The National Symphony Orchestra musicians’ union announced Monday that they authorized a strike, complaining that their six-figure incomes are no longer enough to afford rising living costs in the District. The unanimous vote Friday by members of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C.
, Federation of Musicians, Local 161-710 could force the cancellation of three opening-week concerts featuring Sara Bareilles and Saturday’s season-starting gala concert. It comes after months of contract negotiations with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stalled over musicians’ complaints that they earn less than orchestra members in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
”That pay disparity, combined with the high cost of living in the D.C. area, makes it harder for the NSO to attract and retain talent commensurate with the reputation of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center itself as a premier performance venue,” the American Federation of Musicians wrote in a Tuesday post on X.
The Kennedy Center and NSO leaders have offered musicians a new contract that would raise their pay by 12% over the next four years. It includes improved medical coverage and paid parental leave. That deal would bump up the minimum base salary of musicians to $178,840 annually, with the average performer taking home $209,325.
The musicians say that’s not enough. They have demanded a 25% increase, pointing to a 15% decline in real wages over the .