“Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra musicians Sunday night rejected a new contract proposed by symphony management, setting the stage for a strike vote later this week,” writes Andrea Ahles in Sunday’s (9/4) Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX). “The musicians, represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 72-147, voted to reject a four-year deal that included annual income cuts ranging from 2 to 7.5 percent, the union said…. The symphony is scheduled to open its 2016-17 season Friday…. A strike re-authorization vote has been set for Wednesday, and the union said it would be willing to return to the negotiating table.… Management and the union have been in federal mediation since July but have been in contract negotiations for more than 14 months. In January, the musicians authorized a strike after management said it would impose a concessionary contract for the rest of the performance season. But the two sides were able to reach a temporary agreement, which expired in July. Both parties met through August and reached a tentative agreement for musicians to vote on. The rejected proposal included … pay cuts ranging from 1.5 to 6.5 percent in the first three years of the contract. A pay increase of 3.5 percent in the fourth year would have resulted in principal players being paid more than $70,000 a year.”
Posted September 6, 2016
