Secretary-Treasurer

Decades ago, the AFM was the first one out of the gate to get the ball rolling for affordable musical equipment insurance for professional musicians. Until we got into it, meaningful equipment insurance for working, gigging musicians was simply not available at realistic and affordable prices. Through the AFM’s group membership benefits insurance broker at the beginning, the then-administration of the AFM secured a commitment from New Hampshire Insurance to create an affordable all-risk worldwide replacement cost policy that AFM members could purchase.

And New Hampshire delivered—with affordable rates, starting with a $75 minimum premium, $2.20 per hundred dollars of value up to $1,500 (i.e., 2.2% on the first $1,500 of coverage), then $1.00 per hundred dollars of value thereafter (i.e., 1% on insured value above $1,500). That program remained unchanged through the decades without any increase in premiums­—right up until New Hampshire Insurance abruptly decided to get out of that part of the business entirely in 2023, leaving the Federation without a program for the members.

The Federation’s then-current broker, AMBA, worked for months to find a similar replacement program through other carriers without success until landing upon a company called Accelerant. Accelerant offered a solution that ostensibly replaced the New Hampshire program, but not quite exactly—a minimum premium of $249 at 80 cents per hundred dollars of value over $32,000, with coverage only in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada, and excluding things like damage in shipment or in transit via common carriers. Not unexpectedly, the uptake by members hasn’t been enthusiastic, particularly in that there are now other carriers out there offering coverage similar to the old New Hampshire program, although at higher rates.

The good news now is that as of this writing, the finishing touches are being put on a new AFM-controlled equipment protection program, available only to AFM members, that will almost exactly duplicate the original New Hampshire program­—minimum premium of $100 with premium rates of 2.2% on the first $1,500 of value and 1% on value over $1,500, all-risk (fire, flood, earthquake, theft, damage, mysterious disappearance), worldwide (at home, on the road, in shipment, or as checked luggage—packed carefully, of course—in your locked car or van, on stage) with replacement cost coverage.

The new coverage program has been developed under the aegis of the AFM’s 30-year-old Mutual Benefit Trust Fund, which is under the sole control of the International Executive Board (IEB). A feasibility study was conducted in early 2025 demonstrating the viability of an AFM-controlled program, and legal work was done in the ensuing months to identify, and ensure compliance with, state regulations. With that completed, the necessary structural components have been put in place, and rollout should commence in the next couple of months.

With other insurance coverage options available, one may wonder what need is solved by yet another equipment coverage program. The answers are fairly simple:

1) The AFM controls this new program. It will not be subject to the business decision whims of an insurance corporation, to be discontinued when the corporation decides it’s no longer worth their trouble. The program will essentially belong to the membership.

2) As union-owned program, there is no profit motive. Insurance corporations must make a profit to pay executive salaries, commissions to brokers, and dividends to stockholders. The removal of salaries, commissions and dividends from the financial equations means that profits will be put to work for the participating members by keeping premium rates down and improving coverage benefits.

Keep your eyes alert to further announcements and updates about this exciting new members-only benefit.

Read More

I write this month’s column from within the boundaries of a First Nations spiritual ceremony taking place on the traditional lands of the Cherokee Nation. Out of respect for the ceremony and traditions of the people who preserve and carry forward these kinds of ceremonies, I won’t go into detail about it, except to say that my involvement in these ways extends over a quarter century and has created a pathway in life that helps me maintain and strengthen a perspective about life that has been vital to my work in our union.

On many pages of this issue of International Musician, you will see repeated expressions from AFM officers and staff about the challenges that are presented to our profession and to our work at the bargaining table by the development and advancement of artificial intelligence and its evil offspring, generative artificial intelligence. Indeed, one of my earliest columns as secretary-treasurer likened the looming threat of artificial intelligence to the poisoning of our food supply by artificial sweeteners. I’ve also mused about the notion that an attempt to bargain with the recording industry over the impact of artificial intelligence on our profession would be little more than scratching the surface of the problems that AI would present to all musicians’ livelihoods.

