“Management called it a strike; the union called it a lockout. But whatever the terminology, for the moment, the music has stopped. Management’s last offer was for around $72,000 this season – less than the $73,900 the players are making now.” At a meeting of musicians “there was no pontification (from the floor); people just got up and said, ‘I’m really sad, but I can’t accept it.’ We need to maintain our position of parity (with comparable orchestras), and we can’t be bankrupt. We need to be able to afford things we’ve invested in, like instruments and houses and education and all of that.”