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.
January 1, 2015Read More
January 1, 2015
Sections 8(a)(3) and 8(b)(2) of the National Labor Relations Act permit unions in non-right-to-work states to enter into collective bargaining agreements with employers that require employees, as a condition of employment, either to join the union (and thereby enjoy the full rights and benefits of membership) or to pay fees to the union (and thereby satisfy a financial obligation to the union without enjoying the full rights and benefits of membership).
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
Effective January 1, 2015, members who belonged to three or more Locals throughout 2014 can petition the AFM Secretary-Treasurer for a “rebate equal to the per capita dues received by the Federation” for that member’s membership in each AFM Local in excess of two.
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article uses research from several resources including the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health (www.nidcr.nih.gov). The AFM urges musicians to seek professional medical advice when dealing with health issues. If you are a musician suffering from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and/or dysfunction you are not […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
A few months ago I read a blog by Mark Blackmon that really moved me. The title of his post was “How Closing San Diego Opera Makes Your Life Worse.” He wrote…
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
Fair Trade Music Seattle (FTMS) was launched through a public meeting in 2012. “We saw a major part of our industry in Seattle with no union presence,” explains Local 76-493 (Seattle, WA) President Motter Snell. “When affected musicians came to us, we took action. This has the potential to build new leadership, and help improve wages and working conditions for area musicians.”
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
Theresa Naglieri began working for the AFM June 24, 1958. She was just a few days out of high school when she joined the steno pool.
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
The Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) begins the new calendar year with continued awareness that we clearly share the same challenges that the rest of the creative music community faces.
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2015
“New” films: The FMSMF received residuals for 137 “new” titles during the first seven months of the FMSMF 2014 fiscal year (from April 1 to October 31).
Read MoreDecember 29, 2014
If there is one drummer you could say has literally kept the beat for “everyone,” that drummer would likely be Steve Gadd, a member of Local 802 (New York City).
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