INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra appeared on the verge of cancelling more performances Tuesday after its musicians rejected a new contract offer.
The ISO Musicians turned down the offer put forward Monday because of a contract-termination clause that would allow the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Society to cancel the final two years of the proposed five-year deal, which is when musicians say they would recover substantial portions of salary cuts.
“It establishes a situation in which the Society has no incentive to raise the funds and every incentive not to do so and then pay the musicians less,” Rick Graef, chairman of the musicians negotiating committee, said in a statement.
Orchestra spokeswoman Jessica Di Santo said the latest contract offer included a way to get the termination clause removed from the deal.
“Our conditional offer (Monday) outlines the conditions under which we can remove the clause: raising $5 million in new money by March 31, 2013,” she said.
That would mean nearly doubling the ISO’s annual contributions of about $6.5 million.
The latest contract offer included a minimum base salary of $53,000 in the first year, which would increase to $64,000 in the fourth year and $70,000 in the fifth year.
The musicians say the current minimum is $78,000.
The musicians’ contract expired Sept. 2, and they say the orchestra locked them out and terminated their health benefits on Sept. 10.
The orchestra had performances scheduled for each weekend in October. The musicians say negotiations are due to continue Friday and Saturday.
