There has not been an official announcement (yet), but multiple reliable sources have confirmed with All is Yar that Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians have ratified a new 4-year contract. Words like “excellent” and “amazing” among other compliments were used to describe it.

Just some of the noteworthy details:

• Increases in minimum scale and housing allowance amounting to 4% to 6% annual compensation bumps
• Other non-trivial increases to other compensation, such as pension contributions, chamber music and Green Umbrella concerts, substitute musician pay
• Improvements to some key benefits
• Reduction in tenure evaluation period for all musicians to 1 year
• Clarity on how open positions within the orchestra will be filled when there is no Music Director

The LA Phil musicians have been the best paid in the US, at least nominally, for a few years, though arguments could be made that orchestras in cities with a lower cost of living — basically all of them except for San Francisco, New York, and probably Boston — provide effective compensation that is comparable or better. Those arguments are now going to be harder to make.

This will help ensure that the local band remains a popular destination for top classical musicians, even without a Music Director. Numerous titled chairs — Concertmaster, First Associate Concertmaster, Assistant Concertmaster, Principal Viola, Associate Principal Clarinet, Assistant Principal Percussion, English Horn — and section positions remain vacant, so this is non-trivial for the orchestra to maintain its quality during and after the likely podium interregnum. (And yes, I know, I’m overdue for a “Comings and Goings” update — stay tuned).

This is the first such negotiation since Kim Noltemy took over as CEO of the orchestra. It continues the long standing tradition of the LA Phil maintaining good relationships between management and musicians. When the same parties announced a new agreement in 2017, John Acosta, then-President of American Federation of Musicians Local 47, AFL-CIO referred to “the tradition of LA Phil contracts [setting] the bar for pay, benefits, and respect for musicians in the United States.” It’s also worth noting that between 2017 and now, comparable contract negotiations under prior CEO Chad Smith were allegedly not as smooth.

It has been over a half-century since the LA Phil has experienced noteworthy labor friction, and longer since its musicians went on strike. Many other large orchestras (sorry again, San Francisco) have not been nearly as lucky.

Congratulations to the musicians, Ms. Noltemy and all of the management and staff, and the Board on this important development.

RELATED POSTS

• LA Phil new contract redux: upon further review, looks like they’re the best paid orchestra after all (Aug 12, 2017)
• LA Phil players ink new 5-year contract (Aug 14, 2017)

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Photo credit: courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association