Maybe you remember the Local 47 “Why Union?” campaign from several years ago? It featured individual members’ photos with a quote about what “ the union” meant to them.
I know why I joined our American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada over 40 years ago and have proudly maintained my membership ever since. When I graduated from college and began looking for work, my former teacher offered a crucial piece of advice: I had to be a union member in order to get the “good gigs.” They were right then, and that truth remains 40-plus years later. But most of you already know that.
What remains a mystery to me, however, is why some musicians choose to remain dedicated members throughout their lives while others resign the moment their work slows or they put their instruments in their cases for the last time. I know that being part of a union is about so much more than just getting work; it is about building a sustainable, lifelong career as well as protecting the future of our musical community.
Beyond guaranteeing fair wages and standard working conditions, our union secures important long-term benefits. Through collective bargaining, we participate in a defined benefit pension plan, our AFM-EPF, which offers lifelong retirement security that individual savings alone often cannot match. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to register for one of the online webinar presentations offered by the pension fund. Check your inbox for the email which the Fund sent directly to musicians last month. There are multiple dates/times available to register for this opportunity to learn about the Fund and ask your specific questions. Use this link to access participant Information directly from the Fund’s website.
Additionally, standing together allows us to have health benefits and advocate for fair, humane schedules—ensuring that musicians do not have to burn out or sacrifice their mental and physical health just to sustain a career. See the separate article in this Overture about the significant reporting improvements made to the Local 47 Health & Welfare plan.
Our AFM national media contracts offer protections when your work is used beyond the initial format. Those of you with mature careers understand that over time, the cumulative value of residuals, royalties, and new use licensing payments far outstrips the initial session wages that you received.
But still, why did recently deceased member Elisabeth Waldo maintain her Local 47 member for 87 years, continuously from 1939 until her death in April of this year? Aside from playing several seasons with the LA Philharmonic back in the early 1940’s, she was a composer, performer and pedagogue focused on pre-Columbian instruments and never pursued commercial success. She didn’t have to be a member of our union, still she maintained her membership until her death at age 107.
See her New York Times obituary here.
Why are you a member of our AFM? What do you gain from your membership with Local 47?
What do you contribute to our community?
Ultimately, our union has endured for over 100 years. In March of 2027, we will celebrate a historic milestone: 130 years as an AFM Local. For the timeline please go to afm47.org/about/history.html Throughout our long history—moving from our foundational buildings in Downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood, and now to Burbank—one truth has remained constant: our members are the union.
Even when our active performing days come to an end, remaining connected and maintaining membership supports the next generation of players who are fighting on the front lines for fair contracts, workplace dignity, and essential benefits. Our collective strength, shared vision, and unwavering solidarity behind the scenes truly sustain all of us—past, present, and future.