PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled all concerts through Nov. 18 because of a strike by musicians while their union and management blame each other for a string of cancellations.
The orchestra previously had canceled concerts through Oct. 27 after musicians went on strike Sept. 30. In dueling press releases, the orchestra and management couldn't agree why the concerts were canceled.
"Regrettably, the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have not contacted us through official channels to return to the negotiating table," Chief Operating Officer Christian Schornich said in management's release.
However, bassist Micah Howard, chairman of the musicians' orchestra committee, said the decision to cancel the latest concerts was "made by management, and management alone."
Howard said the union is "ready to negotiate" but management won't meet "unless we accept the 'last, best and final' contract demands they made a month ago."
The musicians are objecting to a 15 percent pay cut and other concessions management says are necessary to keep the symphony solvent in the face of more than $20 million in debt over the next five years.
Management contends the orchestra is running a $1.5 million annual deficit and the cumulative debt includes at least $10 million needed to keep the pension fund solvent over the next five years. That's one reason management also wants to freeze pensions for any musician with less than 30 years' experience and move them into a 401(k) plan, another proposal the union opposes.