PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS
The Musical Arts Association
Protect Your Cleveland Orchestra!
The musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra have been negotiating in good faith with management for more than two months on a new contract, and are asking for three things:
Work rules that can help prevent injuries common in our line of work (such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome),
A role in our audition process that is more than just symbolic or advisory,
A compensation package that keeps pace with our peer orchestras.
Because management has not agreed to address these issues and is in fact proposing cuts to our compensation package, we have voted to authorize a strike that could begin when our contract extension ends on Sept. 23 at midnight.
We appreciate the outpouring of support from people in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, northeast Ohio, the nation and across the globe.
We are asking management to agree to a fair contract that keeps one of the crown jewels of Cleveland strong for future generations to come.
The New York Times calls The Cleveland Orchestra “America’s Finest!”
As members of The Cleveland Orchestra, we are proud to represent Northeast Ohio and Cleveland nationally and internationally through our performances, tours and recordings.
But we are also just as proud to call Northeast Ohio our home, and to be part of the great fabric of family, friends, and neighbors that make this area such a great place to live.
Sign the petition to protect your Cleveland Orchestra today.
Sponsored by
To:
The Musical Arts Association
From:
[Your Name]
To: Cleveland Orchestra Management and Board of Trustees
We, the undersigned, stand with the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra as they negotiate a fair contract in good faith.
For more than two months, the musicians have worked to reach an agreement that addresses three reasonable and necessary priorities:
Health and safety protections — work rules that help prevent the repetitive-stress injuries, such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, that are common hazards of a musician's career.
A meaningful voice in hiring — a real role in the audition process, not a symbolic or purely advisory one, ensuring the musicians who define this orchestra's sound have a genuine say in who joins its ranks.
Competitive compensation — a pay package that keeps pace with peer orchestras across the country, reflecting the caliber of artistry The Cleveland Orchestra is known for worldwide.
The musicians have voted to authorize a strike if no agreement is reached before their contract extension expires at midnight on September 23. A work stoppage would be a loss for our entire community — for the audiences who fill Severance Hall, for the schools and neighborhoods this orchestra touches, and for Cleveland's reputation on the world stage.
The New York Times has called this ensemble "America's Finest." That distinction was built by the people who show up every day to make the music — and it will only be protected by valuing them accordingly.
We urge management to return to the table and reach a fair, respectful agreement that keeps The Cleveland Orchestra strong — for its musicians, for its audiences, and for generations to come.
We call on Cleveland Orchestra management to:
Commit to injury-prevention work rules that protect musicians' long-term health.
Give musicians a substantive, non-symbolic role in the audition process.
Offer a compensation package that reflects the orchestra's world-class status and keeps pace with peer institutions.