Musicians End 9-Week Strike Against San Francisco Symphony

San Francisco Symphony musicians ratified a new contract Monday, ending a nine-week strike that forced cancellation of 48 concerts and could cost the organization millions of dollars.

Rehearsals were scheduled to resume immediately.

Members of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 6, voted 54-41 for the contract, which made concessions on pensions and wages but did not address concerns about scheduling of additional Sunday concerts.

Performances were scheduled to resume Wednesday night with J.S. Bach’s “Magnificat in D Major” and Igor Stravinsky’s “Persephone,” conducted by music director Michael Tilson Thomas.

“This is not the contract we had hoped for,” said chief negotiator Frances Jeffrey, a violinist.

“I think people felt for one reason or another that they had to go back to work,” bassoonist Rob Weir added. “Some of us had our backs against the wall. This is not a matter of accepting a contract with a smile. I’m not smiling. I don’t see a lot of other people smiling.”

Symphony management called the contract “fair and competitive with other great orchestras,” but acknowledged the bad feelings and said they would do everything possible to heal the wounds caused by the strike.

“Of course it disturbs me,” Symphony President Nancy Bechtle said after the vote was announced. “It’s a huge problem. We’re all committed to changing the atmosphere around here. It has been a very divisive and difficult time.”

The new three-year contract raises salaries 3.6%, putting the symphony in the ranks of the country’s five highest-paid orchestras. The new starting stipend will reach $1,600 per week in the second half of the third year.

The pension also was increased to a maximum of $42,000 with 30 years of service. In addition, musicians 60 and older can retire with a full pension in certain circumstances and the size of the orchestra will be increased from 101 musicians to 103.

It does not address the issue of added Sunday performances, which had been a sore spot with musicians because they say their rehearsal and performance schedule is already so tight that they are developing repetitive strain injuries from performing too much.

The musicians went on strike Dec. 5.