Philadelphia Orchestra musicians call strike

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s musicians voted Saturday night to allow a potential strike as negotiations over a new contract stalled, raising the prospect of a tense standoff just weeks before the start of a new season.

Of those who took part in the vote, 95% decided to agree to the strike. In a press release, the orchestra members said the vote was necessary because they felt the band’s managers were ignoring their demands for better compensation, retirement benefits, and working conditions.

“Enough is enough,” said Elaine Trainer, president of Local 77, the union representing musicians. “Management has shown that musicians are a cost that must be contained, not the most important asset.”

Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. , which as a corporate entity overseeing the orchestra, expressed disappointment about the musicians’ strike permit.

“We will continue to negotiate in good faith for a fiscally responsible agreement that will secure the economic and artistic futures of musicians,” Ashley Burke, a spokeswoman for the organization, said in a statement.

The feud has become more intense in recent weeks as the musicians have become more vocal. They demanded more generous vacation policies, as well as better pay for themselves and the independent musicians. They invited the orchestra to fill 15 vacancies.

Earlier this month, musicians donned union blue shirts during an open rehearsal at the orchestra’s summer residence in Saratoga Springs, New York in an unusual show of solidarity with musicians during business talks Yannick Nizet Seguin, the orchestra’s music director since 2012, also wore one. Members of their management one of the t-shirts.

The Philadelphia Orchestra was hit hard by the pandemic, forcing the band to cancel more than 200 concerts and lose about $26 million in ticket sales and performance fees. In 2021, the orchestra announced that it would merge with its owner, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, as part of an effort to streamline operations and create new sources of revenue.

Returning audiences has been slow since live shows resumed in the fall of 2021, though there have been signs of hope in recent months. Last season attendance was about 64 percent of capacity, compared to about 75 percent before the pandemic.

The orchestra has gone through other painful periods in recent decades. She declared bankruptcy in 2011 after the financial crisis, but has since balanced her budget and worked to rebuild. Despite cuts to expenses and bankruptcies, it wasn’t easy: In 2016, its musicians staged a short strike that began the night of the orchestra’s season-opening concert.

The next season is scheduled to begin on September 28 with a concert conducted by Nzet Seguin, featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma.