Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Approve New Contract Agreements

After months of negotiation, the orchestra’s musicians have agreed to a three-year labor deal which will last through September 2026

Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra (PO) have ratified a new contract agreement with its management, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. (POKC), which covers September 11, 2023, through to September 13, 2026.

Announced with the PO’s union, the American Federation of Musicians Local 77, the new contract replaces a four-year contract that expired on September 10, 2023. 

In August 2023, 95% of PO’s voting members agreed to strike if a new collective bargaining agreement was not reached with POKC.

As negotiations stalled in September this year, the majority of PO’s musicians had rejected POKC’s first “final offer” contract, as well as the second proposal made the following month, which was also voted against by 81 of the orchestra’s 89 musicians.

POKC’s first contract proposal offered a 13% raise, and its second indicated a 13.5% increase over three years in the musicians’ base salary, which union leadership claimed did not account for inflation or compete with the salaries of fellow professional orchestras. 

Under the new contract, the musicians will receive a 15.8% compounded base salary increase over three years — with 6% in the first year, 4.5% in the second, and 4.5% in the third, as reported by ABC News. 

Initially, the musicians had advocated a 19.6% increase in salary — the amount that would level with the average of orchestras of a similar caliber ($172,753), according to the musicians’ legal counsel. 

“[This new contract] includes the largest base salary increase that we have seen in recent memory, necessary improvements to work rules, and pay parity for the substitute and extra musicians that work tirelessly to preserve the sound of our ensemble,” said David Fay, PO double bassist and members committee chair, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We are an ensemble, and we stuck together and refused to accept substandard deal after substandard deal. This contract is a victory for the present and future for the Philadelphia Orchestra and its world-class musicians,” said David Fay, PO double bassist and members committee chair.

In the third year of the new agreement, pay will be raised for orchestra substitutes and extra musicians to 100% of what full-time players earn, according to the Philly Voice. Freelancers in the orchestra will also receive full payment if their services are canceled with fewer than two weeks’ notice. 

Alongside additional work-rule improvements and protection, POKC is set to increase the number of musicians it hires to bring the orchestra up to its full scale of 105 musicians, along with two librarians.

“This contract begins to make the necessary investments in the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra in order to preserve its place as one of the world’s best symphony orchestras,” said Local 77 president Ellen Trainer. “I applaud Philadelphia’s courageous musicians, who took a stand throughout this process and refused to work more for less.”

“Through this first post-pandemic-era contract, negotiated in a complex context, we continue to demonstrate that a focus on common goals and the greatness of the ensemble is always the path forward,” stated Matías Tarnopolsky, POKC president and CEO.

“My deep thanks and appreciation to the musicians of the orchestra and the Board of Trustees, and to the administrative team, for bringing this agreement to fruition,” he continued. “Yannick Nézet-Séguin (music director) and The Philadelphia Orchestra will continue to envision, create, and perform at the very highest level, leading the rapidly evolving landscape of music worldwide.”

“We are pleased to announce the ratification of a new contract! This progressive deal ensures that the musicians of #YourPhilOrch are able and encouraged to grow our legacy and bring the music to you, our amazing supporters,” the PO musicians posted on Facebook. “Thank you also to our fantastic negotiating committee, American Federation of Musicians Local 77 and the POKC Management and Board for all their dedicated work these past months, ensuring that a mutually beneficial agreement could be reached. Let the music play on.”