February 21 Strike Update
Wages Agreed
We have agreed to management’s wage proposal. Their modest package amounts to an average annual salary increase of 3.75% over our 2019 wages through 2026.
Concessions Offered By Musicians
We have agreed to additional access to our personal time, additional scheduling flexibility for daytime and evening services, and cost saving modifications to health care benefits. We have offered numerous proposals containing compromises to management’s outstanding demands.
Management’s Demands
The Philharmonic seeks an elimination of our workplace bargaining rights that places greatly imbalanced control into the hands of management, and a punitive attendance policy that allows them to fire musicians for taking leave already granted by management.
Management’s Murky Messaging
The Philharmonic continues to obfuscate the truth and mislead the public in the following ways:
Our salary cuts agreed to in 2021 brought us to a base annual salary of $22,060. Management’s claim of a herculean 46% raise by 2026 begins with the massive cut we took as a result of COVID’s uncertain impact on live performance and does not account for our pre pandemic pay.
Our CBA contains balanced language that allows the Philharmonic to manage our workplace, and protects our workplace bargaining rights and access to grievance procedures. This industry standard language has been the basis of management and Musician relations for decades. Their proposed elimination of our workplace rights is not justified by their inability to effectively manage, or their disinterest in communicating with Musicians.
Contract language that has worked well for decades stipulates that we are required to be available for all scheduled services, and that requests for leave must be granted whenever possible. Additionally, our contract stipulates that unpaid leave must not cost the Philharmonic extra money. When we are granted leave, we are docked our pay in order to pay for our substitutes and we pay mileage to substitutes who travel from outside of our area. Management’s rationale for their bizarre proposed attendance policy is based on concerns that can be addressed without trying to fire musicians for requesting leave.
The Philharmonic describes their withdrawal or modification of demands as “concessions”. Musicians agreed to 17.5% salary cuts in 2013. Musicians agreed to additional 15% salary cuts in 2021. These are examples of concessions. We have agreed to concessions throughout this negotiation, giving management access to our time and providing scheduling flexibility. Management’s agreement to maintain current contract language, or the “softening” of a demand at the bargaining table, is not a concession.
Comparing our jobs to ‘in office’ hours is a willfully ignorant description of the nature of our work as performing artists. We work many, many hours outside of rehearsals and performances to maintain and hone our craft.
