Musicians of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) have voted over 97 percent in favor of job action against their management and have issued a strike notice against the Vancouver Symphony Society (VSS), due to stalled contract negotiations.

The strike vote could see VSO musicians walk out with 72 hours’ notice at any time if talks with the VSS management are not productive.

Talks with the VSS for a new collective agreement have been ongoing since April 2025, after the musicians’ latest contract expired on July 1, 2025.

Musicians of the negotiating committee first voted on the possibility of job action on August 1, 2025.

According to reports, VSO musicians are fighting for higher wages, especially those that are competitive with other large symphony orchestras in North America, such as in Toronto and Montreal. The current base salary for VSO musicians is about $75,000 a year, in contrast to the $100,000 that musicians earn elsewhere.

The current offer from the VSS is a 15 percent increase over three years, and the musicians have countered with 23 percent increase.

In a statement, Vancouver Symphony Society president and CEO Angela Elster said “The VSO has put forward fair and substantial proposals that balance the vital contributions of our musicians with the financial realities unique to our organization.”