Several members of the San Francisco Symphony possibly lost sympathy while protesting at San Francisco City Hall on Tuesday. A quartet -- featuring two violins, a viola, and a cello -- played in the City Hall rotunda prior to meeting with the Board of Supervisors. And clutch the World Series twin towers, they sported Dodgers hats while doing so!

SF Appeal/BCN has more:

The collective bargaining agreement between the musicians and the symphony ended on Feb. 15. Negotiations overseen by a federal mediator are under way, including a meeting today.

The musicians are unhappy with the management's latest proposal, which would include a pay freeze for the first year of a new agreement and small increases in following years, said David Gaudry, who plays viola and is the chairman of the musicians' negotiating committee.

"We're losing ground to our better-paid peers," Gaudry said, noting that the Los Angeles Philharmonic pays its musicians about $7,500 more annually, which was why the quartet wore Dodgers hats during today's performance.

The quartet also placed a SF Giants cap on the ground during the protest. Not cool?

But in all seriousness, arts are critical to the city and the symphony management probably needs to pony up. We are not just a sports town full of techie assholes. Not by any any means. Symphony officials go on to point out that the chronically award-winning orchestra has had an operating deficit for the past four years and has to drastically cut in costs.

As HuffPo's Aaron Sankin points out, "Last week, symphony musicians unanimously voted to authorize a strike if a deal isn't reached by March 19, the day the orchestra is scheduled to leave for an East Coast tour."

Here's video of the beautiful music the quartet played.

If you haven't been to the San Francisco Symphony, a) shame on you and b) please check out sfsymphony.org for more.

Update: As upset commenter sarahx points out, the these players get paid a lot more than expected. "Our musicians are among the highest paid orchestra members in the country," symphony spokesman Oliver Theil explains. "Their average salary is over $160 thousand dollars a year with over ten weeks paid vacation."

Over $160K? Yeah, pick that goddamn Giants hat up off the floor, you fucking cretins! We know people who would kill for just $60K a year.

Update II: Musicians officially go on strike.