Under the threat of using canned music, and only hours before the first rehearsal of the summer season, Local 802 reached a tentative agreement with the School of American Ballet. The agreement includes a ban on the virtual orchestra machine.

The previous SAB contract had expired on Dec. 31, 2003 and musicians had been working under an extension agreement since that time. Negotiations for a new contract had been delayed for a year to accommodate management personnel changes.

Negotiations started in February 2005, but were delayed for months because management refused to consider a primary hiring list. In the weeks leading up to and through the summer workshop, the two sides continued to negotiate over cartage payments and hiring practices.

In late June, musicians voted unanimously to ratify the new contract. The term of this agreement lasts from Jan. 1, 2004 through Dec. 31, 2007.

In addition to economic gains (see below), the new agreement also includes a number of non-economic provisions: a requirement that the employer furnish musicians with a schedule before April 30 (the two-week season usually starts at the end of May); an agreement that musicians are hired based on merit; and a number of safety and health provisions. Perhaps most importantly, these provisions include a virtual orchestra machine ban.

The negotiating committee was made up of Deborah Sponheimer, Andy Bove, Bohdan Hilash and Angela Wilmot. Concert Rep Jacob Heyman-Kantor also participated in the negotiations along with legal counsel Harvey S. Mars and Lenny Leibowitz.