Get the Facts: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Negotiations
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• Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) management continues to demand that musicians take an 8.7% pay cut. Musicians already took a 13.5% cut in 2010, saving the orchestra over $2.3 million to help with the bottom line.
• Typical musicians in the orchestra are paid $54,953 a year. Management's proposal would reduce pay to $50,175 for the same amount of work. Salary hasn't been this low since 2003. By comparison, minimum salary for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is $96,825.
• Ticket sales in 2015 are up by 13% and subscriptions by 5%, and the orchestra receives consistently positive reviews. Yet the musicians are being told to pay for a pattern of short-sighted management.
• Musicians propose a one year wage freeze for management to get its house in order and develop a credible plan to grow the orchestra. Fort Worth deserves an orchestra that reflects its vital role in our communities.
• Fort Worth is the #1 fastest growing large city in the country, and charitable giving nationally was at an all-time high in 2014. But management says they can't raise more money and has not produced a comprehensive fundraising plan that grows the organization.
• FWSO's budget has shrunk from $13.1 million in 2009 to $11.9 million in 2014. In comparison, smaller cities such as Salt Lake City and Detroit are home to orchestras with budgets of $19 million and $27 million, respectively.
• Management is turning back the clock on decades of progress. Visionaries built the ensemble up into a highly acclaimed, full-time, 52-week orchestra, but with management's proposal the number of full-time weeks drops to 39.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra musicians are standing together calling for a fair contract ensuring that Fort Worth sustains the art and commerce that come with a world class orchestra.
• Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) management continues to demand that musicians take an 8.7% pay cut. Musicians already took a 13.5% cut in 2010, saving the orchestra over $2.3 million to help with the bottom line.
• Typical musicians in the orchestra are paid $54,953 a year. Management's proposal would reduce pay to $50,175 for the same amount of work. Salary hasn't been this low since 2003. By comparison, minimum salary for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is $96,825.
• Ticket sales in 2015 are up by 13% and subscriptions by 5%, and the orchestra receives consistently positive reviews. Yet the musicians are being told to pay for a pattern of short-sighted management.
• Musicians propose a one year wage freeze for management to get its house in order and develop a credible plan to grow the orchestra. Fort Worth deserves an orchestra that reflects its vital role in our communities.
• Fort Worth is the #1 fastest growing large city in the country, and charitable giving nationally was at an all-time high in 2014. But management says they can't raise more money and has not produced a comprehensive fundraising plan that grows the organization.
• FWSO's budget has shrunk from $13.1 million in 2009 to $11.9 million in 2014. In comparison, smaller cities such as Salt Lake City and Detroit are home to orchestras with budgets of $19 million and $27 million, respectively.
• Management is turning back the clock on decades of progress. Visionaries built the ensemble up into a highly acclaimed, full-time, 52-week orchestra, but with management's proposal the number of full-time weeks drops to 39.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra musicians are standing together calling for a fair contract ensuring that Fort Worth sustains the art and commerce that come with a world class orchestra.
Updated: 12/12/2015
