Overview
- The orchestra’s players voted unanimously Saturday to authorize a strike, a routine union tactic that does not immediately stop work but raises bargaining leverage.
- Musicians say the vote responds to stalled contract talks over wages, healthcare and pensions and to a demand for greater say in programming and the choice of the next music director.
- The authorization follows the BSO board’s March decision not to renew Andris Nelsons, a move players say shattered trust and has become entangled with contract bargaining.
- The players’ committee says management has not agreed to bring in a professional mediator, while BSO President and CEO Chad Smith says leadership respects the vote and remains committed to negotiating an agreement.
- The vote puts near‑term pressure on summer Tanglewood concerts and the September season opener, so whether talks produce a mediator or a signed contract will determine if performances proceed as scheduled.