Tag Archives: union

Recent News

In Historic Victory, Los Angeles Times Votes to Unionize

On Friday, January 19, journalists at the Los Angeles Times voted overwhelmingly, 248-44 in favor of a union. It’s a milestone for the 136-year-old paper that historically has been under management hostile to unionization.

Through their membership in the News Guild-Communications Workers of America, LA Times reporters and staff members, all “at-will employees” without benefits, can now focus on negotiating job protections. There are few reporters who have not felt the “specter of layoffs,” says reporter Carolina Miranda. The LA Times, which employs about 500 newsroom employees—down from 1,200 at the turn of the millennium—has experienced multiple layoffs and buyouts, including a mass layoff of 250 people in 2008.

According to Dave Roeder, a consultant for the Chicago News Guild, “[The LA Times union drive] has prompted a lot of discussion among journalists here in Chicago who are not in the union. Is it a time to organize so we can better advocate for ourselves with ownership? In the difficult state of this business, you find old-line media that are in the hands of owners who may not have journalism as a core principle; they might just be interested in mining the company for assets, selling what they can, and leaving the rest. The case for being in a union in this field, in particular, is very clear right now.”

Jeff lorber
Member Profiles

Pianist Jeff Lorber: A Career Built from Coast to Coast

Jeff lorber

Jeff Lorber of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA).

Pianist Jeff Lorber of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) says he felt like he had access to the world stage growing up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. He saw the genesis of rock and roll up close. Local record label Cameo Parkway put out a string of hits with Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, and The Orlons. Plus, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand premiered there in 1950. The city offered more inspiration in the way of homegrown jazz talent—Jimmy Heath, McCoy Tyner, and the Brecker Brothers. During the same period, John Coltrane famously lived there.

As a teenager, Lorber played with local R&B bands. At Berklee College of Music in the 1970s, his tastes veered toward jazz and fusion. “I knew if I was going to be an instrumentalist, I’d have to get better at jazz. It was a way to get vocabulary and to become better as a musician,” he says. “Berklee aligned curriculum to the local scene that allowed students to go out and make a living in the music business. It gave us tools to analyze music—taking it apart and putting it back together to understand it—and make our own music.”

In many ways, the Jazz Workshop at Berklee was almost as valuable as taking courses. He says, “Every week there would be somebody absolutely great playing: [Local 802 members] George Benson, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson. I saw Miles Davis play a number of times during that era.” Lorber followed Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, as well as R&B acts like The Crusaders, and Grover Washington, Jr.

But it was Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda album that most inspired him. He remembers thinking it was revolutionary, “Wow, that’s what I want to do. I want to play funky jazz like that.”

Lorber moved to Portland, Oregon, where he formed The Jeff Lorber Fusion. The group released a self-titled debut album in 1977. “There were lucky coincidences, but it’s also about being able to take advantage of those lucky breaks,” Lorber says. “We were touring, selling records. It was a good time in the music biz. We were signed to Arista records and they had good budgets to make records and promote B artists.”

“Then one day Clive Davis [Arista founder and president] decided he wasn’t into jazz anymore. He got rid of his jazz division almost overnight. The few who were left, he wanted them to do R&B vocal stuff,” says Lorber. “That was a mistake. We were on a trajectory to having a solid fan base and touring a lot of pretty big venues. When we radically changed what we were doing, we lost fans.”

Lorber briefly launched a solo career with a release in 1982, but took a break from solo recording and composing, opting instead to work with other artists. There were a few hits on Arista, “Step by Step” (1985) with Audrey Wheeler and Anita Pointer. He moved to Warner Bros. and had another hit with “Facts of Love,” with Karyn White. He recalls working with the R&B duo René Moore and Angela Winbush. “I loved the music we made, the records, and what I learned working with them.” He says, though, “Most of the time vocal overpowers instruments.” He resumed his solo career in 1991 with Worth Waiting For.

Lorber says union scale was important. “Most guys would get double scale for gigs—and having that standard in place created a level playing field where everybody knew the value of a musician’s time. You didn’t have to negotiate each time.” When he lived in Portland, early in his career, Lorber says, “We used to do Musicians Performance Trust Fund gigs. Here in LA, a lot of people do jam sessions and rehearse at the union hall.” Lorber says he’s a supporter of any organization that looks after musicians. “[Otherwise] we’re out here on our own.”

