Philly Players Authorize Strike

Following a week of increasingly public recriminations between musicians and management, the Philadelphia Orchestra has voted to authorize a strike if an agreement is not reached by midnight Monday. Musicians’ representatives walked out of a bargaining session on Friday, citing management’s unwillingness to budge from a proposed list of cuts to the musicians’ salaries and benefits. The orchestra has a history of acrimonious negotiations, and was last on strike for 64 days in 1996.