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Tentative Deal to End Atlanta Symphony Lockout

Musicians at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have reached a tentative deal with management to end a two-month lockout in the latest labor disputes in the U.S. classical music world, mediators said Friday.

Performances in the southern U.S. metropolis have been canceled since September as management of the loss-incurring orchestra pushes the players' union to accept further reductions of jobs, two years after an earlier round of belt-tightening.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a U.S. government body that tries to resolve labor disputes, said late Friday that the two sides had reached a tentative deal and that the symphony "may be able to soon resume the orchestra's season."

"These have been difficult times for many arts organizations nationwide," the agency's acting director, Allison Beck, said in a statement.

"This tentative agreement will help ensure the continuing viability of one of the premier cultural institutions of the South," she said.

She did not explain further details of the agreement, which needs to be approved by the players' union. Neither the union nor management immediately commented.

The lockout was the second at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2012.

Classical music organizations in the United States are highly dependent on private donations and many have faced financial headaches since the 2008 economic crisis.

The Minnesota Orchestra was locked out by management for more than a year before management and musicians reached a union agreement in January.

Source: Agence France Presse


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