As with the advent of synthesized music in the 1980s, artificial intelligence in the hands of a human being in the creative process represents a legitimate advancement of the tools that every artist can employ in the development of their art. In the hands of corporate interests, however, artificial intelligence becomes a catalyst of greed, disguised as progress.

And much has been foisted upon our world under the banner of progress and necessity, but with nothing more than the acquisition of wealth lurking beneath the surface.

Xi Jinping, the leader of China, has taken his country on a quiet mission to buy as much arable land as possible in other parts of the world so his country can control even more of the land that produces the world’s food supply. Much of that land is within the continent of Africa, with the result that the people who actually live on those lands will have less and less control over the production of food upon which those many millions of people’s lives will depend.

Benjamin Netanyahu, with the willing participation of the United States, has been laboring violently to deprive the right of his country’s neighbors to live peacefully on the land upon which they resided long before Netanyahu was born. Vladimir Putin has been waging a war for five years to deprive the right of Ukrainians to benefit from their access to the rare earth minerals below Ukraine’s surface.

Now turning our attention to the North American continent, the president of the United States has already hijacked oil-rich Venezuela, and has made a steady rumble of veiled threats to do the same with Greenland (lol), and even Canada (lol!). And here I stand now in the middle of the traditional lands of the Cherokee people, who US President Andrew Jackson violently pushed out of their homeland in the early 1800s in the name of US expansion and control.

The behavioral pattern is ingrained, it would seem. Throughout history, it’s always been about control of resources, to benefit the power and wealth of a few at the expense of the many. Closer to home, we see digital technology companies energetically working to develop massive artificial intelligence computing centers that will require an enormous amount of electricity and an enormous amount of water in order to function, pitting their narrow interests against the welfare of the people of the communities who would lose that water. But water is finite, and as people of the world, we will need to decide, hopefully in a peaceful way, whether we want water to sustain the exponential growth of artificial intelligence or the continuation of our lives as inhabitants of this planet.

Two generative AI platform companies have now scraped virtually every sound recording in the world that exists anywhere on the internet in order to sell services to so-called creators to make music virtually devoid of human creative juice. That is the potential musical Armageddon that we musicians now face. And you would think that our bargaining partners in the recording industry across the table from us would be allies in a fight against what for them is a similar existential threat. But the almighty dollar apparently outweighs the creative process and overshadows the natural human instinct to produce something good and valuable for posterity, leaving only a corporate exoskeleton operated by lawyers and bean counters who exist to create unearned wealth for stockholders, thus eviscerating what could otherwise be a bright and healthy future for our art.

We work with the tools and resources that we have at our disposal, however, and if the recording industry is insistent on selling its soul to the devil, our place of last refuge resides with those who make the laws of the land, and it will be imperative to put all of our strength behind persuading the governments of our countries to recognize the value of human created music over machine generated music.

Read More

The 103rd Convention has spoken and set the Federation stage for the next three years. I’m looking forward to working with the 2026 iteration of the International Executive Board.

As of August 1, Karen Suarez Flint, secretary-treasurer of Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL), will be joining as the Federation’s next international vice president, replacing Dave Pomeroy, president of Local 257 (Nashville, TN). Pomeroy held the position since 2023, following his service as an Executive Committee member for the preceding 13 years.

Vice President Suarez Flint follows a succession of women in leadership roles at the international level: Tammy Kirk, from Local 94 (Tulsa, OK) in 1999, was the first woman ever elected to the IEB. Florence Nelson, former treasurer of Local 802 (New York City) and AFM Symphonic Services director, was elected AFM secretary-treasurer in 2001, becoming the first woman elected to a full-time leadership position in the AFM. Tina Morrison, from Local 105 (Spokane, WA), was elected to the IEB in 2010 and served for 16 years. Local 149 (Toronto, ON) Executive Director Dusty Kelly was first elected to the IEB in 2023 and was re-elected at this past convention.

