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 30, 2016
IM -Some Wall Street millionaires and billionaires pay less taxes than hardworking teachers, nurses, and musicians through a practice known as “carried interest loophole.” This election cycle, we need to tell our members of Congress it’s time for them to make a commitment to stand up for the best interest of working families, not Wall Street millionaires and billionaires.
This loophole has real consequences for our families and our communities. It has meant that billions of dollars that could have gone to fund education for our kids and fix our crumbling bridges and schools has, instead, gone into the pockets of Wall Street billionaires.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle recognize that closing this ridiculous loophole is common sense. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have all been calling to end it. Even Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate, who has supported other tax breaks for the wealthy, agrees that this practice has to stop.
But there are still far too many politicians—both Democrats and Republicans—who don’t want to take action on this. It’s up to us to make sure our members of Congress hear from working families now, more than lobbyists and wealthy campaign contributors, that ending tax breaks for Wall Street billionaires is the right thing to do.
The AFL-CIO has set up a petition so you can let Congress know that it’s time to close the carried interest loophole and stop the special treatment of Wall Street billionaires.