We're in the process of tweaking our cartage policies and I would love to hear how other orchestras figure it out. Here are some issues I see popping up:

Is it always an honor system or do percussionists actually fill out forms with exact details?

Should bass players get cartage and why?

Should musicians playing 3 or more instruments get cartage?

What if you have to bring your own stand, seat cushion, instrument stand and 2 instruments and park blocks away for the free parking?

We know ALL harpists get cartage no matter what or where but what if the stage manager is the one hauling the harp in from the loading dock?

Should cartage be a percentage or a flat rate?

Should it be based upon weight, bulk or the need to use the loading dock?

Please discuss and bring up anything I've missed.

A quick search for the word "cartage" in my orchestra's master agreement brought up the following paragraph:

"The Society shall provide cartage to all Services for harp, harpsichord, and all Society-owned instruments. The Society shall either provide or pay a mutually agreed amount for cartage to all Services for all percussion instruments beyond those which can be reasonably carried by a Musician in a single trip and all other instruments which cannot be transported in protective cases with the Musicians. The Society’s supervised equipment crew shall be responsible for placing such instruments at stage level in the area where the instruments will be played during the Service at least thirty (30) minutes prior to a Service. Allowing for the extenuating circumstances that might make this impossible, the downbeat shall not then be given until the percussion instruments are properly set and tuned."

I don't know how issues of payment are actually handled when/if they come up. If we have a run-out, we normally rehearse in our home theater; then (as I understand it) the stage crew puts everything in the truck and hauls it to the new venue. Seems like no matter how early I arrive, the harp is always in its place onstage and the harpist is always tuning it already, so I'm not sure how it gets there. Pixies, maybe.

Also, the "big instrument" players (bass, tuba, contrabassoon, I forget who else) are given special parking passes to the parking lot right behind the theater. The rest of us have to try our luck on the street. That's not in the MA, it's just a thing we do.