District of Columbia

National Symphony Orchestra musicians strike ends on high note with new labor agreement with Kennedy Center

José Umaña | jumana@wtop.com
September 27, 2024, 4:00 PM

Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center have finalized a contract, ending a brief strike in D.C. on Friday that threatened the cancellation of some performances.

The new 18-month labor agreement, valued at $1.8 million, will increase wages by 4% in the first year and 4% in year 2, with negotiations to start in early 2026, the Kennedy Center said in a statement later Friday.

“The new contract will bring the base salary for musicians to $165,268 in year 1 and $171,879 in year 2. The NSO musicians will retain their position as one of the highest compensated orchestras in the country,” the statement said.

The negotiations had been going on since May, with the musicians advocating for better wages on par with other orchestra members throughout the country.

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WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.

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José Umaña
José Umaña is a digital editor for WTOP. He’s been working as a journalist for almost a decade, covering local news, education and sports. His work has appeared in The Prince George’s Sentinel, The Montgomery Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, PressBox and The Diamondback.
jumana@wtop.com