Cleveland Orchestra tentatively settles labor deal and ends strike

(This story was updated Tuesday, January 19, at 12:22pm)

Musicians with the Cleveland Orchestra went on strike Monday to protest pay cuts and other contractual issues, but the group reached a tentative agreement by Tuesday morning. Terms of the new labor agreement were not disclosed. The dispute arose as the orchestra and many other classical music entities struggle with weakening ticket sales and the economy. The New York Times reported that the orchestra had been operating at a deficit for about 10 years, and management was asking that orchestra members take a pay cut of 5 percent for a year. The orchestra's union countered by proposing to freeze salaries at their current rate for a year.