Vancouver Symphony Orchestra musicians file strike notice

Amid a wave of labour action in B.C., another union is forcing its employer to face the music.

The Vancouver Musicians’ Association (VMA) Local 145, representing more than 70 musicians involved in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), issued a 72-hour strike notice Tuesday.

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The VMA says it provided its employer, the Vancouver Symphony Society (VSS), a final offer in mid-July. By the end of the month, the musicians voted 97.4 per cent in favour of job action.

The parties met to negotiate in early September.

Rebecca Whitling, a musician in the orchestra’s first violin section and chair of the union’s negotiating committee, tells CityNews it was one of 15 meetings since late April.

Union negotiators reportedly sought wage increases “that will ensure the orchestra remains competitive when attracting and retaining the very best musicians,” and sought to recognize “substantial cuts voluntarily taken” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The DSS has, over the 15 sessions that we’ve met, presented us with the series sort of disjointed series of offers that have ranged from one to six years,” Whitling explained.

The parties were not able to agree on wages.

Whitling says symphony musician earning a base salary in comparable Canadian orchestras still earns 30 per cent more than a the base salary in the VSO.

“We recognize that the gap is so significant that this isn’t something that can be overcome overnight.”

She says the VSO has lost many “valuable musicians” who were not able to make ends meet in Vancouver on the limited salary.

If the musicians proceed to strike, it would mark the first time in the orchestra’s 107-year history.

Performances scheduled as soon as Thursday evening may be affected.

“We really hope that [the VSS] will see the opportunity provided within these 72 hours.”

—With files from Cecilia Hua