For a number of years, Lorber has battled Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a congenital disease, which has affected many members of his family. A kidney donated by his wife 11 years ago saved his life. “When you face a life and death situation, you know what’s important. I try to spend my time doing things I love doing, which is playing music and composing,” says Lorber, who says about 600,000 people in the US and two million worldwide are afflicted with PKD.

The proceeds from Lorber’s record of bebop standards, Jazz Funk Soul (Everett Harp and the late Chuck Loeb), go to PKD research. Lorber says, “I love the straight-ahead jazz. You can hear bebop phrasing in the solos.”

Lorber’s most recent album, Prototype (2017), was nominated for a Grammy. “I’m just grateful I’ve had a chance to make a career doing music. I love living in LA and working with the great talents here on a regular basis,” he says. At present, he’s doing some composing and planning an upcoming tour of Southeast Asia.

mike-renzi
Member Profiles

Piano Man Mike Renzi Creates Colorful Orchestration

mike-renzi

Pianist Mike Renzi of Local 802 (New York City) was just 12 years old when he joined the AFM and began his professional career.

Pianist, arranger, and musical director Mike Renzi of Local 198-457 (Providence, RI) and Local 802 (New York City) joined the union as a youngster. Recognizing the young Renzi’s abundant talent, his piano teacher booked him to play at the Narragansett Hotel. “Every Saturday night, they had dining and dancing. It was a six-piece group with three horns and three rhythm players. My piano teacher put me there with a big fat book—but I’d already been memorizing songs. I was so young, in fact, people would dance by and ask, ‘How old are you?’” he recalls.

When he heard jazz, he explains, “It was like a magnet. My parents had great jazz records. I loved the harmonies and songs. I wanted to learn to play this kind of music, and that’s what I did. I started doing that when I was eight or nine and did my first job when I was 12.”

Renzi went on to win seven Emmy awards for musical direction and composition, both for his work on Sesame Street and the long-running soap opera, One Life to Live. Now semi-retired, Renzi divides his time between Newport, Rhode Island, and Florida, but still performs with longtime friends and colleagues, including accompanying singer Marlene VerPlanck in New York City; gigs at Birdland; an Irving Berlin tribute at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center; dedication of a new Tony Bennett-Frank Sinatra Studio in Queens; and performing with Michael Feinstein and the Kravis Center Pops Orchestra Big Band in Palm Beach.

Throughout a career that’s stretched nearly 60 years, Renzi has worked with a panoply of stars—among them: Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Ben Webster, Julius La Rosa, Gerry Mulligan, Mark Murphy, and Local 802 members Houston Person and John Pizzarelli. He played with Lena Horne on Broadway in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, later joining her at Carnegie Hall and recording the CD, An Evening with Lena Horne: Live at the Supper Club in the late 1980s.

He was a studio pianist on the films The Birdcage, Everybody Says I Love You, Broadway Danny Rose, and Biloxi Blues. Then he was called to play a session for the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. “The music supervisor needed a couple of extra cues, which I composed on the spot. Before I knew it, I was writing music for the soaps, from the 1980s until 1990s,” says Renzi.    

Eventually, he was tapped by Sesame Street as a big band arranger. “The script writers would say, ‘This is my song about a veterinarian, ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Fur,’ and I want it to sound like ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.’” He arranged songs to zydeco, disco, and funk.

“I kept that gig for 12 years,” Renzi says. “It changes you financially. Two recording sessions a week adds to a union pension.” He notes that the entire band on the show was contracted through Local 802, including Glenn Drewes, Wally Kane, Steve Bargonetti, Ben Brown, and Ricky Martinez.

Before graduating from the Boston Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music in 1974, he played professionally with local and visiting artists. Following an engagement with Sylvia Syms, he was recruited to work with Mel Tormé, a partnership that would last nearly 25 years.

Trained classically from the time he was a child, Renzi says, “When I practice, I don’t play jazz, or show tunes. I play Bach fugues, Chopin waltzes, or a Beethoven sonata. I keep my hands in shape that way.”

