Musicians Union 'Hasn't Turned On Our Core Issues' With Studios, Sets Date To Resume Negotiations

After negotiating a new contract with film and television producers over the past 10 days, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the 70,000-member union that represents musicians in orchestras and on-air shows, “has not resolved our core issues” and will continue negotiations later this month, according to a statement issued on Monday (5 February) by Tino Gagliardiinternational president and chief negotiator of the association.

“The time is now,” says Gagliardi Advertising sign above Zoom. “The business model has changed and the way we are compensated must reflect that.”

Echoing the Hollywood writers' and actors' unions, which are striking for months in 2023 before ending their contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the AFM identified its main issues as higher compensation, improved residual stream payments, better health care and protection from artificial intelligence (AI). On the latter issue, Gagliardi said in Monday's statement that protecting AI is necessary “so our audio and/or image cannot be recorded or used without consent, credit and compensation.”

Gagliardi adds to Advertising sign: “I will continue to fight and we will continue our argument for fair treatment of musicians until we actually reach an agreement. Am I sure we will get one? I'm never confident. It's up to them to show me they're willing to do a deal.”

AMPTP representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Members of the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and other Hollywood unions have supported AFM since contract negotiations began with January 22 rally at the AMPTP offices in Sherman Oaks, California.

The writers' and actors' unions' 2023 deals with AMPTP make Gagliardi hopeful of an AFM deal in time. “Solidarity in entertainment unions is very solid this time,” he says, “unlike some of the issues we've had in the past.”

At the January rally, Teamsters Local 399 secretary-treasurer Lindsay Dougherty told a crowd of union supporters: “We learned a hard, long lesson last year that we had to be together from day one. That's going to be the difference in this fight for musicians, is that we're all in this industry together.”

Negotiations will resume on February 21 and 22, according to Gagliardi.