In preparation for the 103rd AFM Convention in Ottawa (June 20-23), I have been looking back on the work of the AFM since the last convention. As I stated in the AFM 2025 Annual Report, it’s clear that the Federation stands at a crossroads. Our greatest strength has always been our unity, but in an era defined by a fluctuating economic landscape and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, unity alone is no longer enough. To secure our future, we must pair our traditional solidarity with an aggressive, forward-looking strategy.

To ensure this strategy reflects the immediate needs of our musicians, the AFM International Executive Board (IEB) recently launched a comprehensive feedback initiative. Earlier this year, we emailed you a membership survey, which we paired with a series of listening sessions with local leadership across the United States and Canada. While we didn’t get to every local, we are deeply committed to continuing these listening sessions throughout the summer.

The message sent back to us was loud and clear: our technology is out of date, locals need more resources to organize new work, and organizing new work should be the number one priority.

• Organizing New Work: Specifically, 35% of members stated that organizing should be our absolute top priority, followed by negotiating contracts and agreements at 26%.
• Industry Concerns: Our members are deeply concerned about the economic landscape—49% reported that things are “getting worse” for musicians these days, while only 17% feel the industry is “getting better.”
• A Desire to Get Involved: In an encouraging demonstration of solidarity, a massive 25% of members declared: “I am willing to volunteer my time to help organize more employers and get them onto contract.”

Expanding Our Resources

The survey results confirm what the IEB has long recognized. Over the past three years, we have already been actively tracking toward these very goals. Translating this vision into measurable growth, the AFM has begun the move beyond support roles to build a more active organizing model—expanding field resources and developing tools to empower musicians and locals:

• Symphonic Services Department (SSD): We actively expanded our infrastructure by adding dedicated negotiators to defend our orchestral musicians.
• Field Services Department: We rebuilt the field services department, fully staffing it with six international representatives (IRs), and added an IR specializing in local compliance and fiduciary responsibility.
• Freelance Services Department: We’re expanding the department’s reach, adding staff, and investing in digital infrastructure to scale up services for freelance musicians. This increased capacity directly supports the growth of our freelance sector, anchored by the newly recognized Freelance Musicians Association (FMA) player conference.
• Organizing Department: We scaled up operations to an expanded organizing services framework capable of balancing high-density theatrical hubs with the realities of regional touring circuits and unique Canadian labor environments.

The detailed department reports are available in the 2025 Annual Report in the members.AFM.org Document Library.

Planning Our Next Chapter

Providing resources to meet immediate needs is only the first step. To secure our union’s future for the next generation, we must move beyond temporary support and permanently fortify our capacity.

Based on the clear mandate from the membership survey and listening sessions, the IEB has unanimously put forth five recommendations (published in the May issue of the International Musician). These measures will modernize how we do business, inject fresh resources into our locals, and allow us to prioritize aggressive new organizing and communications strategies.

In his column on page 4, Secretary-Treasurer Ken Shirk details how true organizing requires real resources, people, and a structural pivot. The IEB’s recommendations are designed to fund and enforce this framework. I strongly encourage all members, and especially our convention delegates, to read Secretary-Treasurer Shirk’s message for a deep dive into how Recommendation No. 1 and Recommendation No. 2 provide the financial and strategic capacity to organize the thousands of independent musicians who belong in our ranks.

Defining the Future

Right now, the Federation is actively engaged in some of the most critical contract battles and defensive campaigns in our history. We continue to address the threat of artificial intelligence both legislatively and at the bargaining table in our current Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA) negotiations—demanding ironclad contract protections regarding consent, compensation, and credit for machine learning models. Furthermore, we are already structuring our strategy for the upcoming Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) negotiations in 2027, establishing a united front to ensure that musicians’ work used in motion picture, streaming, and television is fiercely protected against digital exploitation.

While we continue to protect our members on major stages and in recording studios, the AFM’s ultimate growth relies on championing independent freelance creators—building a forward-looking union that values every gig, contract, and musician.

If we want a vibrant future, we must shift from a defensive posture to an offensive strategy. Whether a member is performing on a symphonic stage, playing in a theater pit, recording for a major motion picture, or navigating the independent club circuit, they deserve a union that is as dynamic as the art they create. Every working musician in the United States and Canada needs to be able to instantly recognize the AFM, identify a local they can join, and clearly understand how we improve their economic bottom line.

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Federation officers generally come into their positions after having served for a good while as officers of their locals, and in the old days—the really old days—Federation officers’ columns in this paper seemed to be speaking more to local officers than to the general membership. As the baby boomers started taking office in the 1990s, however, the officers’ columns shifted noticeably toward the rank and file membership as their intended audience, and
I have endeavored to maintain that perspective in my own columns.

