Cleveland Orchestra Strike Ends as Musicians Accept 5% Annual Raises

The Cleveland Orchestra strike is over. The musicians have agreed to pay rises of 5% per year over a three-year term, according to Slippedisc, which first reported the settlement.

Base pay will rise from $165,516 to $191,620 over the course of the contract. That increase — just over $26,000 — resolves a dispute that had threatened the ensemble's autumn commitments.

The most immediate consequence is the rescue of the orchestra's European tour. From October 2 through 21, The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst will embark on their final international tour together.

The nine-country tour features 15 concerts as the orchestra celebrates Welser-Möst's 25th and final year as Music Director. It brings the ensemble back to some of Europe's most prestigious concert halls, including Vienna's Musikverein. It also marks the orchestra's debuts in Slovenia and Greece.

The settlement secures not only the musicians' pay but also a farewell tour that doubles as a capstone to Welser-Möst's quarter-century tenure. When the orchestra takes the stage at the Musikverein in October, it will do so with a labor agreement in place and a landmark chapter in the institution's history drawing to a close.