the management has also rewarded itself with really nice bonuses and expanded programming, and then announced it will pursue a $500 million renovation of Davies Hall.

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Michigan residents aren't the only people who don't like unions. Apparently, Walmart worker don't either.

Some Walmart workers have created their own group, called Associates Who Love Walmart, to proclaim their love of the discount superstore. They say their aim is to combat union-backed groups like OURWalmart that have been picketing the superstore.

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Bay Area union members have joined Walmart employees in staging strikes against the retail giant during the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday.More »

SEIU Local 1021

It worked!

Workers were back on the job this morning after shutting down the Port of Oakland yesterday in a 24-hour strike over unresolved labor negotiations.

Both sides effectively got what they wanted -- by 7 p.m, the Port of Oakland was up and running again, and the union had gotten Port management to agree to resume talks. Both sides will meet on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 for fact-finding hearings, according to the port.

Mayor Jean Quan was thrilled to report some good news for a change: "Both sides need to come together so that the Port can continue being the economic engine of good jobs that we all need it to be," she said.

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