This month’s column is different—I am speaking directly to local officers and delegates who will be attending the 103rd AFM Convention later this month and deciding the future direction of this union, now 130 years old. I invite rank and file members to read along and perhaps engage their local officers and delegates in a discussion about the choices to make at this June’s convention.

The Basis

Every decision made by the International Executive Board (IEB) has as its basis the following commitment, which affirms that if we are to have a union that effectively represents more than just symphonic and touring musicians, we must:

Organize to build power to enable members to attain fairness in the labor market and justice in the political realm by building membership in touring, freelance, recording, and local gig markets and developing power to achieve strong contracts.

When I joined this union, the AFM had 360,000 members. Today it’s around 60,000. It’s not because there are 300,000 fewer musicians in North America. They’re out there, just not with us. And why is that?

A smart member of my home Local 99 in Portland, Oregon, boiled it down to one simple, practical concept:

Musicians will join the union when they perceive that union membership will improve their economic bottom line.

Apparently, 300,000 musicians—most of them freelance/indie/general business players—concluded that union membership would not improve their income. Those of us who have spent time in this union know that’s an erroneous conclusion. But perception is everything. And perception must change if we’re to increase our strength. Refer back to the previously stated IEB’s guiding concept.

What’s in Front of the Convention

The International Executive Board has made two primary recommendations for the convention delegates’ vote, setting forth what we must do to find 300,000 musicians again. The first recommendation is to increase funding to the Federation via an increase in the per capita dues. Per capita dues are what each local pays the Federation each quarter based on a head count of each local’s membership. The IEB’s second recommendation is to set a realistic standard to which locals must adhere in order to approach effectively the job of representing musicians in their jurisdictions.

Recommendation No. 2

If we’re going to build power for better pay and a responsive government, we must engage in actual labor and community-based organizing, all across the Federation. For the last several decades, we’ve tried everything else besides organizing, and 300,000 musicians have shown us how well we did. It’s past time for us to do what every other successful union does: grow through organizing.

To that end, Recommendation No. 2 proposes that, as a baseline, every local must:

• Meet with the membership eight times a year
• Have an up-to-date website and an active social media presence
• Keep a list of venues, clubs, and lounges in its jurisdiction
• Keep a list of music education programs in its jurisdiction
• Do an annual workshop for musicians on indie and freelance musicians’ rights
• Participate in designing a Federation-
  coordinated multi-local regional organizing plan
• Utilize funding from the AFM and Music Performance Trust Fund to benefit the members
• Participate with their central labor council
• Budget 10% for organizing
• Send a newsletter or “e-zine” once a month to the membership
• Pay at least one officer at least the required minimum wage

None of the above is particularly radical nor out of reach for any local, but the list does set forth in writing what any local that wants to be a recognized voice for musicians in its area should do. That these basic things should even need to be set forth in bylaws at all is an indicator of the philosophical gap between us and those 300,000 musicians.

Recommendation No. 1

Raises dues—per capita dues specifically. For regular members, the IEB’s proposal would increase dues by $20 per year (or $5/quarter or $1.67/month).

Federation per capita hasn’t been raised since 2013. Judicious administration by the previous Federation officers made that possible by keeping expenses—particularly staff expense—down. The accumulated surpluses since 2013 may leave some wondering why an increase is even requested.

Those 300,000 absent musicians is why.

These two charts, covering the last 12 years, illustrate the relationship between economizing on staff and membership growth:

It’s a plain picture: investments in staff (the dotted line) remained relatively flat—which means staff was actually reduced after accounting for cost-of-living increases—and membership dropped by 20,000 in the same period (the solid line).

It takes people to make a union work.

The IEB’s commitment with Recommendation No. 1 is to:

• Build up the Organizing Department
• Deploy a unified Federation-wide master organizing plan, with emphasis on those 300,000 musicians
• Build the Freelance Services Department
• Develop the Communications Department
• Ramp up our lobbying in DC and Ottawa

There’s a piece in this recommendation for everyone, whether you’re a local officer or a local member.

Recommendations No. 1 and No. 2 Go Hand-in-Hand

Both these recommendations are about planning for the future, not reacting to the present. Reacting as we have for the last 130 years is a bad habit, particularly because it signifies not being in control of our destiny. Labor and community organizing is all about planning and taking action for the future, not doing damage control in the present.

