Month: July 2026

If you did not pay your Annual Dues in full, please note that the second installment is now due. Please check your print/e-mail newsletter for your balance due. If you have difficulty paying your dues, please contact us as we understand the difficulties musicians face and are happy to work with you. Thank you! New READ MORE

2026 is an election year for AFM Local 655 officers. The positions up for election for the 2027-2029 term are: President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and six Directors. Nominations and voting  are by mail. Candidates are nominated by written petition signed by the nominee and five additional members. A sample nomination petition can be found at: www.afm655.org/elections/petition.htm   READ MORE

Last month Palm Beach Opera held auditions for trumpet, violin, and cello. We welcome trumpeter Rob McCabe, violinist Yilian Conception, and cellist Peter Pao to the orchestra! Thanks go to the audition committee members who listened to all of the candidates. The Palm Beach Opera Orchestra committee held several meetings last month to draft a READ MORE

Unions and Professional Athletes A union for professional athletes? Why would someone making huge sums of money need a union? In fact, actors, doctors, performing artists, and athletes are union members in higher percentages than other occupations. Major League baseball players, possibly one of the most exploited groups of workers, began their quest for union READ MORE

The AFL-CIO announced at its thirtieth Constitutional Convention that it reached its organizing goal ahead of schedule. In 2022 the labor federation pledged to organize one million new workers by 2032, and it met that goal in only three years. The AFL-CIO has now pledged to organize another two million workers by 2032.

An analysis by The Wrap reports that Hollywood executive compensation rose 51 percent last year. The top 18 executives earned $746 million last year. The Department of Education has proposed the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule. The rule would judge higher education programs by graduates’ earnings, comparing them to median READ MORE