The workers have voted to reject management’s latest offer, and they are preparing to vote on whether to go on strike again but this time for longer than a day.
Two local bands have canceled their performances at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in support of unionized workers there fighting for better pay.
Yesterday, The Dan Schutt Band sent an email to the garden canceling its performance planned for that evening.
“The Dan Schutt Band has decided not to perform at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens today, August 20th at 5 pm in support of the efforts by the LGBG Workers United Union to seek livable wages,” the message read. “Sorry for the late notice.”
In response, the garden called the band’s decision “exceptionally disappointing” and asked Schutt if he’d “be open to discussing this with a member of our leadership team,” according to a screenshot of the garden’s message Schutt shared with Dogwood.
“We are not in an active strike and have been negotiating in good faith to come to a solution,” the garden wrote in its message.
Schutt said in an interview his four-piece band lost out on about $800 by canceling the show at Lewis Ginter. He said he loves performing at the venue and realizes he’ll probably never be able to do so again, but added that it didn’t feel right to perform there while the workers are not being treated fairly.
“People who work full time deserve to be able to keep a roof over their head and have reasonable benefits like basic healthcare and retirement,” said Schutt, a special education teacher when he’s not performing with his band. “Workers’ rights and the rights of less fortunate people are a priority to me.”
In a Facebook post yesterday, Lewis Ginter said it was canceling Schutt’s performance “due to a threat of severe weather this evening.” One person commented, “y’all hardly ever close, shows always rain or shine.”
A spokesperson for Lewis Ginter, Mary Heather Parch, said in a statement that it canceled yesterday’s event because “the forecast called for severe weather in the evening when we would have had a significant number of guests on site.”
“Closing because of summer evening storms is not an unusual occurrence,” Parch said.
Parch did not comment on Schutt’s cancellation in support of the garden workers.
Asked about the garden’s insistence that it canceled yesterday’s program due to weather, Schutt said the emails “clearly show this is not the case.”
“We stand with their workers and are happy to help their cause to seek better wages,” Schutt said.
His decision is part of a growing pattern. Another local band, Ramona and the Holy Smokes, canceled its performance on Aug. 13 in support of the Lewis Ginter workers, following similar cancellations from high-profile artists Jesse Welles and Graham Nash.
About 60 workers at Lewis Ginter have been in negotiations over a first union contract with the garden for more than a year. But the workers say management isn’t negotiating in good faith as they seek better pay than the $17.52 an hour they make on average.
The workers have voted to reject management’s latest offer, and they are preparing to vote on whether to go on strike again but this time for longer than a day.
Eryn Boyle, a horticulturist at the garden, said while many of her colleagues are tired, they are more determined than ever.
“We’re willing to go all in to make a stand,” Boyle said in an interview.
