Rams Resolve Dispute, Will Keep Live Band : Labor: The team had threatened to switch to tape music. The new agreement calls for fewer musicians--15, not 22.

There will be a live professional pep band at Los Angeles Rams home games next season, as the team and the Orange County Musicians’ Assn. came to terms this week following a prolonged dispute.

The team had threatened to switch to taped music in the wake of the dispute with the union. The new contract, signed Wednesday, calls for a 15-piece band, down from 22 members. In return, the musicians will have a slightly shorter workday. Pay and benefits remain roughly the same as in past seasons.

“We had to give a little bit, and they gave a little bit,” said Bob Stava, the union local’s secretary-treasurer. “The main thing is that we got a union band.” It was the possibility of losing the band altogether to taped music that forced the size concession, Stava and union president Frank Amoss said. The team will use some taped music during games.

The Rams first demanded a reduction to 15 members last July. When the union refused, the team broke off negotiations and hired a 22-piece non-union band, including some Cal State Long Beach students. Some of those musicians have said they were paid $50 per game, about half the union rate, and no benefits.

The union, which had been doing business with the Rams for 10 years, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board charging unfair labor practices. After an investigation, the NLRB filed a formal complaint against the team and scheduled a formal hearing before an administrative judge.

A day before the hearing, the Rams offered a settlement that included 80% back pay and benefits to the union musicians put out of work for the season and a promise to negotiate in good faith in the future. This week’s agreement capped several weeks of negotiations.

Stava said Rams owner Georgia Frontiere interceded on behalf of a live band, but Rams officials could not be reached for comment. The team opens its home season Aug. 18 with an exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers.