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.
September 1, 2017
A three-year contract agreement for Louisville Orchestra musicians, represented by Local 11-637 (Louisville, KY), was reached in mid-July.
Read MoreSeptember 1, 2017
Oregon Symphony balanced its budget for an eighth consecutive year in the 2016-2017 season, while increasing the number of concerts it performed by 20%
Read MoreSeptember 1, 2017
California Symphony has measured impressive results from its instrumental education program, Sound Minds.
Read MoreSeptember 1, 2017
In mid-August, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s musicians and management announced that an agreement was reached for a new five-year labor contract, which goes into effect September 18. Highlights of the contract include annual increases to the musicians’ minimum weekly scale wages, reaching $3,168 in the final year of the contract; and new health care plan offerings that will help to manage costs.
Read MoreAugust 23, 2017
By the 1990s Local 389 (Orlando, FL) was going through really hard times, but the troubles started years earlier. “For a few decades the relationships between Local 389 and our employers were fairly abrasive. We had lost an orchestra, and due to brutal arbitration, things had gone south with the largest entertainment company in the world, Disney,” explains Local 389 President Mike Avila.
Read MoreAugust 21, 2017
In the years when there is no AFM Convention, the Federation hosts the Locals Conference Council (LCC) and Players’ Conference Council (PCC).
Read MoreAugust 16, 2017
Early in 2015, after several years of lobbying efforts by AFM Legislative and Political Director Alfonso Pollard and AFM International President Ray Hair with the National Instrument Carry-On Coalition, the US government voted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act into legislation.
Read MoreAugust 14, 2017
Recently in Los Angeles, the California State Labor Federation, along with state labor federations from Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, held a conference to address what is deemed to be the inevitable implementation of national “right to work” legislation by the current US Congress. Several hundred union leaders gathered to discuss best practices for unions already facing right to work. Invaluable information was distributed to those in attendance.
Read MoreAugust 9, 2017
A broad coalition of labor organizations, including the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers and AFL-CIO, have launched strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s pick to head the government’s personnel office.
Read MoreAugust 8, 2017
The US Justice Department urged the federal appeals court in Manhattan to reject a lawsuit from a former skydiving instructor who claimed he was fired for being gay
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