Real organizing, however, requires people—organizers, supporting resources, lawyers, communications, and public relations—and all of that requires funding. Most AFM locals do not have the financial resources to deploy fully-functioning organizing programs in their areas. So, the IEB has determined to develop and deploy regionally-based multi-
local-coordinated organizing programs, initially in the five main regions of the US and Canada. They will work to the benefit of locals in each region—pooling and centralizing resources to achieve economies of scale.

That takes funding. At present, the Federation’s cash reserves are such that the IEB was able to initiate the program without new revenue. For 2026, the IEB plans to expend $1 million more than the projected income, all of it in support of organizing, and most of that for organizing staff salaries. That $1 million will repeat each year since it’s for ongoing salaries. But the staffing needs will increase as we get more active and engaged, so that $1 million deficit in 2026 will probably be $1.6 million in 2027 and over $2 million in 2028. That means by 2028, the Federation will have dipped into the reserves by almost $5 million without any new revenue. And make no mistake—organizing for any union is not an instant reward; it takes a lot of time and a lot of work.

The Federation can maintain that for a while, but not indefinitely—that’s where these two recommendations come into play. Ultimately, the 2026 Convention will be about choosing our future.

Delegates must be prepared to decide whether the status quo is satisfactory or whether together we take the first steps toward reimagining the AFM as something that 300,000 musicians will want to be a part of.

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The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) 31st Convention took place last month in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The convention kicked off with an International Solidarity Forum hosted by International Labour Organization Director Amber Barth, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Barbados Workers Union General Secretary Toni Moore, and Federation of Somali Trade Unions General Secretary Omar Faruk Osmun.

Throughout the CLC Convention, an action plan unfolded in several presentations. The priorities included fighting for democracy through international solidarity, building the future through investing in Canada and supporting a worker-centric trade agenda that prioritizes good union jobs, fighting for dignity to ensure respect and fairness for every worker, strengthening the social safety net, caring for all, and healthcare as a universal right.

During the convention, I kept drifting to our own AFM mission and values, which speak to many of the same principles. Being in Winnipeg, we were reminded of the historical tipping point that occurred in 1919. The Winnipeg General Strike was one of the most dramatic and influential strikes in Canadian history. For six weeks, May 15-June 26, 1919, more than 30,000 strikers brought economic activity to a standstill in Winnipeg, which at the time was Canada’s third largest city.

There were many background causes for the strike, most of them related to the prevailing social inequalities and the impoverished working conditions. The economic instability following World War I increased frustration among workers across Canada. Wages were low, prices were rising, employment was unstable, immigrants faced discrimination, and healthcare was poor. Many workers believed that their wages had not kept pace with the rapidly rising cost of living.

Labour unions played an important role in organizing workers and advocating for collective bargaining rights. As a result, support for organized labour grew. As you read this, I’m sure current economic and political conditions come to mind. Canadian labour unions and the CLC Convention are united in international solidarity with the current political challenges.

There is no doubt, that, when we work together, we become stronger. With the support of coalitions and the CLC, we will continue to fight for improvements to wages and benefits for all workers. As musicians and union members, we are part of labour and trade. Our voice is amplified through the work of the Canadian Labour Congress and other coalitions, including the Creative Industries Coalition and the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDEC).

The AFM International Executive Board has spent significant time working through strategic planning over the last 18 months. Working from the previous convention mandate from delegates to invest in organizing, the Federation has completed the hiring of regional organizers to provide much needed support, especially for smaller locals, where there may be an organizing plan, but not the resources to engage. While this moves the needle in a positive direction, further organizing efforts will come at an additional financial burden. As we move forward to engage the first stages of the strategic plan, we must focus on how, through our mission and values, we can improve the membership experience and relationship with our members.

As we approach our AFM Convention in Ottawa this month, I look forward to seeing delegates visit Canada’s capital city of Ottawa and enjoy Canadian culture and hospitality. As a binational labour union, we must build on our strengths, be aware of and navigate our weaknesses, seek out new opportunities, and guard against threats. While there is much to do, doing it together provides the strongest path forward.

Lastly, our Canadian Office has moved into a new location. Our phone numbers and emails remain the same. The new address is 895 Don Mills Rd., Suite 202; Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1W3.

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Le mouvement syndical canadien, pilier de la solidarité internationale

par Allistair Elliott, vice-président de l’AFM pour le Canada

La 31e Assemblée générale du Congrès du travail du Canada (CTC) s’est tenue le mois dernier à Winnipeg, au Manitoba. L’Assemblée a débuté par un forum sur la solidarité internationale animé par Amber Barth, directrice de l’Organisation internationale du travail, Liz Shuler, présidente de l’AFL-CIO, Toni Moore, secrétaire générale du Syndicat des travailleurs de la Barbade, et Omar Faruk Osmun, secrétaire général de la Fédération des syndicats somaliens.

