ORCHESTRAS N.Y. Philharmonic contract to help set terms for Cleveland, Pittsburgh

The minimum weekly salary will increase every six months.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Philharmonic and the musicians union have agreed to a three-year labor contract that includes a raise, benefit increases and changes to working and touring conditions, the orchestra announced Sunday.
The contract is significant because it helps set the terms of contracts at four other major orchestras -- Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Pittsburgh. The new agreement covers the period from Sept. 21, 2004, through Sept. 20, 2007.
The terms include increases in the minimum weekly salary every six months, beginning next March, when it will increase by $20, to $2,000.
The final increase in March 2007 will bring the salary to $2,180, or $113,360 yearly.
The agreement also includes gains in benefits such as life insurance, disability insurance and instrument insurance.
Both sides also agreed to changes in working and touring conditions, allowing "greater scheduling efficiency while addressing the work load concerns of the musicians," according to the administration of the orchestra.
Praise for musicians union
Zarin Mehta, Philharmonic president and executive director, characterized the negotiations as "positive and direct."
"There are many challenges facing our industry, and the constructive approach taken by the musicians enabled us to begin to address these challenges, and our future, in a cooperative and forward-looking manner," Mehta said in a statement.
The musicians also agreed to perform one additional fund-raising concert, without pay, within the three years.
"The musicians of the New York Philharmonic have emerged from the negotiations with an agreement that recognizes their stature as one of the premier orchestras of the world," David Lennon, president of the musicians union, said in a statement.