The musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra are not being furloughed after all. Their union, the D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-710, filed a grievance after the Kennedy Center last week announced its unilateral decision to furlough the musicians, which was not permitted by the union’s contract. While the musicians’ pay has been restored, the union agreed to “substantial economic concessions” in recognition of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Kennedy Center. The contract is also being extended for an additional year, through the beginning of September 2024, which the union said “will provide financial stability to our musicians during this difficult time.” The union also urged the Kennedy Center to bring back the Orchestra’s staff – who are not protected by a union contract – “as a matter of fairness” and announced that the musicians “are pledging at least $50,000 of our own money over the next 10 weeks to help support our NSO staff colleagues.”
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