Core Issues Not Resolved – Billboard

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 line with an announcement 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 way in which we’re compensated must mirror 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 towards synthetic intelligence (AI). To the latter problem, Gagliardi stated 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 struggle and we’re going to proceed our argument for honest 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 looking forward to a well timed AFM deal. “The solidarity within the leisure guilds may be very strong this time round,” he says, “not like a few of the points we’ve had previously.”

On the January rally, Teamsters Native 399 secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty informed a crowd of union supporters: “We discovered a tough, lengthy lesson final yr that we needed to be collectively since day one. That’s going to be the distinction going into this struggle for the musicians, is that we’re all collectively on this trade.” 

Negotiations will resume Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, in line with Gagliardi.