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Home » Recent News » Philly Pops Musicians File for Breach of Contract as Organization Remains Evicted 


Philly Pops Musicians File for Breach of Contract as Organization Remains Evicted 

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Musicians of the Philly Pops—members of Local 77 (Philadelphia, PA) have filed suit against their management, citing breach of contract and demanding compensation for broadcasts of the Pops’ Christmas program in December. In addition, musicians are owed late fees and contributions to pension plans, altogether totaling more than $313,000 in economic damages. 

The suit comes as the Philly Pops has postponed another set of concerts in March. The organization remains evicted from its home venue, the Kimmel Center, due to nonpayment of back rent and other fees. The organization’s president and CEO has said she still hopes the group could strike a deal with Kimmel management, but a proposal for a payment plan has not been accepted and has not received a counterproposal. The two sides have not even agreed on the amount of the debt, with Kimmel Center management claiming it is owed $1 million and Pops management asking for clarification on how it arrived at that figure.  

The eviction already forced the postponement of February shows; the Pops had at first said it would move those concerts to the Met Philadelphia and then pulled them at the last minute without explanation. 

Back in November, the Pops announced that it would be shutting down at the end of the season after more than four decades, but quickly reversed course and mounted an emergency fundraising campaign. That campaign raised a little over $100,000 in its first couple of weeks; the goal is to raise $2 million by July. 

In December, musicians and management reached a tentative agreement on a new CBA, though the deal has not been ratified. 







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