COMING ATTRACTIONS

The Seattle Symphony is on its way to becoming the first major American orchestra to secede from the American Federation of Musicians--which represents most working musicians in the United States. A majority of the 90-member orchestra recently voted to leave the 200,000-member federation and join a newly established collective bargaining group located in Seattle--the International Guild of Symphony, Opera and Ballet Musicians. Since the federation hiked dues in 1981, musicians around the country have been complaining that they contribute an excessive share to the federation’s operating budget with no increase in benefits. The three-year-old Seattle-based guild solicits a $50 annual membership fee, as the only form of dues.