In Monday’s (4/4) Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker reports, “The Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced this morning that it had reached a tentative contract settlement Sunday. The deal paves the way for the end of the bitter six-month strike that has left deep institutional scars while symbolizing a turbulent era of change among American orchestras. If approved by the full membership of the orchestra, the deal would end the longest and most contentious labor dispute among American orchestras in decades. A vote is expected in the next 72 hours. The settlement was confirmed by DSO spokesperson Elizabeth Weigandt. The DSO could be back on stage at Orchestra Hall as early as this weekend with music director Leonard Slatkin on the podium. About 75% of the season has been canceled due to the strike, and DSO management had said that a settlement was necessary over the weekend to salvage the final two months of concerts and preserve some or all of the summer season. … The deal came after a weekend of marathon bargaining, including more than 17 hours of talks on Saturday, ending at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. A final 10-hour session started up in the early afternoon, wrapping up around 11 p.m. The negotiations were the first face-to-face talks between the two sides since February.”
Posted April 4, 2011
