Nashville Symphony and Musicians Union Ratify New Contract

The Nashville Musicians Association AFM Local 257 and the Nashville Symphony have come to an agreement and ratified a new, one-year contract for the orchestra’s musicians. The two have spent the past three months negotiating terms of the new contract, which include a 15 percent pay cut for the musicians. The symphony’s administrative staff recently took a similar cut in pay and benefits as well. The salary concessions are part of a financial restructuring the Symphony has undergone as a result of the economic downturn in 2008 and the flood in 2010. Along with other restructuring efforts, the cuts will allow the Symphony to lower its annual operating budget by six million dollars (29 percent of this year’s budget).

“This one-year contract is a stopgap measure that provides a way to keep the music playing in the Schermerhorn at the high artistic level Nashville has come to expect,” Dave Pomeroy, President of the Nashville Musicians Association, said. “These musicians will be working much more for considerably less money, and their collective sacrifice is a testimony to their ongoing commitment to our community. We look forward to working with the Symphony Association towards a mutual goal of restoring NSO salaries to a level commensurate with their world-class talent as soon as possible.”

The contract will go into effect immediately and run through July 31, 2014. The Nashville Symphony’s 2013/14 season will begin as scheduled on Sept. 5-7 with “Russian Spectacular,” featuring music by Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.