Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
February 17, 2014
IM -In a February press release the Writers Guild of America, East, announced its opposition to the Comcast/NBCUniversal takeover of Time Warner, reiterating concerns over consolidation in both distribution and production portions of the media industry that it expressed in 2010 about Comcast’s takeover of NBCUniversal.
Comcast/NBCUniversal is currently thwarting efforts of writer-producers at NBCUniversal-owned Peacock Productions to collectively bargain for protection like minimum compensation rates, affordable health benefits, and paid time off. In 2012, when the writer-producers first filed for NLRB election the NBCU lawyers claimed half of them had no right to representation. In April 2013, NLRB ruled that all the employees had a right to representation, and a secret ballot election was held June 2013. Due to the power of the media conglomerates and legal maneuvering by their attorneys, the ballot box has not been yet counted.
“It would simply be wrong to give a giant corporation like Comcast/NBCUniversal even more clout in the marketplace, and in the workplace,” the statement reads.