With most of the major issues including compensation worked out, talks between the Lincoln Center and forty-two freelance musicians represented by Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians broke down hours before last night?s opener to this summer?s thirty-one-concert Mostly Mozart Festival. The sticking point in the negotiations was the demand by planners that the festival?s music director be able to dismiss musicians without the approval of a peer review board required under previous contract. As time ran out last night, a federal mediator was called in an hour-and-a-half before the 5:30pm strike deadline set several weeks ago by the union, but was unable to keep the two sides at the table---leading to a strike by the musicians and the cancellation of the events at which they would have performed by Lincoln Center officials.
See JESSE McKINLEY, The New York Times, July 29, 2002