In addition to President Tino Gagliardi, Vice President from Canada Allistair Elliott, Executive Committee member Kelly and myself, Vice President Suarez Flint will be joined by the new incoming board members Marta Bradley, currently secretary-treasurer of Local 40-543 (Baltimore, MD) and past secretary-treasurer of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC); Kale Cumings, president of Local 6 (San Francisco, CA); Leonard DiCosimo, president of Local 4 (Cleveland, OH); and Edmund Velasco, president of Local 7 (Orange County/Long Beach, CA). Most of these talented individuals I have known for a number of years, and together with those who I have known for a shorter time, I look forward to an energetic and collaborative three years ahead.

Fresh faces are always good for an organization, but I would be remiss for failing to acknowledge those officers who will not be returning to the IEB table. Outgoing International Vice President Pomeroy was an unrestrainable bundle of energy on the IEB, available for any assignment for which his talents were requested, and was the most energetically consistent in reminding each board member of our roots—those of gigging musicians.

Morrison, as the executive secretary of the Spokane Regional Labor Council (in addition to her service as an officer of Local 105), brought a unique perspective to IEB deliberations, drawing on her extensive work with the other trade unions and the AFL-CIO. IEB member Ed Malaga, from Washington, DC, lent a philosophical passion to every debate on the board, elevating him—in my view, anyway—to the level of “the conscience of the IEB.”

John Acosta, who chose not to run for re-election, drew on his experience as an officer of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) to ensure that every action of the IEB was firmly based on the facts of a matter and not on the political winds. Finally, Luc Fortin, former president of Local 406 (Montreal, PQ), contributed a valuable and unique perspective to the IEB as the first voice on the IEB from the AFM’s sole French-speaking local in Quebec, with Quebec’s labor laws and industry, which are unique and distinct from the rest of the US and Canada. I will miss all their voices and contributions.

The incoming IEB will have some serious choices to make. The previous board had devoted the better part of two years considering the future of our union, devising a roadmap to execute an organizing plan to move the AFM and its locals squarely into the 21st century and more effectively cover the vast gig-worker sector of the industry, and had requested funding from the convention to put that plan into full effect.

The convention delegates approved a portion of the requested funding, to be metered out over a three-year period, while attaching some additional expense obligations that were over and above those proposed by the IEB. In the first year, the revised new funding is projected to produce approximately $230,000. The delegates, however, also mandated new expenditure initiatives that will potentially reach a total of approximately $375,000 in the first year.

That deficit calculation will necessarily require the new IEB to consider how best to utilize the unobligated finite reserve funds if the plan for building power and growth is to go forward.

Read More

Federation officers generally come into their positions after having served for a good while as officers of their locals, and in the old days—the really old days—Federation officers’ columns in this paper seemed to be speaking more to local officers than to the general membership. As the baby boomers started taking office in the 1990s, however, the officers’ columns shifted noticeably toward the rank and file membership as their intended audience, and
I have endeavored to maintain that perspective in my own columns.

This month’s column is different—I am speaking directly to local officers and delegates who will be attending the 103rd AFM Convention later this month and deciding the future direction of this union, now 130 years old. I invite rank and file members to read along and perhaps engage their local officers and delegates in a discussion about the choices to make at this June’s convention.

The Basis

Every decision made by the International Executive Board (IEB) has as its basis the following commitment, which affirms that if we are to have a union that effectively represents more than just symphonic and touring musicians, we must:

Organize to build power to enable members to attain fairness in the labor market and justice in the political realm by building membership in touring, freelance, recording, and local gig markets and developing power to achieve strong contracts.

When I joined this union, the AFM had 360,000 members. Today it’s around 60,000. It’s not because there are 300,000 fewer musicians in North America. They’re out there, just not with us. And why is that?

A smart member of my home Local 99 in Portland, Oregon, boiled it down to one simple, practical concept:

Musicians will join the union when they perceive that union membership will improve their economic bottom line.

Apparently, 300,000 musicians—most of them freelance/indie/general business players—concluded that union membership would not improve their income. Those of us who have spent time in this union know that’s an erroneous conclusion. But perception is everything. And perception must change if we’re to increase our strength. Refer back to the previously stated IEB’s guiding concept.

