PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After a successful opening night and sellout crowd for the Philadelphia Orchestra on Thursday, things have hit a sour note at the Kimmel Center.
The American Federation of Musicians Local 77 filed charges of unfair labor practices on Friday against the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union alleged management negotiated in bad faith, failing to provide information relevant to the organization’s bargaining position and making misstatements and mischaracterizations of the bargaining sessions.
Stuart Davidson, lead negotiator and counsel for the union, says the musicians union and the center have been battling since the collective bargaining agreement between the two parties expired Sept. 10.
The orchestra has performed during a tour of North Carolina since the contract expired, in addition to its 2023-24 season opener at the Kimmel Center. The union voted in August to authorize a strike if talks broke down.
“I think the Philadelphia Orchestra is a microcosm of what we see around the country and that is the growing inequality between management and labor,” he said. “The musicians make the music … you can build buildings and you can build cafés and you can have parties, but the music is the most important thing that makes the Philadelphia Orchestra unique.”
The center issued a statement summarizing the current offer on the table, which they say includes a 13.5% wage increase, which would place the musicians among the highest paid in the country. Base salary in 2022-23 was $152,256, including electronic media agreement wages, according to the union.
In their statement, the center also maintained they have been acting with integrity, honesty, transparency and respect.
According to Davidson, the compensation offered does not overcome the impact of inflation over the last few years. He says the offer will be brought to a vote, but adds it is not significantly different from an offer the union rejected in early September.