ARTS : Baltimore Symphony Strike at End

The board of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra unanimously approved today an agreement between players and management to end a nearly 22-week strike--the longest walkout in the history of major U.S. symphonies.

The pact was announced after negotiators met for more than 12 hours in Gov. William Donald Schaefer’s Baltimore office. While details of the contract were not released pending ratification by the 96 musicians on Saturday, both sides appeared satisfied with the four-year contract.

Player negotiator Charles Underwood said by the third and fourth year of the pact, orchestra salaries will be “competitive” with comparable orchestras in other cities. The base average salary in the last contract was $700 weekly and the initial demand in the 1988 negotiations was for $1,000 by the last year of the new pact.