What’s in Front of the Convention

The International Executive Board has made two primary recommendations for the convention delegates’ vote, setting forth what we must do to find 300,000 musicians again. The first recommendation is to increase funding to the Federation via an increase in the per capita dues. Per capita dues are what each local pays the Federation each quarter based on a head count of each local’s membership. The IEB’s second recommendation is to set a realistic standard to which locals must adhere in order to approach effectively the job of representing musicians in their jurisdictions.

Recommendation No. 2

If we’re going to build power for better pay and a responsive government, we must engage in actual labor and community-based organizing, all across the Federation. For the last several decades, we’ve tried everything else besides organizing, and 300,000 musicians have shown us how well we did. It’s past time for us to do what every other successful union does: grow through organizing.

To that end, Recommendation No. 2 proposes that, as a baseline, every local must:

• Meet with the membership eight times a year
• Have an up-to-date website and an active social media presence
• Keep a list of venues, clubs, and lounges in its jurisdiction
• Keep a list of music education programs in its jurisdiction
• Do an annual workshop for musicians on indie and freelance musicians’ rights
• Participate in designing a Federation-
  coordinated multi-local regional organizing plan
• Utilize funding from the AFM and Music Performance Trust Fund to benefit the members
• Participate with their central labor council
• Budget 10% for organizing
• Send a newsletter or “e-zine” once a month to the membership
• Pay at least one officer at least the required minimum wage

None of the above is particularly radical nor out of reach for any local, but the list does set forth in writing what any local that wants to be a recognized voice for musicians in its area should do. That these basic things should even need to be set forth in bylaws at all is an indicator of the philosophical gap between us and those 300,000 musicians.

Recommendation No. 1

Raises dues—per capita dues specifically. For regular members, the IEB’s proposal would increase dues by $20 per year (or $5/quarter or $1.67/month).

Federation per capita hasn’t been raised since 2013. Judicious administration by the previous Federation officers made that possible by keeping expenses—particularly staff expense—down. The accumulated surpluses since 2013 may leave some wondering why an increase is even requested.

Those 300,000 absent musicians is why.

These two charts, covering the last 12 years, illustrate the relationship between economizing on staff and membership growth:

It’s a plain picture: investments in staff (the dotted line) remained relatively flat—which means staff was actually reduced after accounting for cost-of-living increases—and membership dropped by 20,000 in the same period (the solid line).

It takes people to make a union work.

The IEB’s commitment with Recommendation No. 1 is to:

• Build up the Organizing Department
• Deploy a unified Federation-wide master organizing plan, with emphasis on those 300,000 musicians
• Build the Freelance Services Department
• Develop the Communications Department
• Ramp up our lobbying in DC and Ottawa

There’s a piece in this recommendation for everyone, whether you’re a local officer or a local member.

Recommendations No. 1 and No. 2 Go Hand-in-Hand

Both these recommendations are about planning for the future, not reacting to the present. Reacting as we have for the last 130 years is a bad habit, particularly because it signifies not being in control of our destiny. Labor and community organizing is all about planning and taking action for the future, not doing damage control in the present.

Real organizing, however, requires people—organizers, supporting resources, lawyers, communications, and public relations—and all of that requires funding. Most AFM locals do not have the financial resources to deploy fully-functioning organizing programs in their areas. So, the IEB has determined to develop and deploy regionally-based multi-
local-coordinated organizing programs, initially in the five main regions of the US and Canada. They will work to the benefit of locals in each region—pooling and centralizing resources to achieve economies of scale.

That takes funding. At present, the Federation’s cash reserves are such that the IEB was able to initiate the program without new revenue. For 2026, the IEB plans to expend $1 million more than the projected income, all of it in support of organizing, and most of that for organizing staff salaries. That $1 million will repeat each year since it’s for ongoing salaries. But the staffing needs will increase as we get more active and engaged, so that $1 million deficit in 2026 will probably be $1.6 million in 2027 and over $2 million in 2028. That means by 2028, the Federation will have dipped into the reserves by almost $5 million without any new revenue. And make no mistake—organizing for any union is not an instant reward; it takes a lot of time and a lot of work.