Renzi owes his musical genius to those who came before him. He says he learned by listening to great pianists—Sergei Rachmaninoff, Earl Wild, Dave McKenna (who hailed from his hometown), Dick Hyman of Local 802, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Tommy Flanagan, Red Garland, Bud Powell, and Monty Alexander. He’s a big fan of Local 802 members Bill Charlap, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

Having developed his own hard bop style, Renzi became a much sought-after arranger over many years, establishing rapport with some of the greatest jazz soloists: Cynthia Crane, Freddy Cole, Blossom Dearie, Jack Jones, Eartha Kitt, and Peggy Lee, among others. He and Maureen McGovern have been frequent collaborators since 1981, when Mel Tormé first introduced them. Their CD, Pleasure of His Company, is one of his favorite recordings.

“I like to make colors and orchestra behind singers,” he says. “Accompaniment is a very beautiful thing for me. Words mean a lot to me and I know the lyrics to most of the songs I play. The words help me color the song, [to know] how I’m going to fill in a certain space, what kind of mood I’m going to try to create. The lyric and mood  help me pick my chord voicings, how I fill it in, and create an introduction and ending. I’m creating not for me, but for them—but vicariously, how I would like to be accompanied.”

Other pianists capitalize on Renzi’s experience, at times asking for direction on particular pieces. “Occasionally, professionals come by the house. They’ll bring in a song and ask how I’d play it and we’ll sit at the piano. I’ll spend two or three hours with them—almost like an informal clinic,” he says.

What’s most important, Renzi explains, is to have the taste and the skill to edit your own playing. “You can have all the chops and technique in the world, but you still have to edit and make musical sense out of it. A lot of people have so much technical facility—they play a million notes and it’s impressive, but the editing is important. You make that happen through improvisation—make it melodic and swinging. Everything in jazz and improvisation is articulation and time feel,” he says.

Stylistically, nothing defines the freedom and unpredictability of improvisation more than his three-year world tour with classic crooner Tony Bennett. The repertoire may not change, but the interpretation, the undercurrent of each song shifts to fit the mood of the audience. “We did the tour with Lady Gaga, which was fabulous. With Tony, you’re at the greatest venues—great theaters and high-end casinos. He was 87 when I joined him. He’s remarkable and still sounds great,” says Renzi.

A sign that he has no intention of completely retiring, Renzi and singer Nicolas King paired up to record the CD, On Another Note (2017) comprising Great American Songbook standards like “Skylark,” “The Way She Makes Me Feel,” “It Amazes Me,” “Love Is Here to Stay,”  and “On Second Thought.” The song “You Must Believe in Spring” from the album has been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Health, Resources

2018 Brings Group Health Insurance Plan and New Members to Local 257

Local 257 (Nashville, TN) President Dave Pomeroy (left) worked out a deal with RJ Stillwell of Sound Healthcare to offer reduced rate health insurance to Local 257 members who live in Tennessee.

In December, AFM Local 257 (Nashville, TN), working with longtime health insurance advocate RJ Stillwell and his company Sound Healthcare, introduced three Blue Cross Blue Shield group health insurance plans available to members. The plans are all ACA compliant—one HSA qualified bronze plan and two silver plans.

“The rates are very competitive and much better than most options out there,” says Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy. “This is something we have been discussing and working on for a long time. We are very excited it has finally come to fruition.”

This unique and exclusive plan is only available to Local 257 members in good standing who live in Tennessee. Because the Blue Cross Blue Shield network we are using is a nationwide PPO (Blue Network P), it will be especially helpful for touring musicians, as many marketplace ACA plans do not have coverage outside your local area, unless you have a life-threatening emergency.

Local 257 is also offering a reduced rate to join or reactivate during the membership drive in progress now through the end of March 2018. Currently, new and returning members can waive the local and Federation initiation and reinstatement fees when joining Local 257.

The combination of the 2018 membership drive and the new health care plan has resulted in a dramatic increase in member applications since the announcement in mid-November, with more than 100 new members already signed up. This member benefit is one more tangible thing that the Nashville Musicians Association offers its members. For many who have been on the fence about joining in the past, this is already proving to be the tipping point to finally join the AFM.

As our membership numbers increase, so does our collective voice, and this creates the rising tide that lifts all boats. Solidarity rules!

college band
Traveling Musician

Calling All College Students: If You Want a Career, Look to the AFM

A while back I had an opportunity to speak to students at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, about the business of music. It was an interesting experience. The questions were fast and furious. The energy and enthusiasm were contagious. Many of the students weren’t aware of the American Federation of Musicians and the benefits of being a member of the AFM going forward into a career in music.

