Update: On Thursday, Dec. 5, San Francisco Ballet announced that it had reached “a tentative two-year agreement retroactive to July 1, 2024,” with the SF Ballet Dancer Bargaining Committee and American Guild of Musical Artists — “enabling the company of 84 dancers to raise the curtain on opening night” of this year’s Nutcracker. The agreement is subject to ratification.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, two days after the San Francisco Symphony’s contract expired, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) put San Francisco Ballet publicly on notice that the company faces labor action on one of the most important dates on its calendar.
“Our contract expires on Dec. 6, 2024,” announced AGMA, which represents SF Ballet’s dancers and stage managers. “Nutcracker performances run from Dec. 6 through Dec. 29. Management’s refusal to reach a fair agreement could impact upcoming performances of their most profitable and annually anticipated [production]. We hope management considers what’s at stake — for the company and our community.”
SF Ballet was the first American company, in 1944, to perform Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and since 1949 has boasted the country’s longest-running annual production of this holiday classic. The elaborate performances feature a full orchestra (whose own contract, negotiated by the American Federation of Musicians Local 6, is good through Nov. 30, 2025).
With 37 performances this year in the 3,126-seat War Memorial Opera House, SF Ballet’s Nutcracker has the potential to bring in an audience of more than 115,000, who pay high prices for tickets, which are required for children regardless of age. (There is a rule prohibiting sitting on the laps of parents.)
An expired contract could jeopardize a substantial portion of the company’s annual income, as well as sever an essential bridge for future audiences being introduced to the art form: today’s youngsters, starry-eyed and sitting on booster seats (which are guarded by ushers from any misguided adults).
SF Ballet is also still dealing with the impact of the pandemic-canceled seasons in 2020 and 2021.
On Wednesday evening, Nov. 27, the company responded to AGMA’s statement, describing how “productive and collaborative negotiations” have been ongoing “for five months.” According to the administration, the involved parties “have come to a consensus on significant requests,” including measures that safeguard dancers’ physical and mental health.
Concerning the lingering effects of the pandemic shutdown, SF Ballet said that it has “drawn funds of up to 5 percent of our restricted endowment to protect the company and ensure uninterrupted operations. Our proposed salary increases for dancers and stage management continue to align with those offered by our peers.” American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet were cited as examples.
“As is the case for the majority of arts organizations, ticket sales do not cover our annual budget, which is over $55 million and of which we need to secure $50 million each year through earned and philanthropic revenue.”
AGMA’s statement reads in part:
For five months and counting, the AGMA dancers and stage managers of San Francisco Ballet have been fighting for a collective bargaining agreement that prioritizes our well-being and financial stability. While we have made some progress in other areas of the contract, we have yet to see sufficient enough movement that reflects the gravity of our proposals aimed at addressing these fundamental issues.
We have continuously been met with the position that it is simply not within the budget to support the artists in the way we are asking. Management’s refusal to meaningfully engage with us risks the very foundation of what makes San Francisco Ballet one of the most respected ballet companies in the world.”
The union’s demands are for “wages that bring the artists of SFB above the low-income threshold for San Francisco,” as well as a “guaranteed number of dancers, limitation on the use of unpaid student labor, protections for stage managers who are overworked, underpaid, and receive no overtime, [and] health and safety protections.”
On that last point, AGMA reports that SF Ballet paid out $1.3 million in workers’ comp claims for dancers in fiscal year 2024, more than double what it paid out in fiscal year 2019.
The union’s press release asserts: “Artists are struggling to survive in San Francisco: 81 percent of SFB artists qualify as low-income, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. We are world-class performers and stage managers bringing millions of dollars to the city, but we can barely afford to live here, with cost of living only increasing in the Bay Area.”
No official figures are available, but it is estimated that annual salary ranges at the company are approximately $35,000–$45,000 for dancers in the corps de ballet, $55,000–$80,000 for soloists, and $80,000–$150,000 for principal dancers. Apprentices receive weekly salaries for seasonal work in the range of $500–$800.
