Pittsburgh Symphony musicians on strike

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians went on strike Friday after unanimously rejecting calls for a 15 percent pay cut, but management contends those cuts and others are necessary because the orchestra is more than $20 million in debt.

“Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians are exceptional artists and deserve every dollar and every benefit we can afford to offer,” said Melia Tourangeau, who took over as symphony president and CEO last year. “At the same time, we must squarely confront the very real financial crisis that we are facing.”

Tourangeau said management’s demands are part of a “five-year growth model to sustainability.” But the need for immediate cuts is necessary because of a recent financial assessment that showed the orchestra “would run out of cash and have to close the doors in May/June 2017,” board chair man Devin McGranahan said.

Symphony managers say the orchestra is running a $1.5 million annual deficit and faces more than $20 million in cumulative debt over the next five years.

They say the pension fund needs at least $10 million over the next five years to remain solvent. That’s one reason they say they want to freeze pensions for any musician with less than 30 years’ experience, and move them into a 401(k) plan – another move that prompted the strike.

The musicians have agreed to concessions in the past, most recently a nearly 10 percent pay cut in 2011 to help the orchestra deal with funding issues. The proposed immediate 15 percent pay cut would reduce each musician’s base pay from $107,239 to $91,153, the union said, with annual raises of 2 percent and 3 percent in each of the next two years.