The Crane Library not only features issues of the International Musician, but has many books about the AFM as well, and extensive reading material on careers in music. However, a lot of today’s college students don’t know the AFM exists. Being a member is an opportunity to be a part of something big. It’s an opportunity for networking, career advancement, pension, and a decent wage. College students who are going out into the world of music want to make a good living. They need guidance and support. Many aren’t aware of the benefits of a union contract. It can mean getting paid and paid fairly. It means not playing for free, for low pay, or for anything but a fair wage. For professional musicians, playing music is a living, not a hobby.

In AFM Organizing & Education Division Director Michael Manley’s IM article last month, he said “no one is impressed by underpaid work.” No one is impressed when you work for substandard wages, and working for “pay to play” or “exposure” does not lead to working with the influential first-call musicians, agents, promoters, and people with whom you hope to share the stage as your career develops.

You must know your worth, whether it is Broadway, symphonic, freelancing, recording, clubs, or onstage. Sometimes musicians need to know when to say “no.” AFM members are professionals. Playing music is how they make their living. Getting a living wage is paramount when you are a member of the AFM.

The International Musician will be at this year’s NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Music retailers, manufacturers, industry veterans, and music legends will be there, as well as some AFM officers. Music colleges from all over the country will be sending some of their students. Many of the educational sessions will talk about the benefits of the AFM. There is a wide range of opportunities in today’s music industry for music school graduates. The future of the AFM is with the young musicians of today. We have to look ahead.

If you’re a college student picking up this publication in your college library, it might be time to look into joining the AFM (if you’re not already a member.) Many of the locals offer a student membership. This is a great time to be a member!

Health of Orchestra Musicians
Recent News

OCSM Looks at the Health of Orchestra Musicians

by Robert Fraser, President Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians

When I began my studies many years ago, I had no idea of the physical hazards of musical performance. Overuse injuries, hearing loss, unsafe performance environments—these were all very new to me and there was relatively little research or remedy in this area. I had never even heard of the drug Inderal and was astonished when my first-year music history teacher mentioned in class how many musicians took it.

Fast-forward to 2018 and there is still much work to be done. While we continually work to improve our physical safety in the workplace, dangers to our personal well-being in the form of harassment still abound, and the demands of our profession can take a toll on our psychological health. In this column, I want to draw your attention to two significant surveys, both conducted in the UK but very relevant to our position in North America.

Early last month, a few news outlets reported on survey results released by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (www.ism.org), a UK-based organization. The survey is ongoing and can still be accessed through their website. I would invite readers to look at both the survey and the report on the initial period of responses from last November. The most telling statistic, and the one that was shared in all the press articles, is that almost 60% of the respondents reported some form of sexual harassment in their musical workplace, and of those 60%, a large majority of respondents who revealed their gender were female. (The survey gives respondents the option to not reveal gender or to choose  transgender; 71.71% identified as female and 10.53% chose not to identify gender.)

The report states that there were more than 250 voluntary respondents to the survey during this period. While this is not a large sample, it is telling nevertheless. It makes me wonder what the responses would be if such a survey was conducted through AFM player conference orchestras.

Another survey, done in 2016 by Help Musicians UK, was entitled Music Minds Matter (www.musicmindsmatter.org.uk) and it presents itself as being “the world’s largest known study of musicians’ mental health.” Of the 2,211 respondents, 71.1% believed they had experienced panic attacks and/or high levels of anxiety and 68.5% reported they had experienced depression—making musicians three times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the public at-large.

Respondents to the survey listed a number of reasons for ill mental heath.

To quote directly from the summary report:

  • Poor working conditions including: difficulty sustaining a living, anti-social working hours, exhaustion, and the inability to plan their time/future
  • A lack of recognition for one’s work and the welding of music and identity into one’s own idea of selfhood
  • The physical impacts of a musical career, such as musculoskeletal disorders
  • Issues related to being a woman in the industry—from balancing work and family commitments, to sexist attitudes, and even sexual harassment

In October 2017, a follow-up to the Music Minds Matter survey (Phase 2) included in-depth interviews with 26 of the survey’s respondents. Again, quoting from the report, three suggested areas for change were:

  • Education
  • A code of best practice
  • A mental health support service for those working in music

At the last OCSM Conference in August, the delegates adopted a resolution to address all three of these areas. We resolved to “encourage orchestra managers to become familiar with The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. This document can be found at the website of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. It is a daunting document (more than 70 pages), but I encourage all our members to find and download it. Point it out to your locals, your orchestra committees, and your human resources personnel. This is one area where union-management collaboration and cooperation is a must. Having research and well-documented plans for implementation will help, but the road to good mental health and safety in the workplace will not be easy.

