Cleveland Orchestra musicians go on strike as concerts are cancelled

The work stoppage began at midnight after contract negotiations failed to produce an agreement, putting the orchestra’s forthcoming European tour under pressure.

Musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra have gone on strike after negotiations with management failed to produce a new collective bargaining agreement, forcing the cancellation of concerts in Michigan and at Severance Music Center.

The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, 25 September, following the orchestra’s Thursday evening performance at Severance. The musicians had voted unanimously earlier this month to authorise a strike if an agreement could not be reached.

The Cleveland Orchestra has cancelled its 25 September concert at the University of Michigan and its 26 September performance at Severance Music Center. Management said that, at present, no other performances have been cancelled.

“We did not want this day to come, but management is unwilling to address our concerns to ensure we continue to attract the talent needed to protect the Cleveland Orchestra,” said violinist Elayna Duitman, chair of the musicians’ negotiating committee.

Salary dispute at centre of negotiations

The two sides have been negotiating since July. The previous collective bargaining agreement expired on 30 August and was subsequently extended through 23 September while talks continued. According to management, the parties have held 11 negotiating sessions.

Compensation has emerged as the principal point of disagreement.

The Cleveland Orchestra says the musicians sought salary increases totalling 25 per cent over three years at a negotiating session on 21 September. Management described that proposal as unsustainable, but said its own latest offer was not its final one and that it was prepared to improve it.

“Despite our clear statement at the negotiating table that the latest offer we presented was far from being our final offer, the union refused to present a counterproposal on salary and instead decided to strike,” the orchestra said.

The musicians, however, argue that compensation has failed to keep pace with inflation and has fallen behind the other orchestras traditionally grouped with Cleveland as the American “Big Five”: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Duitman has also said that healthcare costs remain a significant concern. According to Ideastream Public Media, she said the musicians received an audit detailing potential deductibles and out-of-pocket healthcare costs under management’s proposal only on Thursday.

The union has identified two other major issues in the negotiations: stronger work rules intended to reduce playing-related injuries and a more substantial role for musicians in the audition process.

European tour approaches

The dispute comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the orchestra, which is scheduled to begin a major European tour with music director Franz Welser-Möst on 2 October.

The 15-concert tour is due to open at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie before travelling to Dortmund, Luxembourg, Paris, Brussels, Bratislava, Linz, Budapest, Vienna, Ljubljana, Thessaloniki and Athens. It will be Welser-Möst’s final European tour as music director during his 25th and final season in Cleveland.

The musicians have said they want the tour to proceed if an agreement can be reached. “We really want to go on this tour,” Duitman told Ideastream, while stressing that the contract issues remained important enough for the players to take strike action.

The orchestra’s administration said it remains ready to resume negotiations immediately and reach an agreement that keeps musicians’ compensation competitive while protecting the institution’s long-term financial position.

As of Friday morning, the 25 and 26 September concerts are the only performances officially cancelled.