In June, Spokane Symphony management and its musicians, members of Local 105 (Spokane, WA), ratified a new three-year contract. The negotiations were conducted with a sense of shared purpose and the goal of attracting and retaining talented and capable orchestra members, while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

“Along with a cost of living increase, we gained protections with the addition of Family Medical Leave Act language to our contract, added a new process that addresses air quality at outdoor concerts, and now have scheduling language that will help our musicians balance their multiple jobs so that it is more possible for them to be able to make a decent, living income,” says Local 105 Secretary-Treasurer Rachel Dorfman.