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INTRODUCTION

The Association des musiciens de l’Orchestre de Montréal (AMOSM) consists of 100 highly qualified professional musicians.

Acclaimed at home and abroad for its excellence, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) is one of the most important and reputable cultural institutions in Montreal, Quebec and Canada as a whole. As such, the OSM serves as one of our most visible, recognizable and effective ambassadors on the international stage.

With over 88 award-winning recordings as well as 37 tours throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America to its credit, the OSM has put the city of Montreal on the map, reflecting the talent and vibrancy that our city has to offer.

Clearly, the reputation and calibre of the OSM rest largely on the talent and tireless efforts invested by the musicians in both their art and the orchestra itself. There would be no OSM without the dedication of its musicians.

The members of the AMOSM are deeply committed to maintaining the artistic integrity and undisputable quality of this world renowned orchestra. In order to achieve this goal as well as prevent the exodus of talented musicians and preserve the OSM’s ability to attract and recruit musicians of equally high calibre, it is essential for the orchestra to offer competitive salaries and favourable working conditions.


 


WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Musicians' working conditions and salary at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) are governed by a collective agreement negotiated periodically between the OSM and the Guilde des musiciens du Québec, which represents the musicians who make up the Association des musiciens de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (AMOSM).

In 1998, sensitive to the orchestra's financial situation and aware of the new realities in the classical music world, the musicians thoroughly revised and updated several key aspects of the agreement.

Negotiated in a spirit of cooperation, this agreement, which fulfilled the requirements of the OSM administration, still allows for greater flexibility in the realm of artistic management than most comparable symphony orchestras.

Over the last 13 years of the agreement, until their last contract expired in 2003, the musicians consented to seven years of salary freezes in order to help the OSM’s administration deal with various budgetary crises that, to date, have yet to be resolved.

The facts speak for themselves. For several years now, OSM musicians have been forced to cope with a continuous erosion of their wages. In 1990, OSM musicians' salaries ranked 15 th in comparison to other major symphony orchestras in North America. Today, the OSM’s ranking has slipped to a dismal 34th, a situation that threatens to deteriorate even further given the administration’s demand that musicians endure this 7-year salary freeze for an additional two years. To make matters worse, the musicians’ salaries are not even competitive with comparable symphony orchestras in Canada.

This untenable situation has led to an erosion of morale and motivation, threatening the ability of the orchestra to recruit elite musicians to its ranks. With 11 positions to fill in the very short term, the effects of this impasse on the artistic future and the very viability of the orchestra cannot be overstated.

To continue to deny, ignore or minimize the consequences of insufficient remuneration on both the musicians and the orchestra itself is to engage in wishful thinking. Decades of hard work and the image of the OSM are at stake.

In view of this situation, OSM musicians cannot help but wonder whether their commitment to excellence and quality is truly recognized, valued or appreciated.