British ColumbiaMusicians are fighting for higher wages — in particular, wages that are competitive with other large symphony orchestras in North America. Musicians fighting for higher wages that are competitive with other large symphony orchestras in North AmericaCBC News · Posted: Sep 18, 2025 4:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 35 minutes agoMusicians with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra have voted 97.4 per cent in favour of strike action as negotiations with the employer have stalled. (Ben Nelms/CBC)The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) could issue a 72-hour strike notice at any time, after members of the union voted 97.4 per cent in favour of job action. Members of the Vancouver Musicians’ Association Local 145, of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, have been without a collective agreement since July 1. The union has been in negotiations with the VSO Society since April, according to musician and negotiating committee member Rebecca Whitling. “[On] July 17, we were presented with an offer that management called final,” she told CBC’s The Early Edition. “We attempted to counter, but were told by our CEO that she wouldn’t acknowledge our counter and that their offer was final.”Whittling, who is a member of the VSO’s first violin section, said musicians are fighting for higher wages — in particular, wages that are competitive with other large symphony orchestras in North America. She said musicians in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, for example, earn a base salary of about 30 per cent more than those in Vancouver. Christie Reside said a strike would impact upcoming performances. (CBC News)The base salary for VSO musicians is currently about $75,000, Whitling said. Fellow negotiating committee member and VSO principal flute Christie Reside said musicians elsewhere are paid about $100,000 a year.”That ends up affecting the VSO’s ability to attract and retain the highest calibre of musicians in a pretty serious way,” Whitling said.The offer from the society right now is a 15 per cent increase over three years, Whittling said, while the association has countered with 23 per cent.”Unfortunately, management’s offer widens the gap between us and our peers.”The VSO union members voted on the possibility of job action on Aug. 1. More than 97 per cent voted in favour of a strike. “We wanted to give management a chance to come back to the table,” Reside said. “The reason we announced the vote now is because that hasn’t happened.”Vancouver Symphony Orchestra union members are fighting for higher wages. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Whittling said that if the society was open to returning to the table, she believes they could avoid a strike. “We just want to get back to the table for some real bargaining. Unfortunately, management has basically refused to move from their final offer.”Reside said a strike would impact upcoming performances.In an email to CBC News, VSO Society president and CEO Angela Elster said the society is committed to its musicians.”The VSO has put forward fair and substantial proposals that balance the vital contributions of our musicians with the financial realities unique to our organization,” the statement reads.”These have been anchored on meaningful increases in compensation and benefits on top of the significant increases to total compensation realized since 2019.”With files from Shaurya Kshatri and The Early Edition
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra musicians poised to go on strike at any time
