Only yesterday, Ms. Reynolds tweeted her thanks to fans for their outpouring of condolences for her daughter:

"Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother."

I first wrote about this five days ago in another thread. As far as I can see here, the only thing the AGVA did in this instance was to agree to a face-saving amendment in the Rockettes' contract with MSG Co., which would conform with that employer's prior public statement allowing individual dancers to opt out of the inauguration.

Now, it really doesn't surprise me that AGVA management would seek to re-characterize retroactively their initial email message to the Rockettes, in which they had clearly and unequivocally dismissed their members' stated concerns as "invalid." There is no indication anywhere in that email that union management was taking such concerns seriously:

"We have received an email from a Rockette expressing concern about getting 'involved in a dangerous political climate' but I must remind you that you are all employees, and as a company, Mr. Dolan obviously wants the Rockettes to be represented at our country's Presidential inauguration, as they were in 2001 & 2005. Any talk of boycotting this event is invalid, I'm afraid.

"We have been made aware of what is going on Facebook and other social media, however, this does not change anything unless Radio City has a change of heart. The ranting of the public is just that, ranting. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but this does not change your employment status for those who are full time. [...] Everyone is entitled to her own political beliefs, but there is no room for this in the workplace." (Emphasis is mine.)

Given that statement to its own members, it does disappoint me that the AGVA would now claim credit for what was actually an employer-instigated initiative to head off a potential and very obvious public relations disaster, were a fair number of Rockettes to summarily boycott Trump's inaugural, with or without employer permission and union support.

The true heroes here, kdog, are those Rockettes who stood resolutely upon their principles and put their own jobs on the line. Far from standing up for its own members in this instance, AGVA management had failed to have their backs. And finally, kudos to the MSG Co. for doing the right thing by its employees, and leading the union out of the weeds.