Au long de l’assemblée, un plan d’action s’est révélé à travers plusieurs présentations. Parmi les priorités figurent la lutte pour la démocratie par le biais de la solidarité internationale; la préparation de l’avenir par l’investissement au Canada et le soutien d’un programme commercial centré sur les travailleurs, qui privilégie les emplois de syndicat de qualité; le combat pour la dignité afin de garantir le respect et l’équité pour chaque travailleur; le renforcement du filet de sécurité sociale; le souci du bien-être de tous et le droit universel aux soins de santé.

Au cours de l’assemblée, je n’ai cessé de repenser à la mission et aux valeurs de notre propre AFM, qui reflètent bon nombre de ces mêmes principes. Aussi, de se trouver à Winnipeg nous a rappelé le tournant historique qui s’y est produit en 1919. En effet, la grève générale de Winnipeg a été l’une des plus dramatiques et des plus déterminanates de l’histoire du Canada. Pendant six semaines, du 15 mai au 26 juin 1919, plus de 30 000 grévistes ont paralysé l’activité économique à Winnipeg, qui, à l’époque, était la troisième plus grande ville du Canada.

Cette grève a découlé de plusieurs causes, pour la plupart liées aux inégalités sociales et aux conditions de travail misérables. L’instabilité économique qui a suivi la Première Guerre mondiale a augmenté la frustration des travailleurs à l’échelle du Canada. Les salaires étaient bas, les prix augmentaient et l’emploi était précaire; les immigrants faisaient face à de la discrimination, et les soins de santé étaient médiocres. De nombreux travailleurs estimaient que leurs salaires n’avaient pas suivi la hausse rapide du coût de la vie.

Les syndicats ont joué un rôle important dans l’organisation des travailleurs et la défense des droits à la négociation collective. En conséquence, le soutien aux syndicats s’est accru. En lisant ces lignes, je suis sûr que la situation économique et politique actuelle vous vient à l’esprit. Les syndicats canadiens et l’assemblée du CTC sont unis dans la solidarité internationale face aux défis politiques d’aujourd’hui.

Il ne fait aucun doute que lorsque nous collaborons, nous sommes plus forts. Avec le soutien des coalitions et du CTC, nous continuerons à lutter pour l’amélioration des salaires et des avantages sociaux de tous les travailleurs. En tant que musiciens et membres de syndicats, nous faisons partie de la main-d’œuvre et du commerce. Notre voix est amplifiée par le Congrès du travail du Canada et d’autres coalitions, notamment la Coalition des industries créatives et la Coalition pour la diversité des expressions culturelles.

Le Conseil exécutif international de l’AFM a consacré beaucoup de temps à la planification stratégique au cours des 18 derniers mois. S’appuyant sur le mandat donné par les délégués lors du précédent Congrès de l’AFM d’investir dans la syndicalisation, la Fédération a finalisé le recrutement d’organisateurs régionaux. L’objectif consiste à donner un soutien indispensable, en particulier aux petites sections locales, là où il existe peut-être un plan de syndicalisation, mais pas les ressources nécessaires pour l’exécuter. Bien que cela fasse avancer les choses dans la bonne direction, la poursuite des efforts de syndicalisation entraînera une charge financière supplémentaire. Alors que nous nous apprêtons à mettre en œuvre les premières étapes du plan stratégique, nous devons nous concentrer sur la manière dont, à travers notre mission et nos valeurs, nous pouvons améliorer l’expérience des membres et nos relations avec eux.

Tandis qu’approche notre Congrès de l’AFM à Ottawa ce mois-ci, je me réjouis à l’idée que les délégués visiteront Ottawa, la capitale du Canada, et profiteront de la culture et de l’hospitalité canadiennes. À titre de syndicat binational, nous devons nous appuyer sur nos forces, prendre conscience de nos faiblesses et les surmonter, rechercher de nouvelles occasions et nous prémunir contre les menaces. Bien qu’il y ait beaucoup à faire, c’est en agissant ensemble que nous tracerons la meilleure voie pour l’avenir.

Enfin, prenez note que notre Bureau canadien a emménagé dans de nouveaux locaux. Nos numéros de téléphone et adresses de courriel restent inchangés. La nouvelle adresse est la suivante : 895, chemin Don Mills, bureau 202, Toronto (Ontario) M3C 1W3.

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