We need a union that is dedicated to growth.
The decline of the AFM is not new. It is not because of the COVID pandemic, and it is far more precipitous than the overall decrease in union membership in the United States and Canada (the U.S. being far more to blame) since the 1980s. Our decline is directly related to a barrage of ULPs in the 1970s, regarding the AFM running essentially closed shops at clubs, followed by a 2nd Circuit Court ruling that overturned NLRB v. Hilton and established that club musicians are employees of the bandleader, not of the club.
How are we going to grow?
The founding of VPU was precipitated by a group of leaders in the AFM coming together around our organizational inability to grow and the direct connection that has to the lives of working musicians across Canada and the United States. Our answer to that problem? We have a vision that by including and organizing more voices in our union that we can build the power we need to affect real change in working musicians’ lives, and through that process unify the music workers of Canada and the United States. That starts by listening to the real problems AFM officers and musicians are facing and standing together to solve them. That’s why our strategic plan is growing and directly related to conversations we’ve had with YOU! Because if organizing is about listening… WE HEAR YOU! We will continue to grow our table and, as we do, pick up the struggles of all musicians as one unified movement. This webpage serves as our space to share the issues we’ve heard from musicians internationally and our action plans, resolutions, and commitments to begin solving them one by one. Don’t see your issues reflected, yet? Reach out to VPU through our contact form or any of the candidates today! To see a full list of our actions, resolutions, and commitments visit the Values section through the homepage.
Supporting and organizing freelance musicians
As a community, we have been sitting on “the freelance problem” for far too long. The VPU caucus knows and understands that you can’t just accentuate and name a problem; you must have power in order to make real change. We believe that power comes from people joining together to realize strategic organizing campaigns. That’s why the VPU caucus plans to facilitate new spaces for freelance musicians to build democracy in our union, accentuate the issues they want to solve, and critically resource campaigns to win those fights. We call on all musicians in clubs, arenas, wineries, game studios, on the road, full-timers and part-timers, indie, folk, theater, hip hop, punk and more to come together to fight for our rights as working musicians. Start conversations with your bands, colleagues, and fellow working musicians because the VPU movement understands visionary change for musicians will only come when we all stand together.
A union that is dedicated to growth:
– Supports and organizes with freelance musicians and all those currently excluded from our bargaining units and contracts
–Builds and nurtures labor relationships
Resolutions
being brought to the 2023 Convention:
– Balanced Budget Amendment
The outgoing administration has solidified our union’s finances and started to grow our savings. But our union’s bylaws prevent us from making any plans to spend those savings—we cannot grow our union without serious investment. This resolution would commit our Federation to substantially investing in Organizing and Education, at a minimum of 10% of our annual budget, and would amend the AFM Bylaws to let us spend saved funds specifically on Organizing and Education.
– Local Organizing Budget
This resolution creates a Federation budget to co-fund organizing projects at a Local level, in the same manner that the Freelance Co-Funding program helps with freelance projects. Locals want to organize; they just need help!
–Affirmation of indie right to organize; Affirmation of DJs, Hip hop, and EDM artists as AFM members
These two resolutions affirm that indie musicians are welcome in our union; indeed, creating a union that welcomes and represents ALL musicians is the only way to create the power needed to counter the corporate conglomeration that dominates the music industry today.
Coalition building with fellow unions, and the Importance of the PRO Act
The PRO Act would undo the damage of the 1982 Circuit Court ruling by once again making it possible for freelance musicians to organize collectively to negotiate with clubs. The size of our union was halved in the decade following that ruling; we could DOUBLE it and more with freelance musicians empowered and emboldened to organize for their rights as workers. VPU knows the only way to pass this legislation is through a groundswell of rank-and-file action—VPU’s strategy will bring working musicians into the campaign.
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