Is this the next big labor dispute after Minnesota and Hartford? It certainly is shaping up to be. The rhetoric from the orchestra’s management definitely seems to be from the same play book as those other orchestras. A strike authorization vote doesn’t necessarily mean a strike is unavoidable, but it does allow the players’ representatives to call a strike at any time. Let’s hope that this action on the part of the musicians will help the discussion to move along in a more positive direction – but somehow, I don’t think that will be the case.