ROPA 2025 Conference ReportReport on the 42nd Annual ROPA Conference Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – July 29 – July 31, 2025 Laura Winters, Delegate The ROPA conference took place in Philadelphia this summer from July 28 to August 1st. It was a pleasure to represent the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra at this event. This year the general mood was somber due to current political and economic events. The closure of the Southwest Florida and Eastern Music Festival are some examples. However, the group remains hopeful and committed to fighting for fair wages and better working conditions for all musicians. I came away from the conference determined to work towards creating a stronger union here in South Florida.
Day 1 Highlights: On the first day of the conference, keynote speaker, attorney Jordan Konell, made a point that struck home to me; “If one part accepts substandard wages, recognition,and working conditions it sets a standard that weakens us all.” We need to resist this tendency and build solidarity with other locals and industries. The fight for a fair wage extends to all. Also on the first day, Bob Bruno presented a workshop; “Mobilizing the membership.”which included a clear rundown of the challenges and threats that we are under. For example, the Trump administration has cancelled thousands of Collective Bargaining Agreements, and less than 5% of union members are active. Many American workers have grown complacent under the belief in American exceptionalism. We don’t believe in collective action due to our culture of self made individualism. In spite of these challenges, Bruno believes that there are many reasons for a resurgence of the labor movement. First, workers are worked up, strikes are happening and are effective and new labor groups are forming. Public approval of the labor movement is high, however, young people don’t feel that they fit in. We need to reach out to younger workers on tangible issues, such as the fact that wealth disparity is dramatically increasing. We have to sell how the labor movement built our country and prove that labor movements are the best defenders of democracy. Other sessions included the presentation of the third annual Nathan Kahn Award, which is for
outstanding contributions to professionalism,
diversity, and solidarity among orchestral performers. This year it was awarded to the Philly
Pops, an orchestra with an incredible comeback story. During the MAL (Member-at-Large) Breakout sessions we meet in smaller groups with similar orchestras. Each delegate presented a report and we were able to discuss trends and issues as a group. Day 2 Highlights: The second day began with a presentation by Alana Wiesing, chair of the ROPA EDI Workgroup (Alana Wiesing, chair) The Workgroup is actively working on developing resources and strategies related to unconscious bias training, audition guidelines, tenure review guidelines, fellowships, contract language, an EDI data chart, and an EDI advocacy survey, with the goal of integrating these resources into ROPA orchestras and future collective bargaining agreements (CBAs); and A key objective of the Workgroup is to involve at least one musician from every ROPA orchestra, fostering broader participation and impact in advancing EDI initiatives. I will be issuing a call for a member of our orchestra to join this group. Next, Lisa Davis, administrator of the ROPA Conductor Evaluation Bank, discussed the importance of completing the conductor evaluations and Debbie Newmark, Director of Symphonic Electronic Media spoke about the IMA negotiations that will begin this fall. The agreement expires on June 30, 2026. The afternoon sessions included Connections That Count, a panel discussion featuring Ben Waxman, Representative, District 182 of the Pennsylvania House Of Representatives; Evan Kassof, Organizer, Philadelphia AFL-CIO; and Marjorie Goldberg, Vice President, AFM Local 77; Carmella Green, Labor & Community Liaison for Philadelphia Councilmember. The discussion included ten tips for lobbying and best practices for lobby meetings. During the AFM Secretary-Treasurer’s Address – Ken Shirk, AFM Secretary Treasurer spoke of the need for stronger union alliances which can help strengthen bargaining power and legislative influence across multiple entertainment sectors. AFM now has a fully staffed organizing department with a strong plan to organize and redevelop the freelance sector where union density is weaker. Call to action: members must engage politically to protect the arts and workers' rights. Naomi Bensdorf Frisch, ROPA Legal Counsel, and Karen Suarez Flint, Secretary-Treasurer, Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208 gave a powerful presentation: Detection, Intervention, and Prevention: The union member's role in addressing employee conflict and creating safe and inclusive workplaces. The law protects employees from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. The discussion included the implementation of an app; #NotMe, which is a new platform for reporting workplace misconduct. Musicians can report issues on the app and be directed to the appropriate department of the AFM. The
second day ended with a business meeting including Officer
reports and resolutions which can be
seen here: 2025 ROPA
Conference Resolutions. The
first resolution included an increase in the annual dues of $120. This is the first increase in several years
and it was discussed in length. A clause was added which would allow orchestras
experiencing hardship to apply to have the increase spread out over three
years. All open board positions were elected by
acclamation, and I assumed the role of member at large. Day 3 Highlights: Day three started with a workshop on musician’s health: Protecting the Musician’s Mind and Body, by Christine Guptill, Professeure agrégée, École de réadaptation, Université d’Ottawa. For this workshop the presenter covered information on musicians’ mental and physical health issues, encouragement to engage in occupational therapy, and the importance of safety in the workplace. Next, Rochelle Skolnick presented; Leadership Roles: Becoming an Orchestra Committee Member or a Union Officer; and Key Legal Cases for our Union. This presentation included information about alarming changes to the National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, and how this may impact us. More information can be found on page 13 of the International Musician, August 2025. The afternoon session included Orchestra Spotlights including Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, and Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. The 2026 ROPA conference will be held in Dallas, Texas. Call to action regarding workplace safety and harassment : Here is a link to the AFM Code of Conduct and information on #NotMe app: https://www.afm.org/code-of-conduct/ |