Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians have voted to authorize a strike for the first time in the storied organization’s history.

The union representing more than 90 musicians has been negotiating the terms of its next three-year labor contract with BSO leadership throughout the summer.

The vote does not mean the musicians will immediately begin a strike. Rather, it’s intended to signal that the musicians will stop working if the negotiations fail.

On Saturday — during the BSO’s last weekend at Tanglewood in Lenox — the players’ committee and president of the Boston Musicians Association released a statement after BSO management declined the union’s proposal to engage a professional mediator.

“In spite of the turmoil of the last six months caused by BSO leadership’s decision to terminate the Orchestra’s music director, they have failed to agree to a collective bargaining agreement that would begin to restore the trust that they have destroyed and offer a fair contract to the musicians who are the heart and soul of the BSO,” the statement read.

Tensions between the musicians and management have been ramping up ever since the orchestra’s board of trustees abruptly announced in March that it would not renew music director Andris Nelsons’ rolling contract when it expires next August.

BSO CEO and president Chad Smith responded to the strike authorization with his own statement soon after it was announced.

“We respect the musicians’ right to take this step as part of the negotiating process,” he wrote. “Our focus remains on the negotiations and the ongoing constructive conversations. We are committed to reaching an agreement with competitive pay and benefits that enhances collaboration with the Players.”

The musicians’ labor union contract expires at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23.