ROPA 2026 Conference Report

• Keynote speech by Lorraine Montemayor, the Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO
• Building unity is not easy. It takes trust, discipline, listening to one another, and it means making sure everyone is moving in the same direction, even when it’s hard. It’s about showing up for one another. It’s about practice, commitment, and trusting the people standing beside you.
• What we do is important, and it’s worth fighting for. We don’t stand alone.
• The ask: pledge today to talk with coworkers, family, and neighbors about the midterm elections.
• Presentation of the fourth annual Nathan Kahn Award for outstanding contributions to professionalism, diversity, and solidarity among orchestral performers, awarded to Jane Owen, former oboist with the Fort Worth Symphony and current AFM negotiator for many of our ROPA orchestras.
• Legal Landscape – Naomi Bensdorf Frisch, ROPA Legal Counsel, Partner at Asher, Gitler and D’Alba, LTD, Chicago
• Learned about the different types of law and what the court’s role is in interpreting the law
• Statues that apply to orchestra workplace: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Title VII, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and various wage and hour laws
• Relevant Executive Orders: 11246 (equal opportunity hiring practices) rescinded by the president in 2025; Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing; Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government; Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy; 14281 (eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federal civil rights laws, and basic American ideals –affects our diversity fellowships and DEI initiatives)
• Topic Breakouts:

• ROPA Reports
• ROPA EDI Workgroup - Alana Wiesing, chair
• The primary focus continues to be the development of practical resources that orchestras can adapt to strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusion within their own organizations and, where appropriate, incorporate intofuture collective bargaining agreements.
• 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.
• ROPA EDI Workgroup Report
• ROPA Conductor Evaluation Bank - Lisa Davis, Administrator
• As delegates, it’s our job to make sure that we do orchestra evaluations on all guest conductors. Everything is done online. Only managers can request evaluations from the Bank to limit ROPA and musician liability.
• ROPA Leading Tone Editor - Judy Naillon
• We need people to write articles, even a few sentences will do. We want updates from all of our orchestras. Looking for someone to replace her as editor. We use Canva to put together the publication, which is very easy to use.
• Player conference reports: TMA, RMA, ICSOM, OCSM, and the newly organized FMA (Freelance Musicians Association)
• FMA Report
• ICSOM Report
• OCSM resources discussed:
• Matt Heller interview with Ruth Budd: https://ocsmomosc.org/index.php/en/news
• Film Dear Lara: https://www.dearlara.film/
• Connections That Count: Effective Networking Across Constituencies - Stewart Williams, President, AFM Local 72-147; Martine Elyse Philippe, Director of the Office of Arts and Culture, Dallas; Amy Bishop, Midday Host and Marketing Manager, WRR and KERA Dallas; Diana Ramirez, Executive Director, North Texas Area Labor Federation
• “Social prescribing” like Arts on Prescription and Culture RX
• Take opportunities for collaboration with other organizations in your city: MPTF, community performances, musicians at city events, etc. Build communications acrossyour city
• Be thoughtful and strategic about mentoring young professionals in our industry to protect them from predatory contracts and practices
• AFM President’s – Tino Gagliardi, President of the AFM
• Welcomed new IEB, thanked SSD
• New organizers hired, new negotiators
• Highlighted struggles of the Dayton Philharmonic
• AFM Legislative and Political Report - Ben Kessler, AFM Director of Government Affairs
• TRAIN Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2455/text
• CLEAR Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3813/text
• Protect Working Musicians Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118thcongress/house-bill/5576
• Other issues they are working on: visas, travelling with instruments
• Follow the AFM social media channels to keep up with their efforts
• TEMPO is our PAC that funds lobbying efforts in D.C. on behalf of all AFM musicians.
• We raised $1983 at the conference!
• Click here to donate to TEMPO today!!!
• • AFM Organizing Update - Gabe Kristal, International Director of AFM’s Organizing Services Department; Paul Bissember, International Field Organizer – Southern Region
• Internal (already in union, has a union contract) vs. External organizing (card signing, new contracts)
• Working on getting orchestras to have AFM agreements – recent win with Baton Rouge Symphony; Jackson Symphony; North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra; Traverse City Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Vista Philharmonic
• Fair Trade Music campaign: https://www.afm.org/what-we-are-doing/currentcampaigns/fair-trade-music/
• Grow and organize the membership: focus on education, know the contract, develop leadership within the organization. This is on all of us.
• Media Landscape - Megan Elk, Director of Organizing and Communications, Chicago Federation of Musicians
• The power of workers’ stories: leveraging member personal narratives to attract media coverage, garner public support, and build solidarity in our locals. Centering our members’ stories lets us in on the action. Focus on human interest by literally asking what you as a human find interesting. No matter the medium, storytelling serves to build empathy.
• Learned ways to contact the media and how to write an effective press release. Did an exercise on writing our own story – this skill can help us better write the stories of others. Share these everywhere, multiple platforms, multiple media outlets.
• Social media strategies – delegate tasks, consistent posting/reposting. Posts should do one of four things: inform, mobilize, tell a story, celebrate
• Graphic design strategies – it’s easy to use Canva. Do not use generative AI.
• Media Landscape Presentation
• Business Meeting
• Officer reports
• All passed resolutions can be found here: Final Resolutions
• All open board positions were elected by acclamation
• 2027 Conference Site selected by the conference: Chicago, IL

