Philadelphia Orchestra and Musicians Agree on Three-Year Contract with 15.8% Salary Increase

A Sunday (10/22) Associated Press article on Fortune.com reports, “Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra Association have ratified a collective bargaining agreement calling for minimum salaries to increase by 15.8% over three years. The deal announced Saturday night with Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians  through Sept. 13, 2026. Increases in thecovers Sept. 11 this year agreement include 6% in the first year, 4.5% in the second and 4.5% in the third. The agreement replaces a four-year contract that expired Sept. 10. ‘Following the unprecedented disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, our joint challenge was to find a new and financially responsible path forward,’ Ralph W. Muller and Michael D. Zisman, co-chairs of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc., said … The union said the deal requires management to increase the number of musicians hired each year and to ensure the contractual level of 105 musicians and two librarians … ‘This contract is a victory for the present and future for the Philadelphia Orchestra,’ David Fay, a double bass who … chairs the musicians’ members committee, said … Base salary in 2022-23 was $152,256, including electronic media agreement wages.”