The Federation can maintain that for a while, but not indefinitely—that’s where these two recommendations come into play. Ultimately, the 2026 Convention will be about choosing our future.

Delegates must be prepared to decide whether the status quo is satisfactory or whether together we take the first steps toward reimagining the AFM as something that 300,000 musicians will want to be a part of.

Read More

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) 31st Convention took place last month in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The convention kicked off with an International Solidarity Forum hosted by International Labour Organization Director Amber Barth, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Barbados Workers Union General Secretary Toni Moore, and Federation of Somali Trade Unions General Secretary Omar Faruk Osmun.

Throughout the CLC Convention, an action plan unfolded in several presentations. The priorities included fighting for democracy through international solidarity, building the future through investing in Canada and supporting a worker-centric trade agenda that prioritizes good union jobs, fighting for dignity to ensure respect and fairness for every worker, strengthening the social safety net, caring for all, and healthcare as a universal right.

During the convention, I kept drifting to our own AFM mission and values, which speak to many of the same principles. Being in Winnipeg, we were reminded of the historical tipping point that occurred in 1919. The Winnipeg General Strike was one of the most dramatic and influential strikes in Canadian history. For six weeks, May 15-June 26, 1919, more than 30,000 strikers brought economic activity to a standstill in Winnipeg, which at the time was Canada’s third largest city.

There were many background causes for the strike, most of them related to the prevailing social inequalities and the impoverished working conditions. The economic instability following World War I increased frustration among workers across Canada. Wages were low, prices were rising, employment was unstable, immigrants faced discrimination, and healthcare was poor. Many workers believed that their wages had not kept pace with the rapidly rising cost of living.

Labour unions played an important role in organizing workers and advocating for collective bargaining rights. As a result, support for organized labour grew. As you read this, I’m sure current economic and political conditions come to mind. Canadian labour unions and the CLC Convention are united in international solidarity with the current political challenges.

There is no doubt, that, when we work together, we become stronger. With the support of coalitions and the CLC, we will continue to fight for improvements to wages and benefits for all workers. As musicians and union members, we are part of labour and trade. Our voice is amplified through the work of the Canadian Labour Congress and other coalitions, including the Creative Industries Coalition and the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDEC).

The AFM International Executive Board has spent significant time working through strategic planning over the last 18 months. Working from the previous convention mandate from delegates to invest in organizing, the Federation has completed the hiring of regional organizers to provide much needed support, especially for smaller locals, where there may be an organizing plan, but not the resources to engage. While this moves the needle in a positive direction, further organizing efforts will come at an additional financial burden. As we move forward to engage the first stages of the strategic plan, we must focus on how, through our mission and values, we can improve the membership experience and relationship with our members.

As we approach our AFM Convention in Ottawa this month, I look forward to seeing delegates visit Canada’s capital city of Ottawa and enjoy Canadian culture and hospitality. As a binational labour union, we must build on our strengths, be aware of and navigate our weaknesses, seek out new opportunities, and guard against threats. While there is much to do, doing it together provides the strongest path forward.

Lastly, our Canadian Office has moved into a new location. Our phone numbers and emails remain the same. The new address is 895 Don Mills Rd., Suite 202; Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1W3.

---

Le mouvement syndical canadien, pilier de la solidarité internationale

par Allistair Elliott, vice-président de l’AFM pour le Canada

La 31e Assemblée générale du Congrès du travail du Canada (CTC) s’est tenue le mois dernier à Winnipeg, au Manitoba. L’Assemblée a débuté par un forum sur la solidarité internationale animé par Amber Barth, directrice de l’Organisation internationale du travail, Liz Shuler, présidente de l’AFL-CIO, Toni Moore, secrétaire générale du Syndicat des travailleurs de la Barbade, et Omar Faruk Osmun, secrétaire général de la Fédération des syndicats somaliens.

