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.
June 30, 2017
The wage chart, specifically the “Comparative Analysis” section of the website, is a useful tool to organize schematic and graphic reports about an orchestra’s historical data, as well as orchestra status among peer orchestras. This article will illustrate how effectively the wage chart website and its sections can be utilized in negotiations.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
V-MODA REMIX Bluetooth speaker delivers uncompromising sound quality in a highly portable 7.8-inch wide design.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
Joe Allard is considered one of most influential and brilliant woodwind teachers that ever lived.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
At the end of June, Mayor Rahm Emanuel averted a City Council Showdown on an airport living wage ordinance with a plan to tie O’Hare Airport contractor licenses to a “labor peace agreement,” which would allow 8,000 airport workers to join unions.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has been agreed upon and ratified. The revised document has been proofread and signed and the ink has barely dried. Now the musicians of the orchestra, and especially the orchestra committee, get to breathe a sigh of relief and go back to practicing, playing concerts, and living their lives, right? Well, yes, and no.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
A flourishing cultural life, to which people of every race, ethnicity, gender, and class are invited and can see themselves reflected, is essential to our democracy. The creative expression of our differing stories enables us to better understand our commonality. If our orchestras are to remain relevant in a changing society, we must begin to reflect that diversity both on stage and behind the scenes.
Read MoreJune 30, 2017
Output Inc.’s Platform desk was designed to provide a functional, affordable, and stylish work area specifically for studio use by musicians, producers, and composers.
Read MoreJune 29, 2017
President Donald Trump has appointed attorney Marvin Kaplan to fill one of two vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board.
Read MoreJune 29, 2017
Acadian guitarist and composer Maxim Cormier from the Cape Breton Island village of Chéticamp was shocked to find his music was being sold online by a local radio station without his permission.
Read MoreJune 29, 2017
The United Federation of Teachers, which represents educators at the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice (CHSLSJ) in the Bronx, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after three-quarters of the staff was fired for wanting to unionize.
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