Ask the musicians of l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal why they have called a strike, and they will describe the OSM’s management as unwilling to pay going market rates for a top-notch orchestra. “But the heart of the two-year-old contract dispute remains management’s desire to gain more control over working conditions. The two sides have spent over 40 bargaining sessions arguing about 100 workplace concessions demanded by executive director Madeleine Careau… Players said that some concessions on Careau’s list were either unprecedented in the industry or not in accordance with Quebec’s labour laws.”