On behalf of the 1,200 members of OCSM, I wish you all a prosperous and healthy 2018, and to my colleagues in the symphony world, an exciting second half of your season.

Pension Fund
Recent News

Pension Fund Information Update

As an officer of the Federation who is also a trustee of our Pension Fund, I am devoting this column to the Pension Fund. Like all of you, I am concerned about the safety of my pension and, like you, I am worried about the Pension Fund’s future. But I assure you that every member of the Board of Trustees is doing our best to protect and preserve the Pension Fund into the future. Please know that the opinion I express here is solely my own and I do not speak on behalf of the other trustees or the fund.

When I became a trustee in August 2010, the fund was beginning its efforts to rebalance its finances and repair the damage done by the 2007-2009 recession. On March 31, 2009, we had an $800 million gap between the pension benefits already earned by members—that is, our liabilities—and the market value of our assets. Over the next five years, the market value of the assets increased by $500 million to $1.8 billion, but our liabilities also increased, by $300 million to $2.4 billion, narrowing the gap between our assets and liabilities by only $200 million (from $800 million to $600 million). That is the single biggest issue facing the Pension Fund.

In 2014, our actuaries provided an Asset-Liability Modeling Study that showed that over a 20-year period, our liabilities were projected to increase dramatically, such that even if we achieved our 7.5% investment return assumption, our funded percentage would be below 50% by 2034 and there would be a serious risk of future insolvency. On the other hand, the study showed that an investment allocation with a higher investment return target would reduce the probability of future insolvency. After lengthy discussion, the trustees increased the allocation of investments to some with the potential for higher returns, recognizing that an investment mix with a higher return potential (albeit with accompanying higher volatility) reduced the probability of insolvency. One of the investments we hoped would give us part of the additional return did not achieve its expected results (although today it is one of the highest performing asset classes in the portfolio). This widened the gap.

So, we have a very serious imbalance in our finances. While there are other contributing factors that exacerbate our situation—the loss in union membership (and corresponding contributions) that mirrors the decline in our participant base; the aging of our population (common among all mature pension funds) reflected in the increase in pensioners and their longer lifespans; and the growing amount of work not done under union contract—the increasing size of this gap between assets and liabilities is the most critical problem we have to solve. Resolving it is essential to our survival.

As an International Executive Officer I participate fully in the AFM’s legislative and political activities. Matters concerning federal legislation are overseen by AFM President Ray Hair and his legislative aide, Alfonso Pollard. I have worked with them consistently regarding the pension bills that have already been submitted, including the Butch Lewis Act introduced by Sherrod Brown and endorsed by the Federation.  The Pension Fund’s actuaries are currently reviewing that bill to confirm that it would help the fund. If so, I will urge my fellow trustees to fully support the bill, and I have every reason to believe that they will enthusiastically do so.

In the meantime, absent new legislation, the only way to address the imbalance between our assets and liabilities is to reduce the liabilities in a manner consistent with current law: the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA). If the fund enters “critical and declining” status, the MPRA allows the trustees to apply to the Treasury Department for approval of an equitable plan of benefit reductions. Should such reductions become both necessary and legally allowable, that plan would be designed consistent with the strict requirements of the law to reduce benefits of those under 80 and those not disabled, but in no case below 110% of the PBGC guarantees. If a participant’s benefit is already below the PBGC guarantee, that benefit cannot be reduced further. 

Since it is unlikely at the moment that investment returns alone will resolve these funding issues, the other trustees and I must consider MPRA restructuring in order to preserve the Pension Fund, reducing benefits for some in order to maintain the viability of the fund for all. While once the fund could afford to pay the high benefits it promised to some of us, it can no longer afford to do that, and recognizing and addressing that fact appears at the moment to be the only option to preserve the fund and as much of our benefits as possible. Since benefit restructuring under the MPRA cannot reduce benefits below the PBGC guarantees, it is clearly preferable to relying on those PBGC guarantees, particularly in light of the PBGC’s own impending insolvency in 2025.

I urge all members to register on the Pension Fund’s website and carefully review the information we post there. We are committed to keeping you informed.

