AFM members step up efforts to secure a fair contract, gain parity, and end structural racism. Today, the musicians who perform and make music for television shows such as the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Dancing with the Stars, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! delivered a letter to the entertainment industry’s major television networks demanding fair wages, […]
This Labor Day weekend, whether you’re at a barbecue, a picnic or a parade, let your friends and family know: Unions make us stronger. Nearly four months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act, a comprehensive COVID-19 relief bill that would provide extended unemployment insurance benefits, hazard pay, an emergency infectious disease […]
Creative professionals and musicians continue to experience extreme, sustained financial losses and need increased federal COVID-19 economic relief. The nearly 12 million workers employed by the industry were the first to lose work, and will likely be the last to return. Since March 2020: 95% of live events have been cancelled due to COVID-19. 96% […]
The Knoxville Symphony Society’s notice on August 24, 2020 to furlough orchestra musicians without pay for five months violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and the American Federation of Musicians, Local 546 (Knoxville Musicians Association). Musicians have filed grievances to fight the decision and secure contractually guaranteed pay. “This decision […]
The International Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) has announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election. In announcing the union’s endorsement, AFM International President Raymond M. Hair, Jr. issued the following statement: “For musicians who are concerned about providing for themselves and […]
After a month and a half of the HEROES Act sitting untouched in Mitch McConnell’s lap, the Senate majority leader has finally proposed his own woefully inadequate proposal. Mitch McConnell’s proposal does NOTHING for America’s workers. In fact, it offers: $0 for the Postal Service ✉️ $0 for state and local governments ️ $0 for hazard […]