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Philadelphia Orchestra musicians vote against latest contract offer

81 out of 89 members of the Philadelphia Musician’s Union Local 77 voted no

Philadelphia Orchestra at the opening night gala with Yo-Yo- Ma with Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nezet-Sequin on Thursday. Orchestra members have rejected a final contract offer.
Philadelphia Orchestra at the opening night gala with Yo-Yo- Ma with Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nezet-Sequin on Thursday. Orchestra members have rejected a final contract offer.Read moreSteven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
    by Nate File
    Updated 
    Published 

The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra have overwhelmingly rejected orchestra management’s latest contract proposal.

A union official said that it would seek continued intervention by a federal mediator and continue negotiations, but that a strike was possible.

In all, the vote was 81-8 as members of Philadelphia Musician’s Union Local 77 voted against the contract. The results were announced Saturday night.

After contract negotiations Tuesday continued through the night, management from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. presented the offer to the union on Thursday evening, after which members had 48 hours to review it and vote.

As they considered the offer, the musicians agreed to play for the orchestra’s opening night for the 2023-2024 season on Thursday.

» READ MORE: This year’s Philadelphia Orchestra opening gala happened, but it was a cliffhanger

In a news release issued ahead of the performance, David Fay, a double bass player for the orchestra and chair of the orchestra’s members’ committee, said, “We remain hopeful for a positive start to the season that includes a strong and fair contract that puts our wages on par with our peers and at pace with the rate of inflation, so we can continue to produce the finest sound and remain the best orchestra in the world.”

But on Friday, the union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that orchestra management has been negotiating in bad faith.

The union also alleged that orchestra management was intentionally misleading and untruthful in its communication with union members over the course of the negotiations.

The two sides have been negotiating a new deal for months, with the musician’s contract expiring Sept. 10.

The contract voted down on Saturday night offered a 13.5% base salary raise, on average, for the musicians, but union leadership says that it would not be enough to account for inflation and is not on the level of peer orchestras in other cities.

Orchestra officials were not available for comment immediately.