The Metropolitan Opera and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) have reached a tentative agreement on a new one-year contract. This agreement, which is pending a ratification vote by AGMA members later this month, will come into effect on August 1, 2025, following the expiration of the current contract.
AGMA represents the Met’s chorus, soloists, dancers, full-time actors, stage managers, stage directors, and choreographers. It is one of the three largest unions at the Met alongside Local 802 (orchestra) and Local One (stagehands).
The new agreement includes a 2.5% wage increase and an additional temporary increase of 2.5%, which will end after one year. This temporary boost acknowledges AGMA’s role in helping secure a special line-item appropriation in New York State’s recent budget. Earlier this year, AGMA and other Met unions successfully lobbied for this $5 million allocation.
Peter Gelb, the Met’s Maria Manetti Shrem General Manager, expressed satisfaction with the agreement: “We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with our AGMA employees, who together with our orchestra and stagehands, are the heart and soul of our performances.” He noted that there is “a new era of cooperation with AGMA,” highlighted by their joint efforts to secure state funding.
Negotiating Committee Co-Chairs Lee Steiner and John Coleman also commented on the outcome: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together. This one-year agreement honors the contributions of all AGMA artists at the Met and reflects real progress in areas our members identified as priorities.” They added that it sets up future negotiations aimed at achieving lasting improvements.
