Caving to immense public pressure, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts agreed Tuesday to continue paying National Symphony Orchestra musicians amid the coronavirus-related closures of all non-essential businesses.
The agreement comes little more than one week after the organization signaled widespread payment reductions, budget freezes and layoffs, despite having received $25 million in emergency funding from the recently passed CARES Act — a historic $2.2 trillion economic relief package signed into law by President Donald Trump on Mar. 27.
According to a Kennedy Center news release, the deal, reached after “several days of collaborative discussions” with union members at the District of Columbia Federation of Musicians, will see orchestra members taking a 35 percent pay cut for the next six months along with a delay of a planned pay increase and a total wage freeze in the coming performance season in order to avoid unpaid furloughs.
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