2026 Annual Dues Now Payable: Please send your checks before the end of January to avoid late fees or suspension of membership. You may also make semiannual payments by paying half in January and half in July. Please contact the office if you have questions or need more time to pay, and please send checks READ MORE
Month: January 2026
Last Month at the Local
Last month musicians who perform for both Palm Beach Symphony and Florida Grand Opera fought back after contractor Alfredo Oliva threatened to punish them for performing for the Opera. The musicians contacted Local officers, who promptly gave them advice and let them know their rights. Taking this advice, the musicians made the Palm Beach Symphony READ MORE
New Employee Assistance Program for Members
In addition to the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), members now have an employee assistance program through Union First. Union First is committed to protecting your job by providing behavioral health and advocacy services. Their program is an employee assistance service that provides job protection and behavioral health services to union members, public READ MORE
Membership Benefits
The Music Performance Trust Fund has grants available for the current fiscal year. MPTF will again be fully-funding single-musician performances at senior centers in our jurisdiction, in addition to their regular funding. If you are interested in securing funding for a senior center performance, or wish to apply for a grant for other free, public READ MORE
That Union Thing
Workers at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago will now be represented by AFSCME. AFSCME launched its Cultural Workers United organizing campaign in 2020 and now represents 50,000 workers at places such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Newberry Library. Workers at the Chicago Botanical Garden are also seeking union representation. Inflation and other READ MORE
Local and Industry News
Artists are claiming that the Kennedy Center is late in paying them. Several artist representatives have stated that months have gone without a check. Several have noted that staffers who handled their bookings are no longer working for the Kennedy Center so they are unable to get a response regarding their late payments. Broadway saw READ MORE