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.
October 22, 2015
IM -WAGE Act Would Strengthen and Protect Workers — Leading democrats are calling for passage of the Workplace Action for a Growing Economy (WAGE) Act introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington, DC) and Representative Bobby Scott (D-Virginia). The bill would ament the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935 to solidify and strengthen worker protections for all workers, union or not. The American workplace has changed dramatically since the labor law was reformed to constrain worker power and then “frozen.”
Under the proposed legislation union organizers would be protected. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who is helping to lead the push for its passing, says that labor rules “for too long have been rigged against working people” and called the measure “a critical first step in addressing both a changing economy and labor laws that have failed to keep up with a changing workplace.”