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Home » Orchestra News » Cleveland Orchestra Ratifies Three-Year Contract


Cleveland Orchestra Ratifies Three-Year Contract

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In mid-December, musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra, members of Local 4 (Cleveland, OH), ratified a three-year agreement retroactive to September 3, 2018 that runs through August 29, 2021. The orchestra’s season remains 52 weeks and size remains 100 members. Musicians will receive raises each year of the contract. Base salary will rise from $135,096 (2017-2018) to $143,364 by the 2020-2021 season. Musicians also secured a small increase in the employer contribution to 403(b) retirement plans, as well as a new seniority category for 25-year musicians ($245 per week)—an item that had been sought in many previous negotiations.

Negotiations were, for the most part, cordial, but were held up several months due to management’s insistence on a health care concession that would have required musicians who enroll employed spouses on the orchestra’s health plan to pay a surcharge or other penalty. The negotiating committee held firm in rejecting this concession and made clear that the musicians were willing to withhold their services if necessary.







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