SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Members of the striking San Francisco Symphony played what is best described as a protest concert outside Davies Symphony Hall on Thursday.
On day eight of the walkout the musicians are saying they should be playing to a much larger audience at New York’s Carnegie Hall, but the $165,000 a-year on average with 10 paid weeks of vacation isn’t good enough. They’re seeking parody with their counterparts in Los Angeles and Chicago.
“Management is offering us in a city of rising cost of living, a net loss in our contract. They want us to increase the cost of our health-care plan, especially for people with children,” said Matt Young, the city’s youngest violist.
San Francisco Symphony Spokesman Oliver Theil said they’ve operated for four years now in a deficit. He rejects allegations that the symphony refuses to open its financial books to musicians.
