The Local 802 delegates to the AFM convention with Local 802 President Dan Point. From left: Sarah Haines, Bud Burridge, Karen Fisher, Dan Point, Martha Hyde, Diva Goodfriend-Koven and Morris Kainuma.

The 103^rd AFM convention of the United States and Canada was held from June 19-23^rd in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Although I’ve been an officer at Local 802 since 2019, this was my first convention, and I found it both exhausting and energizing. I’m still a bit in awe of the enormous amount of work the delegates accomplished over a brief four days.

With 42 resolutions up for consideration, there was plenty to discuss and digest. I’m still processing everything, but I’d like to share some thoughts while matters are fresh in my mind.

If anyone went to Ottawa thinking it was going to be a vacation, they would have been in for a shock. This was a working convention, with full days of speeches, presentations, debates, and committee meetings that met well into the night. It was great to reunite with fellow officers I’ve known for years as well as meeting others for the first time. Officers from Locals large and small showed up prepared, acted with intention, and took the proceedings seriously. As one would expect when there are 42 resolutions on the table, there was plenty of spirited discussion and little time for small talk. We were all there with one serious goal- to discuss and consider the current state and future of our Federation.

As ours is a democratic union, we were also there to elect officers. Those  officers now have the responsibility of guiding us all through the next three years. Except for one seat from Canada, we have an entirely new IEB. The delegates from the U.S. are from Baltimore, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Orange County, California. I know all these people well, and we have shared ideas and concerns about the direction of the AFM over many years. I am confident that they will be leading our union with wisdom and integrity.

There was also a seismic shift in the position of vice president, the only contested senior officer seat. Dr. Karen Suarez-Flint from Chicago won handily over the incumbent. Dr. Suarez-Flint is the first woman to be elected to a senior officer position in the AFM in the over 130 years of our existence. I am optimistic that Karen and the new IEB will speak up loudly and clearly for all our members across the US and Canada, as well as for new initiatives that will move the Federation forward in a positive direction.

As I noted in our June 24 membership meeting, notably missing on this new IEB is Local 802. In fact, the three biggest locals, NY, LA, and Montreal have no (direct) representation on the IEB. This fact shouldn’t change much in our daily lives, but it should give all of us in NYC reason to pause. During the convention, I had a chance to speak with dozens of delegates from locals of all sizes. While we all face many of the same issues and existential threats, large locals like ours often face much different challenges than the small and mid sized locals. Local 802 is singular in more ways than our size. We not only have more individual members and bargaining units to serve, but our local has exponentially more contracts to handle, a relatively large budget to manage and protect, and a staff of 55 to oversee. During many of the debates, I got the feeling that we at Local 802 face a much different reality than the other delegates.

Another realization that became crystal clear to me in Ottawa is that what happens in Local 802 doesn’t stay in Local 802. There are local officers 3,000 miles away who know more about our local (and our building*) than many of our members. I promise you that they are all watching us. The health of Local 802 is a barometer of the health of the AFM as a whole, and it benefits our entire AFM membership when we do well. We are very fortunate in that we have many and varied human and financial assets. But as they say, with great wealth comes great responsibility. It is incumbent upon us to keep up the good work and to help our sister AFM locals with the wisdom and strength that can only be earned through decades of experience. Although our resources are continuously overcommitted, we still need to show up, broadcast our victories better, and lead the way.

Resolutions (not the New Year’s kind)

A few resolutions specifically affect our symphony orchestras. Resolution 1 (passed unanimously) dealt with an optional increase to the AFM symphony and opera orchestra strike fund contributions. It will allow participating orchestras to raise their contribution level to the AFM strike fund if they so choose, as well as increase the distribution level of strike benefits to each participating orchestra member should there be a strike or lockout. The Local 802 orchestras that participate in the fund are the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, the NY Philharmonic, and the NYC Ballet.

Resolution 22 mandated federation officer attendance at player conferences. The player conferences only happen once a year. They provide the only avenue for most rank and file members to have direct access to AFM officers and staff. It is equally important for our AFM officers to stay connected with our player conferences, hear their concerns, and show their support by attending. Resolution 22 was adopted (with some slight clarification to the original wording).

Not specific to orchestral musicians, Resolution 6, submitted by ROPA, lowered the multi-card rebate eligibility threshold from membership in three or more locals to two or more locals. Currently, if you belong to three or more locals, you can apply to the AFM for a rebate of the per capita paid to the AFM on your behalf after joining the third local. This bylaw lowers that number to two (or more). Many of our members work in multiple jurisdictions, and my hope is this will provide an incentive to increase membership in all our locals.

Contract negotiations

Finally, I want to report on the conclusion of two negotiations. After being stalled for many months, Local 802 and the Little Orchestra Society reached an agreement on a new, three year contract. We were able to secure an increase in wages of 4% in each of years two and three of the agreement as well as increases in health benefits and improved working conditions.

Negotiations with the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center (formerly Mostly Mozart) concluded with detailed changes to the structure of the season as well as increases in wages, health benefits, clothing allowance, longevity pay, cartage, and chamber music. Negotiations were prolonged by a few factors, notably the fact that Lincoln Center is building a state-of-the-art band shell in Damrosch Park. To allow some flexibility to both Lincoln Center and the musicians, we negotiated terms into the contract that will permit the orchestra to take center stage there once it opens while protecting our indoor concert series.

Another significant change was the addition of the librarian to the roster. There is also new, detailed language regarding the hiring of subs and extras, as well as a large bump in pay and mileage for educational services.

Separately, Lincoln Center and the AFM Symphonic Services Department recently concluded negotiations on the terms for use of the media wall at Geffen Hall, which will increase the musicians’ total pay when it is used to stream concerts.

Both the Little Orchestra Society and Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center orchestra committees did a wonderful job holding their ground and making solid arguments for the contractual improvements we were able to achieve. When you see these colleagues, please express your thanks. It’s never easy to sit across the table from your employer, and our 802 committees always step up and get the job done.

Lastly…

• For an update on our building, Dan Point covers it in his president’s report, which is based on his presentation at the June 24 membership meeting. Also related to the building, a motion from the Executive Board from its June 30 meeting will be published after those minutes are approved.
• Finally, the most recent Local 802 health fund financials have been published; here’s where you can find them.