The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has locked out its musicians for the first time in its 54-year history.
The move followed a unanimous vote by the players yesterday afternoon to reject binding arbitration with conditions that would recoup a projected $400,000 loss at the musicians' expense.
The lockout forces the cancellation of tonight and tomorrow night's classics concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall, as well as a children's concert Sunday afternoon. Ticket holders for performances this weekend can call the box office for refunds or exchanges.
"This is management's doing two weeks before Christmas," WSO harpist and orchestra chairman Richard Turner said last night.
"We were given 24 hours to choose our poison, and the arbitrator was going to tell us how to swallow it."
WSO executive director Bruce Duggan said he regrets the appearance of callousness given the holiday season.
"There is no good time to do this," said Duggan, whose institution carries a $1.8-million debt.
"We came to the musicians last after 15 months of cutting administrative costs, increasing fund-raising and growing subscriptions."
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, meanwhile, emphasized yesterday that it expects to have access to WSO musicians for its Nutcracker production, beginning Dec. 21.
General manager Catherine McKeehan said the RWB's contract with the WSO allows the troupe to book the musicians independently through their union, the Winnipeg Musicians Association.
WSO management's final offer included laying off two of 67 musicians -- Turner and the third trumpet -- and having the option to reduce the current season from 38 weeks to as few as 34.
In addition, weekly wages would be frozen this year. Increases of three per cent have been offered for each of the next two years, but the number of weeks could be reduced to 35 next year and 36 the year after.
Turner said the musicians offered to drop the last week of this season and two weeks in the summer, which would save the orchestra $270,000. They also consented to letting three positions remain unfilled for the next year, which would net the orchestra an additional $100,000.
But Duggan said the counter-offer wasn't good enough.
"We need to balance the budget this year," he said. "All that came back from them was, 'If you can't balance it, you can't.' "
The WSO broke even last year after three successive years of $600,000 losses.
WSO musicians earn a base rate of $840 a week, a figure that puts them below their colleagues in Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa but above those in Hamilton and Victoria.
Musicians at orchestras in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto have all consented to wage rollbacks this season. Calgary's players were locked out for a month.
The WSO's last contract, a six-year arrangement that included three years of wage freezes, expired Aug. 31.
morley.walker@freepress.mb.ca
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