“Musicians and management of the Philadelphia Orchestra have agreed to delay a pay raise for players as talks over a new labor contract continue,” writes Peter Dobrin in Friday’s (3/18) Philadelphia Inquirer. “The hike, scheduled to take effect Monday, will be held in abeyance until May 21, according to people with knowledge of the talks. Instead of accepting management’s proposal to establish a new salary minimum at $104,000 or pressing for the scheduled raise to $131,000, the players will continue at their current level of $124,800. … The new deadline moves the danger of a strike or lockout close to the end of the 2010-11 subscription season, with just a handful of performances on the calendar beyond May 21. No new negotiations are scheduled…. Players and management in Philadelphia started meeting formally months ago, and more recently with a federal mediator, to try to reach a deal on salary, pension, work rules, the size of the ensemble, and other matters.”
Posted March 18, 2011
