Musicians from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) could soon walk off the job after issuing a historic 72-hour strike notice.
VSO musicians, who are playing under an expired contract, voted 97.4 per cent to authorize a strike.
A 72-hour strike notice was issued to the Vancouver Symphony Society (VSS) on Monday.
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The impacted VSO musicians are represented by the Vancouver Musicians’ Association Local 145 (VMA), which is part of the American Federation of Musicians in both America and Canada.
The strike notice is historic because it’s the first time it has ever been done in the orchestra’s 107-year history, according to the VMA.
What this all means is that if a deal isn’t reached, musicians could walk off the job this week, impacting upcoming events.
The 2025-2026 season began on Sept. 12, 2025, but the current agreement between the two sides expired on July 1, 2025. According to VMA, both sides have been negotiating a new deal since April of this year. As the strike notice was issued at 3:30 p.m. yesterday, the soonest musicians could walk off the job would be 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
VSO Musicians, the official Instagram account representing the musicians of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, has been sharing updates from its members, including tips on how to support musicians during the negotiation process.
“The fact is, our salaries aren’t competitive. A musician in the Toronto, Montreal, or Ottawa symphonies makes 30 per cent more than a musician in the Vancouver symphony,” said one member on VSO on the Instagram page.
Many groups representing orchestra musicians from around Canada and North America have re-shared posts from VSO Musicians, expressing their support and standing in solidarity with them, including the Calgary Phil Musicians, the SF Ballet Orchestra Musicians, and the Kansas City Symphony Musicians.
CUPE BC President Karen Ranalleta has also come out in public support of the musicians.
“On behalf of CUPE BC’s 120,000 members, I want to extend our full support to members of VMA 145, the musicians of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), as you navigate difficult collective bargaining.”
Later this week, on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, the VSO is presenting Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert at the Orpheum. If a deal isn’t reached, these are just a couple of the shows that could be impacted in the weeks ahead.
“As to our main point of contention, the annual base salary of the VSO is just over $75,000. A musician earning base wages in the Toronto Symphony makes almost $100,000, and this is in line with Canada’s other major orchestras,” VMA said in a statement ot Daily Hive.
“The VMA’s current proposal seeks to take meaningful steps toward closing the gap between VSO musicians and their peers, while at the same time acknowledging that a salary gap of this magnitude cannot be fully rectified overnight, or even over the course of a single multi-year agreement.”
VSO responds to 72-hour strike notice
Daily Hive received a statement from VSO President Angela Elster.
“We are disappointed that the musicians’ union issued 72-hours’ strike notice. We do not believe that the Union’s actions, including an aggressive public campaign, will assist in finding a resolution when management is still at the table, but we respect their right to strike if they so choose,” Elster said.
Elster said that the VSO has proposed a “meaningful increase” in compensation over four years, “on top of the 32 per cent increase already realized since 2019.”
“VSO musicians are full employees, whose annual salaries are reflective of a 42-week year and an average of 20 hours worked per week, with total compensation packages that include health, dental and wellness benefits, along with 35 paid sick days, annually. Musicians in other cities such as Toronto are responsible for covering such vital services themselves. The VSO’s proposal also includes further increases to the musician benefits.”
Elster added that there are comprehensive contingency plans in place but that if concerts are disrupted, they will communicate with ticketholders directly.
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