Last Month at the Local
This past month President Bertolet and Secretary-Treasurer Apana attended the AFM Southern Conference and the AFM Convention.
The AFM Southern Conference is made up of representatives of 34 AFM Locals in the southeast; Secretary-Treasurer Apana currently serves as the Conference's Vice President. The Conference meets for two days every year to network and discuss areas of mutual concern. This summer, the conference heard reports from AFM President Hair and AFM Secretary-Treasurer Folio and an extensive presentation from AFM Theater/Touring Director Michael Manley on issues of concern in the theater industry. The delegates also engaged in break-out forums where they discussed issues such as officer succession, member retention, getting quorums for meetings, and addressing concerns of all musicians, regardless of membership (most Locals in the conference are in right-to-work states). Additionally, we had opportunities to network with delegates from the Orlando and Jacksonville Locals to discuss issues such as musicians traveling from jurisdiction to jurisdiction within Florida. We also discussed sharing information during contract negotiations and standardizing minimum wage scales throughout Florida.
The Conference was followed this year by the AFM Convention, which takes place every three years. Delegates from all Locals of the AFM attend the Convention, where they establish policies for the AFM and elect our international officers. The Convention was also preceded by workshops presented by AFM staff, discussing issues such as contract negotiations, organizing, right to work, and our legislative program. Some of the issues addressed at this summer's convention included equal pay for orchestral subs and extras, officer training, online ratification for contracts, and competition from traveling engagements. Earlier this year, Local 655 made a resolution to the Convention to address orchestral residencies. Apana and Bertolet spoke to the AFM Law Committee about the impact an orchestral residency has had on the musicians of south Florida. The Law Committee was swayed by the testimony to the degree that they felt our resolution did not go far enough to address the impact to the local community. The resolution was referred to the International Executive Board with full authority to act as they feel best to address this important issue.
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