Share
Demands for pay cuts and givebacks forced musicians at three noted orchestras – the Philadelphia Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Fort Worth Symphony – to strike.
The Philly musicians settled after a two-day strike that canceled the ensemble’s opening gala concert, but the other two are still out, the American Federation of Musicians reported.
In Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, managements demanded huge pay cuts and other givebacks, despite both orchestras’ financial health. That forced Fort Worth musicians to strike on Sept. 8 and Pittsburgh musicians followed three weeks later.
The Pittsburgh unionists reported that “after more than six months of negotiations, management presented a ‘last, best, and final’” offer on Sept. 18 that included:
Annual raises of 2 percent and 3 percent after an initial 15 percent pay cut. Overall, that translates into a $16,000-per-year pay cut for full-time musicians, the union local says.
Reduced pensions: Musicians with less than 30 years of service would no longer accrue pension benefits and would be switched to a 401(k) plan.
A cut in size. News reports said Pittsburgh Symphony management wanted to cut at least one player immediately, to 99.
“After receiving management’s so-called final offer, musicians suggested working with mediators to reach a fair agreement. Despite a mediation process lasting more than 10 days and good-faith efforts by musicians, management’s demands remain unchanged. Yesterday musicians unanimously voted to reject management’s ‘last, best, and final’ offer and go on strike,” the union said on Sept. 30.
In response, Pittsburgh management cancelled concerts through the end of October.
The Fort Worth players walked out after 14 months of fruitless bargaining, their local said. The pattern was the same: “Contracts with wage cuts for musicians — the same musicians who took a 13.5 percent pay cut in 2010, saving management over $2.7 million,” the AFM local said.
On Sept. 7, the Fort Worth “musicians arrived at contract negotiations with plans to bargain, but management declared that their ‘last, best and final offer’ would be implemented the next week — cutting musicians’ income to more than 5 percent below what they earned in 2010. Previous cuts by management caused musicians to leave the orchestra at twice the rate of the previous decade, and musicians refuse to agree to more damaging cuts,” the union said.
In Philadelphia, management and the orchestra agreed on a 3-year contract after the two-day strike. Musicians there are trying to recover wages they lost when the orchestra declared bankruptcy five years ago. The partial success in this pact resulted in a 73-11 vote for the contract.