Detroit
Recent News

Detroit and Diversity—Working Toward Balanced Membership Involvement

by Susan Barna Ayoub Secretary-Treasurer Local 5 (Detroit, MI) and AFM Diversity Committee Member

It must qualify as some sort of pun that this article outlines the general state of inclusion and diversity today as a “mixed bag.”

Historically, Detroit musicians never had segregated white and black locals—a practice that was fairly common in large US cities until the 1960s when these locals merged. Often the members of the former black locals lost their treasuries and identity for the lack of a political champion and simply left the union. Local 5 (Detroit, MI) was fortunate to have no structural segregation; from the outset, we attempted to be musicians first, without other qualifiers.

It is worth noting that Detroit was one of the last “stops” on the Underground Railroad, allowing slaves to escape to Canada. Tours are regularly held at Detroit’s Second Baptist Church and First Congregational Church. Today, a number of Local 5 members point to these congregations with pride, calling them home.

In the October 2017 International Musician, both AFM Symphonic Services Director Rochelle Skolnick and ROPA Secretary Karen Sandene reported on the support shown by the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA) in furthering the cause of diversity and inclusion. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has an African-American fellowship position for musicians who might otherwise find opportunities scarce.

Former fellow Joshua Jones says, “The program was what I needed to further my education in the field of orchestral performance. While school helps you grow as a student, the transition one must go through to become a professional is not really facilitated unless you are working in the field. Being a part of the DSO for that period of time was very influential in my personal transition from student to professional, and the people involved guided me through it every step of the way.”

Today, Local 5’s progress is undeniable. In addition to the full-time officers, the board comprises a globe-trotting former member of Mahavishnu Orchestra, also recognized as a Motown musician; a former member of DSO; a freelance drummer and teacher; a former music director for Anita Baker, Martha Reeves, and Etta James; theater musicians; a former member of Stan Kenton’s band; and a freelance oboist who works in cyber security for one of the Detroit “Big Three” automakers. It is fantastic to have that range of experience in our leadership. The other good news is that two women were recently elected—a first for us.

Looking ahead, we hope to achieve greater balanced involvement, especially from the young members and from sectors in our union’s cultural base that have rarely led our local. Indeed, at least 150 different languages are spoken in Detroit area homes—many of which are represented in our membership.

I’ve given you some of the “good stuff,” but let’s be clear: It has been 50 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. There is palpable progress in the revitalization of Detroit’s metropolitan area that has brought about the beginning of a true expansion of neighborhood integration into the central city and suburbs. Still, the historical reality of this local musicians’ union is that it exists in an area that was torn apart by riots. It continues to have the reputation of being the most racially polarized metropolitan area in the US today.

At the beginning of 2018, we are sorely in need of an expanded appreciation for all of us. The fight for LGBT rights has scored substantial victories in the past 20 years; however, there is no federal antidiscrimination law, leaving some people without protection. Racism has reared its ugly head in a more open way than I can remember since my teen years in the 1960s. The 21st century chapter of the feminist movement is quickly gaining momentum. Hitting close to home for me: since 9/11, Americans of Middle Eastern descent (such as my husband, also a Local 5 member) have had to learn what it means to be FWL (flying while Lebanese), an expansion of the unfortunate but true DWB (driving while black) acronym.

Simply put: as a country, we are in danger of normalizing disrespect and suspicion of “the other” (political and otherwise), shrinking from the concept of nonviolent protest, and losing our free press. If we do not want to lose our rights and our ethics, we need to stand together as union brothers and sisters. We must protect the principles of humanity that we have all fought to obtain. It is the most powerful way to build trust. We cannot work together if we don’t value one another’s welfare.

It is my honor, as Detroit’s Secretary-Treasurer, to work on behalf of the entire membership of the AFM on its Diversity Committee.

Recent News

Multi-Card Member Rebates

Effective January 1, 2018, members who belonged to three or more AFM Locals throughout 2017 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. (Members pay their Federation per capita dues as a portion of their local annual dues. The local forwards the member’s per capita dues to the Federation. Only the Federation’s portion of the annual dues will be rebated).

According to Article 9, Section 16, of the AFM Bylaws, the rebate is only available to members who held simultaneous memberships in three or more locals for the full calendar year. No rebates are available to members who held membership in fewer than three locals. The rebate will only be given for membership in the third local (and each additional local above three, if any). Members will not be given rebates for dual membership.