Au long de l’assemblée, un plan d’action s’est révélé à travers plusieurs présentations. Parmi les priorités figurent la lutte pour la démocratie par le biais de la solidarité internationale; la préparation de l’avenir par l’investissement au Canada et le soutien d’un programme commercial centré sur les travailleurs, qui privilégie les emplois de syndicat de qualité; le combat pour la dignité afin de garantir le respect et l’équité pour chaque travailleur; le renforcement du filet de sécurité sociale; le souci du bien-être de tous et le droit universel aux soins de santé.

Au cours de l’assemblée, je n’ai cessé de repenser à la mission et aux valeurs de notre propre AFM, qui reflètent bon nombre de ces mêmes principes. Aussi, de se trouver à Winnipeg nous a rappelé le tournant historique qui s’y est produit en 1919. En effet, la grève générale de Winnipeg a été l’une des plus dramatiques et des plus déterminanates de l’histoire du Canada. Pendant six semaines, du 15 mai au 26 juin 1919, plus de 30 000 grévistes ont paralysé l’activité économique à Winnipeg, qui, à l’époque, était la troisième plus grande ville du Canada.

Cette grève a découlé de plusieurs causes, pour la plupart liées aux inégalités sociales et aux conditions de travail misérables. L’instabilité économique qui a suivi la Première Guerre mondiale a augmenté la frustration des travailleurs à l’échelle du Canada. Les salaires étaient bas, les prix augmentaient et l’emploi était précaire; les immigrants faisaient face à de la discrimination, et les soins de santé étaient médiocres. De nombreux travailleurs estimaient que leurs salaires n’avaient pas suivi la hausse rapide du coût de la vie.

Les syndicats ont joué un rôle important dans l’organisation des travailleurs et la défense des droits à la négociation collective. En conséquence, le soutien aux syndicats s’est accru. En lisant ces lignes, je suis sûr que la situation économique et politique actuelle vous vient à l’esprit. Les syndicats canadiens et l’assemblée du CTC sont unis dans la solidarité internationale face aux défis politiques d’aujourd’hui.

Il ne fait aucun doute que lorsque nous collaborons, nous sommes plus forts. Avec le soutien des coalitions et du CTC, nous continuerons à lutter pour l’amélioration des salaires et des avantages sociaux de tous les travailleurs. En tant que musiciens et membres de syndicats, nous faisons partie de la main-d’œuvre et du commerce. Notre voix est amplifiée par le Congrès du travail du Canada et d’autres coalitions, notamment la Coalition des industries créatives et la Coalition pour la diversité des expressions culturelles.

Le Conseil exécutif international de l’AFM a consacré beaucoup de temps à la planification stratégique au cours des 18 derniers mois. S’appuyant sur le mandat donné par les délégués lors du précédent Congrès de l’AFM d’investir dans la syndicalisation, la Fédération a finalisé le recrutement d’organisateurs régionaux. L’objectif consiste à donner un soutien indispensable, en particulier aux petites sections locales, là où il existe peut-être un plan de syndicalisation, mais pas les ressources nécessaires pour l’exécuter. Bien que cela fasse avancer les choses dans la bonne direction, la poursuite des efforts de syndicalisation entraînera une charge financière supplémentaire. Alors que nous nous apprêtons à mettre en œuvre les premières étapes du plan stratégique, nous devons nous concentrer sur la manière dont, à travers notre mission et nos valeurs, nous pouvons améliorer l’expérience des membres et nos relations avec eux.

Tandis qu’approche notre Congrès de l’AFM à Ottawa ce mois-ci, je me réjouis à l’idée que les délégués visiteront Ottawa, la capitale du Canada, et profiteront de la culture et de l’hospitalité canadiennes. À titre de syndicat binational, nous devons nous appuyer sur nos forces, prendre conscience de nos faiblesses et les surmonter, rechercher de nouvelles occasions et nous prémunir contre les menaces. Bien qu’il y ait beaucoup à faire, c’est en agissant ensemble que nous tracerons la meilleure voie pour l’avenir.

Enfin, prenez note que notre Bureau canadien a emménagé dans de nouveaux locaux. Nos numéros de téléphone et adresses de courriel restent inchangés. La nouvelle adresse est la suivante : 895, chemin Don Mills, bureau 202, Toronto (Ontario) M3C 1W3.

Read More