Unionized ushers are preparing to strike if they can't reach an agreement for a new contract with Ensemble Arts Philly by Wednesday.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local B29, which represents about 100 ushers in the area, authorized a strike Thursday after rejecting the organization's latest proposal on Dec. 30. Ensemble Arts is the nonprofit organization that manages performances from the Philadelphia Orchestra and others at venues including the Kimmel Center, Academy of Music and Miller Theater.
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Ensemble Arts said all performances will continue on as planned, and it would work with staff and volunteers to replace the ushers in the event of a strike. "MJ the Musical" is scheduled to premiere at the Academy of Music on Wednesday. This week's calendar also includes performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, a Lunar New Year celebration show from the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a George Gershwin-themed program from VoxAmaDeus.
Richard Montgomery, the president of Local B29, said ushers make $17 per hour and are seeking an immediate raise to $20 in a new contract. Ensemble Arts said it offered a 19.5% wage increase and additional vacation time, though it was over a five-year period.
The organization added that it would continue working for a contract that recognizes the ushers' work "within the financial realities of our nonprofit arts organization."
"The Ensemble Arts Philly ushers play a vital role as the public face of our venues and stand out as one of the few non-volunteer performing arts center usher corps in the country," a statement from Ensemble Arts said. "After six months of good faith negotiations, we are disappointed in the decision by IATSE Local B29 to authorize a strike."
Another hurdle in contract negotiations is defining and standardizing the work of ushers after the Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Philadelphia Orchestra merged into Ensemble Arts in January 2024. Previously, ushers had separate contracts with the orchestra, but the merger brought everything together. Specifically, they're looking for a clear definition of their roles at each Ensemble Arts venue, and expectations for work at other locations in the area, language Montgomery said the organization brought to the bargaining table but later removed.
"If you ask a guy to come in to stand and watch the elevator, and you're not considering them an elevator operator, what are you considering them as? An usher," Montgomery said. "So what is an usher defined as, and what are they there for that day? That's a big piece of the language that they need to come to terms with."
Ushers also wanted clarification about working at venues outside the typical Ensemble Arts buildings and protections during special non-performance events like weddings.
The contract for ushers expired in July 2024, prompting a series of negotiations. For the latest proposal, B29 alleged Ensemble Arts bypassed bargaining representatives and distributed the latest proposal directly to ushers, which it claimed was a union-busting tactic to prevent solidarity.
Montgomery said the union hoped to avoid a strike, but it would be necessary if the two parties couldn't come to an agreement.
"When you're going to devalue us, we're going to show you how much value we really do have," Montgomery said. "And it's always not really about the price tag, it's about that therapeutic-ness that comes between the usher and the patron trying to get into the show with a good feeling, and that's what we represent."
In 2023, Philadelphia Orchestra members threatened a strike over pay increases, although an agreement was eventually reached. In December 2024, longtime president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Matías Tarnopolsky, announced his departure for the New York Philharmonic, effective Jan. 1. Ryan Fleur, the executive director of the orchestra and Ensemble Arts, took over as interim president and CEO.