Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Ratify 3-Year Labor Contract with 15.8% Salary Increase

New contract also guarantees increased hiring, full wage parity for substitute musicians by third year, and improved work condition protections.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and its musicians have ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement, which includes a 15.8% increase in minimum salaries over three years.
The contract, which covers from September 11, 2023, to September 13, 2026, includes yearly increases of 6% in the first year, and 4.5% in the second and third years.
The agreement mandates the Philadelphia Orchestra Association to increase the number of musicians hired each year to meet the contractual level of 105 musicians plus two librarians.
By the third year of the contract, substitute and extra musicians will earn full salary parity with full-time musicians and will be paid in full if their services are cancelled with fewer than two weeks' notice.
The contract also includes improved work conditions, such as elimination of a lower overtime rate for playing movies and provision for two rest days after most Sunday concerts.