For Metropolitan Opera patrons, it's the ticket takers, security guards, matrons and ushers that make an evening run smoothly before the main event. The Metropolitan Opera, however, is involved in contentious contract negotiations and threatening those same workers with pay cuts, pension cuts and increased health care expenses, which on their small salaries, they cannot afford.

There are 16 unions negotiating contracts with the Metropolitan Opera, and all contracts except one are due to expire July 31. Met General Manager Peter Gelb has threatened a lockout over the contract negotiations if agreements can't be reached.

On Thursday, the ushers, ticket takers, security guards and matrons, members of 32BJ SEIU, rallied outside the Metropolitan Opera house in the late afternoon.

"We are not close to an agreement. They continue to propose wage freezes over a five year agreement, which is what they are asking for. They have proposed a very high deductible health plan," Shirley Aldebol, the vice president of 32BJ SEIU, told Latin Post. "They continue to propose changes in work rules that would hurt our members in terms of income, and they want to cut the pension benefit."

32BJ SEIU has 150 members who work at the Metropolitan Opera. Aldebol said management is offering a health plan with a $2,000 deductible for single people and $4,000 for a family, increases in co-pays and increases in out-of-pocket expenses.

"That coupled with a wage freeze, actually a wage cut, because they currently don't pay a deductible to go to the doctor or the hospital. This change would mean that people won't be able to afford the health care," Aldebol said.

Management is also threatening pensions with a cutback of 60 percent of their 2003-4 salary to 40 percent of that total, representing cuts of $2,000.

The average salary for a security guard, usher or matron full-time is $35,000 -- $45,000 a year, or $17 -- $22 per hour, and currently workers are not required to contribute to their health plan.

Met officials said they need to save money, their ticket sales are down, their costs have gone up, and in order to keep the Met operating, they have to reduce their operating costs.

"Our position is that the amount of savings they can get from our workforce is so insignificant and the savings will be miniscule in terms of what they really need to save," Aldebol said. "If they have mismanaged their finances where they're in a position saying they can't continue to operate unless these cuts happen, it is unfair to do it on the backs of workers who really can't afford it."

The Met is trying to resolve a gap between their $300 million operating budget and their $253 million endowment according to New York Observer.

Aldebol said they will continue to negotiate in good faith.