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.
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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 13, 2016
IM -American Crystal Sugar informed union workers that the company is beginning to “prepare for the possibility of a labor dispute,” even though the current contract won’t expire until August 2017. The announcement came after an American Crystal lawyer contacted the union’s lawyer in November 2015 asking for early negotiations. Local 167G of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers union leadership said it was simply too early to reopen the contract. Crystal Sugar had wanted to extend the current contract through July 31, 2021 though some provisions, such as wages, would be up for negotiation.
“To send out a letter talking about the possibility of a strike so far in advance seems unnecessarily aggressive and counterproductive,” John Budd, a labor relations expert at the University of Minnesota told the Star Tribune. “It seems like the company is trying to pick a fight, or trying to create dissension within the rank-and-file in order to weaken the union.” The nation’s largest beat producer, Crystal has three sugar mills in Minnesota, plus two more in North Dakota.