Musicians Submit New Contract Offer; Would Reduce Orchestra to 81

Musicians of the San Diego Symphony submitted a new contract proposal to the San Diego Symphony Thursday through state mediator David Hart.

Symphony officials Friday had no specific comment on the proposal, which includes cutting the orchestra to 81 members from 84.

“We tried to bridge the gap in a few of the economic areas,” orchestra leader Gregory Berton said. The previous offer from the symphony to the musicians left both sides about $500,000 apart over the course of the $17-million three-year contract. However, the overall costs in the new proposal are the same as those in the symphony’s last offer to the players, Berton said.

The musicians also forwarded a copy of the proposal to former UC San Diego Chancellor William J. McGill. McGill was tapped last month by Mayor Maureen O’Connor to be an impartial facilitator in the long-running labor dispute that has seen the symphony board of directors cancel the winter season of concerts in November and disband the orchestra last month.

The musicians, however, rejected the mayor’s proposal to use McGill for binding arbitration, claiming that if they did so, they would be giving up their rights to “self-determination.”

Earlier this month, the symphony music director, David Atherton, resigned after he failed to persuade symphony President Herbert J. Solomon and Executive Director Wesley O. Brustad to drop demands for artistic concessions from the musicians. Atherton had earlier been urging the board to demand concessions from the players in matters of hiring and firing.

Atherton changed his mind after the orchestra was disbanded. Atherton said then that re-establishing the orchestra was more important than the artistic concessions, and it also would be a way for the symphony to regain its credibility in the eyes of the community. At that point, he clashed with Solomon and Brustad, who stated that the symphony was no longer negotiating with the musicians.

Berton said Friday that the players are eager to work with McGill, short of binding arbitration. “Our intention is to try to work with Mr. McGill for a successful solution to the problem,” Berton said. “We hope that all parties interested will cooperate in that vein.”

Brustad was out sick Friday, and Solomon could not be reached for comment.

Symphony spokeswoman Melissa Smith said that both symphony leaders had the musicians’ proposal but had not had time to discuss it.

“I wouldn’t begin to speculate what this all means,” Smith said. “I’d like to think it means wonderful things.”