Management and union met at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for the first time in 10 days, continuing negotiations on a new contract.
The orchestra continues to play even though the contract has expired. In the business, this is called "talk and play."
On Thursday, musicians rejected a management proposal that would have implemented terms of the board's most-recent offer, while the two sides talk and play. That proposal guaranteed an annual compensation of $62,500.
The union then offered a counter proposal: they would play for an annual base of $70,000, with no changes to over-scale payments. Management rejected that idea.
The current situation – playing under the expired terms – benefits players because even the union's proposals assume a lower base rate of compensation than exists under the status quo.
The two sides have another bargaining session set for Friday.
