After negotiating a brand new contract with movie and TV producers for the final 10 days, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the 70,000-member union that represents musicians in orchestras and on-air performances, has “not resolved our core points” and can proceed negotiations later this month, in response to a press release put out Monday (Feb. 5) by Tino Gagliardi, the union’s worldwide president and chief negotiator.
“The time is now,” Gagliardi tells Billboard over Zoom. “The enterprise mannequin has modified, and the best way we’re compensated must replicate that.”
Echoing the Hollywood writers and actors unions, which went on strike for months in 2023 earlier than resolving their contracts with the Alliance of Movement Photos and Tv Producers (AMPTP), the AFM recognized its prime points as larger compensation, improved streaming residual funds, higher healthcare and protections in opposition to synthetic intelligence (AI). To the latter subject, Gagliardi mentioned in Monday’s assertion that AI protections are obligatory “so our sound and/or picture can’t be captured or used with out consent, credit score, and compensation.”
Gagliardi provides to Billboard: “I’m going to proceed to combat and we’re going to proceed our argument for truthful remedy for musicians till we truly come to a deal. Am I assured we’re going to get one? I’m by no means assured. It’s as much as them to indicate me that they’re prepared to make a deal.”
AMPTP reps didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Members of the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and different Hollywood unions have been supporting the AFM since contract negotiations started with a Jan. 22 rally on the workplaces of the AMPTP in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
The writers and actors unions’ 2023 agreements with the AMPTP make Gagliardi longing for a well timed AFM deal. “The solidarity within the leisure guilds may be very stable this time round,” he says, “not like among the points we’ve had prior to now.”
On the January rally, Teamsters Native 399 secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty informed a crowd of union supporters: “We realized a tough, lengthy lesson final 12 months that we needed to be collectively since day one. That’s going to be the distinction going into this combat for the musicians, is that we’re all collectively on this business.”
Negotiations will resume Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, in response to Gagliardi.
Supply hyperlink