• • Tools for Challenging Conversations - Jessica Schmidt, Orchestrate Inclusion
• Psychological safety – being able to speak up and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. Many benefits in the workplace.
• Prioritize concern for colleagues as people, solicit questions, provide ways for team members to share input. We share power by sharing information.
• Potential steps for having a difficult conversation: plan and prepare (consider intent, “curiosity curve,” consider logistics), engage, and follow-up
• Five bases of Power: legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, referent power, expert power. Where and how can these forms of power show up in orchestra settings? Personnel managers, section leaders, seniority, music directors, tiers, tenure, subs, CBAs, age,
• Importance of achieving the goal related to the importance of the relationship – collaborating is where both parties win, goal is achieved and relationship is intact
• Encourage all questions, consider different learning/communication styles, avoid interrupting, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know,” be honest when it will take time for change to happen, frame the work as being about learning
• Initiator: The five point formula on how to have a challenging conversation: I care; I see, I feel; I wonder; I will (or will not)
• Listener: ask for clarity (how would you like me to listen, should I offer help/feedback or just listen?), active listening, reflective listening
• Positions vs. interests vs. values – resource book: Difficult Conversations (Stone, Patton and Heen)
• Tools For Challenging Conversations Presentation
• Symphonic Services Division Focus - Rochelle Skolnick, Director; Debbie Newmark, Director of Symphonic Electronic Media; Laurence Hoffman, Wage Scales and Conditions Database Administrator
• Rochelle Skolnick
• Discussion on AFM dues structure. SSD portion of the budget includes negotiators
• Go to the SSD Resource Center on the AFM website for resources
• Your committee can reach out to Rochelle for a live training session similar to what was done at the Negotiating Workshop
• Internal organizing is imperative. We cannot rely on reason and logic to move the needle with management. We need to put the fear of collective bargaining into our managers. Effective action does not rise out of nowhere. Musicians do not spontaneously decide to do work actions. We need to empower our musicians to make meaningful change in their agreements. There is no substitute for boots on the ground, but SSD has resources to support us in that.
• Debbie Newmark
• Update on the ongoing IMA negotiations. The EMA seems disorganized, makes it difficult to bargain. Agreement expired on June 30, 2026. We continue to work under that agreement until a new one is reached. When we do, all 127 orchestras will ratify the agreement. The PM should provide the roster of union members for voting. You can only vote once.
• Using Election Buddy.
• Reach out to Debbie, or have your managers reach out to Debbie, for all things IMA. Keep the lines of communication open.
• Laurence Hofmann
• We are behind on the wage charts. Laurence can help you enter the information. Only enter information you can actually find in the CBA.
• Build a relationship with your financial people to get the information you need.
• Wage Charts are accessible to any AFM member – use your AFM log-on info: https://ssdwagechartarchive.afm.org/
• Wage Charts Information
• Understanding Your Orchestra’s Finances - Rick Basehore, ROPA Treasurer and AFM/SSD Financial Analyst
• SF Symphony PR campaign from 2024/25 leading up to negotiations with Local 6
• Management / Board manufactured press releases stating that the orchestra had "a $116M operational deficit over the last 10 years," giving the impression that the SFS was in dire financial hardship
• SFS actually added $106M in net assets to its bottom line over the same period
• Management intentionally left out 3 large categories of income from its operational gain/loss calculation
• Trust?? but verify. Use financial statements to fact check management and better understand from your own POV.
• The core accounting equation (non-profit version): Assets = Liabilities + Net Assets
• Definitions of particular asset classes and restriction classifications
• Distinction between Donor-restricted and Unrestricted net assets
• Restricted net assets have conditions for use in funding operations: purpose, period, and/or manner of the expenditure can be dictated.
• Unrestricted net assets can be used to fund any expenditure
• Distinction between:
• Non-endowed Donor-restricted net assets (appropriation amounts not limited by rule); and Endowed Donor-restricted net assets (appropriations limited by State law and Spending policy - which should be spelled out in audited financial statements)
• Orchestra success stories: Vancouver Symphony (20% raise over three years) and Portland Symphony (23% raise over three years)
• Understanding Your Orchestra's Finances Presentation
• Musicians Foundation - Jeremy Morrow, Program Director
• Their application for one-time financial assistance grants is open to professional musicians across all genres. If you are a professional musician in a specific time of need, please explore their website to see if you might qualify for a financial grant to pay an essential bill.
• Website: https://www.musiciansfoundation.org/
• Musicians Foundation Video
• Orchestra Spotlights – please follow their pages!
• Opera San Jose - James Pytko, Delegate
• OSJ Report
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1481920863335500/
• Dayton - Amy Lassiter, Delegate
• Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Report
• Dayton Petition
• Orchestra page: https://www.musiciansofdpo.com/
• Chicago Sinfonietta - James Sanders, Delegate
• Chicago Sinfonietta Report
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589568639084
• Palm Beach Opera - Laura Winters, ROPA EB Member at Large
• Palm Beach Opera Report
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pboperaorchestramusicians/
• Ocean City Pops - Steve Heitlinger, ROPA EB Member at Large
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Musicians-of-the-Ocean-City-Pops-Orchestra-61577730125071/