The show will go on - for now.
New York's Metropolitan Opera and unions representing its singers, dancers and musicians agreed on Saturday to halt labour negotiations for a week and avoid a threatened lockout while an independent analyst studies the organisation's finances.
The Met and the unions agreed to the review at the request of a federal mediator brought in this week to end the contract dispute, which has threatened to disrupt one of the world's most prestigious cultural institutions.
Prior to the agreement, the Met said twice it would lock out workers if new contracts were not settled - first on Friday and then, after a 72-hour extension to allow the mediation process to play out, at 12:01 am on Monday.
Union President Tino Gagliardi speaks at a rally outside the Metropolitan Opera.
The Met, the American Guild of Musical Artists and Local 802 of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York said affected workers would continue in their regular duties under the terms of a contract that expired July 31.
A Met spokesman would not say whether a lockout would be threatened in the future.
Eugene Keilin, a co-founder of KPS Capital Partners LP, will perform the financial study and provide a non-binding report to assist in reaching new collective bargaining agreements, according to a statement from the unions.
Met General Manager Peter Gelb has demanded that the unions accept salary cuts of about 17 per cent to cover a deficit of $US2.8 million ($A3.03 million) in the Met's $US326 million annual budget.
Union chorus members earn a base pay of about $US100,000 a year and as much as $US200,000 with overtime. Orchestra musicians' salaries also top $US100,000.
Members of the Met orchestra play during a labor rally.
With the cuts, some union members said they would lose as much as 30 per cent of their income through additional pension cuts and higher health care costs.
Share
