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.

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Home » Products » Books-Resources » Defying the Silence: A Chronicle of Resilience that Saved the World Renowned Minnesota Orchestra


Defying the Silence: A Chronicle of Resilience that Saved the World Renowned Minnesota Orchestra

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Book: Defying the Silence, by Julie Ayer

In this book, Julie Ayer of Local 30-73 (St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN) shows how some of the world’s finest musicians went from sitting in the Minnesota Orchestra to standing in the picket line—and how their city rallied around them. The lockout that began on October 1, 2012 became the longest and most infamous work stoppage in American orchestral labor history. Like many strikes, the ominous signals of anti-unionism preceded it: hiring slowdowns and being told the orchestra needed to “slim down” and “change the business model.” What came to pass was a struggle for the very identity of an orchestra that had been at the heart of the Minnesota arts scene since it was founded in 1903. Ayer recounts their 16-month struggle, from winning hard-fought contract negotiations to winning Gramophone 2021 Orchestra of the Year.

Defying the Silence: A Chronicle of Resilience that Saved the World Renowned Minnesota Orchestra, by Julie Ayer, www.julieayer.com







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