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As of late September, Management of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra (also performing as the Garland Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Arlington) has locked out its Winds, Brass, Percussion players & Harpist for the 2019-20 Season as a result of Local 72-147 filing grievances on behalf of the orchestra’s members. The season is to open October 17, 18 and 19 with concerts in Arlington, Garland and Irving.

In the last few years of a longtime relationship with the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, tensions have come to the surface as Local 72-147 has taken action to represent musicians of the orchestra in various circumstances. This pattern continued as the spring turned into summer this year as Individual contracts were issued to musicians with non-bargained modifications, a dramatic staff change took place at the LCSO office, and some disturbing actions have been taken by the LCSO adversely affecting musicians.

After a contentious negotiation during the summer of 2018, the goal of the Players Committee and the Union was to build a better and productive relationship with the LCSO, with the appointment of new Executive Director Darren Rich. The musicians regularly expressed their hopes and aspirations

Musicians of the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra have ratified a two year successor agreement with the WFSO. After years of depending on single engagement contracts to engage Local 72-147 members to perform with the WFSO, the Union entered into a full one-year collective bargaining agreement representing all orchestra member

The Musicians of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra ratified a successor agreement with ETSO Management for a one year extension to the Master agreement which expired last May, including a wage increase and a few modifications.

This summer the Musicians of Casa Manana ratified a three year successor collective bargaining agreement with Local 72-147 with improved wages and conditions pertaining to hiring. A fundamental element of this agreement is an updated hiring list. In negotiating this new list, attention was made to hiring history and seniority so to

The Fund’s board of trustees recently appointed Brad C. Eggen, president of Local 30-73 (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN) to act as the Retiree Representative, a position created by the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA). His role is to apply the statutory list of equitable factors in the best interests of the retirees and present his viewpoint to the Fund trustees and the US Department of the Treasury. He will provide an independent

As one of the delegates at the AFM Convention this year, I was appointed to serve on the Finance Committee. In this role I participated in the process by which the various recommendations and resolutions are introduced to the floor of the convention. At the committee level, we hear testimony from proponents and opponents, if they choose to be heard. We discuss and prepare a recommendation on the proposed legislation for the moment when it is brought to the floor.

The theme of the Convention was “Together We Can” and presentation after presentation brought focus to the larger effort necessary to address solutions for today’s difficulties. From facing the challenges of maintaining a balanced budget for the federation, to keeping pace with changing technologies shaping the livelihoods of musicians, and (of course) to putting our Pension Fund back on course to solvency.

In late May, the actuaries of the AFM-EPF advised that the Fund is entering “critical and declining” status, which means the Fund is projected to run out of money to pay benefits within 20 years. This has occurred because of the combination of investment losses during the Great Recession and rising benefit payments that increasingly exceed contributions.