Minnesota Orchestra lockout: Status check

The Minnesota Orchestra this week canceled six summer concerts scheduled for July and August amid a months-long labor dispute between management and musicians.

Musicians have been out of work since October 2012, a month after they rejected a contract proposal that would have cut their salaries by more than 30 percent.

The tensions between the orchestra's musicians and management go back more than a year. Last April, the Minnesota Orchestra proposed the salary cuts as a way to stave off the looming multi-million dollar deficits it faced in its budget. When the musicians balked, management locked them out — and the orchestra has lost a full season in the meantime.

Insiders say negotiations are happening behind closed doors. Meanwhile, the future of the orchestra hangs in the balance. Some musicians have told MPR News that upwards of 20 players have decided to leave the orchestra for work elsewhere. Management says it has received only a handful of requests for leave from musicians who plan to work in other places.

Arts reporter Euan Kerr joins us to talk about the status of labor negotiations between Minnesota Orchestra musicians and management.