Under the rebate program, membership in a base of two locals must be established in order for a member to qualify for a rebate. The AFM Secretary-Treasurer’s Office has determined that a musician’s membership in his or her “home local” and the subsequent local of longest tenure shall be designated as the two base locals. The Secretary-Treasurer’s Office will then rebate the appropriate per capita dues for membership in the third local and any other local(s) beyond three to which a member belonged for the entire 2017 calendar year. The amount rebated will be determined by the amount of per capita dues the member paid for AFM membership in a third local and any other locals beyond three.

To petition for a Multi-Card Member Rebate, members should fill out the form below and return it to the AFM Secretary-Treasurer’s Office together with copies of all their paid-up 2017 membership cards, receipts of cancelled checks for annual dues from all locals, OR a letter from each local stating that the petitioner was a member in good standing of the local for all of 2017.

No rebates will be issued until the AFM Secretary-Treasurer’s Office verifies that petitioning members held continuous membership in three or more locals for the full prior year of 2017.

No rebates will be issued until after March 1, 2018.

Petition for 2017 Multi-Card Rebate

Regular Members – $66; Life Members – $50; Inactive Life Members – $44

Article 5, Section 47(a) & 47(b) of AFM Bylaws

Under the terms of Article 9, Section 16, of AFM Bylaws, I am hereby requesting a rebate of 2017 per capita dues paid to the Federation.

Name:________________________________________________________

                                              (First)                               (Last)        

                  

Social Security or Social Insurance Number:
_____________________________________________________________

I belonged to the following locals for the entire 2017 calendar year:

Local:_________________________   Local:_________________________

                                                   (Number)                                                                                      (Number)

Local:_________________________   Local:_________________________

                                                   (Number)                                                                                      (Number)

Local:_________________________   Local:_________________________

                                                   (Number)                                                                                      (Number)

Please include with this petition copies of all paid-up 2017 membership cards, receipts of cancelled checks for annual dues from all locals, or a letter from each local stating that you were a member in good standing of the local for all of 2017.  Allow six to eight weeks to process your rebate.

Return to: American Federation of Musicians; Secretary-Treasurer’s Office; Multi-Card Rebate Program; 1501 Broadway, Suite 600; New York, NY 10036   Attention: Diane DePiro

Recent News

AFM EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

AFM National Lead Organizer

American Federation of Musicians of the United States & Canada (AFM), AFL-CIO

Location: New York City, with the ability to travel within the US and Canada.

Purpose: In collaboration with the Director of Organizing and Education, the Lead Organizer will research, plan, and implement internal and external organizing campaigns in various sectors of professional music at the national and local level. The Lead Organizer will assist with the planning and execution of all union organizing education initiatives.

Primary responsibilities

  • Design and direct external organizing efforts, with an emphasis on grass-roots,
    community-based, leverage campaigns
  • Plan and lead internal organizing campaigns, including contract campaigns, rank-and-file leadership development, member education, strike support, etc.
  • Identify and develop leaders, organizing committees, volunteer member teams, and rank-and-file activists
  • Work with national and local leadership and staff in conjunction with all research and communications, as well as political and legal aspects of campaigns
  • Cultivate relationships with community, labor, and political leaders, as well as organizations

Primary qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree, and at least 3-5 years of experience in leading union organizing
    campaigns, and/or community organizing campaigns, including the design and development of campaign work plans
  • Knowledge of basic principles and practices of union organizing and a thorough knowledge of labor laws
  • Experience with strategic campaign planning and execution
  • Knowledge of labor education program planning and development; ability to conduct training sessions
  • Ability to travel
  • Ability to work independently while coordinating efforts with national and local staff and leaders
  • Experience with, and knowledge of, collective bargaining and organizational management
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
  • Excellent verbal and written skills
  • Ability to work under pressure and prioritize tasks
  • Commitment to workers’ rights and social justice
  • Familiarity with the music and/or the entertainment industry is a plus, but not required
  • Basic computer skills and a knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

The AFM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Salary is commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits package.

Send cover letter and resume no later than February 15, 2018 to: Cynthia Pellegrino, Director of Human Resources: cpellegrino@afm.org or fax:  212-214-0807

The AFM represents more than 80,000 musicians in 200 locals in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico and forms part of the heart and soul of the labor movement. The AFM has national offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Toronto.