The proposed scale changes below will be voted on at our next membership meeting on November 10th at 4:30pm EST at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in Asbury Park, NJ.
Proposal to Increase AFM Local 1000 Promulgated Scales
Committee Chair: Joe Jencks
Committee Members: Deidre McCalla, Erin Mae Lewis, Kev Corbett, Aaron Fowler, Arthur McGregor, Rosalyn Dennett.
Please note that these changes were arrived at over months of conversation within the committee, by research into the promulgated scales of AFM Locals in the US and Canada, and in consideration of varied cost-of-living in different regions. In addition to the input of the Scales Committee members, the committee chair interviewed and polled members of other AFM Locals in order to arrive at these proposed changes to our AFM Local 1000 Promulgated Scales.
Therefore: It is the recommendation of the Scales Committee that AFM Local 1000 adopt a comprehensive increase in our promulgated scales. The last several revisions (most recently in 2017) have been incremental and piecemeal. It is the recommendation of the Scales Committee that the following be approved by the Executive Board and accepted by the Members of AFM Local 1000, toward the goal of striving for a living wage for all of our members, and in leading the way for our colleagues who may not yet be union musicians. Please note, as with all scales – this is a recommended minimum wage, not a suggested maximum wage. Every musician has the right to negotiate for higher wages with any employer, and is encouraged to do so.
Joe Jencks and the Committee
*******************
Promulgated Scales Revision Proposal (+ 50% additional of appropriate scale per sideperson)
Solo scales
Standard Concert: $300 + Pension
Small Concert: $150 + Pension
Opener: $100 + Pension
Solo Festival: $400 per day + Pension
K-12 School: $300 + Pension
Higher Education Event: $500 + Pension
Special event scales
Special Event: $500 + Pension
Special Event Sideperson: $225 + Pension
Note: If you perform under a union contract you will receive a pension contribution of between 4.8% to 19.18% of scale. (The Pension Fund has a small Rehabilitation percentage that is required at this time. Contact the Office for details.) The employer pays this amount in addition to your performance fee. So, if you are working with a $300 scale for your performance, plus a 10% pension contribution, 10% of $300 = $30. Then your total compensation would be $300 + $30 = $330. If you have a side player/s, their compensation would be $150 + 10% ($15) = $165 total per sideperson, at this scale. Adjust accordingly for the appropriate scale.
Equal-sharing Ensembles: The following promulgated scales apply for ensembles that function on an equal sharing basis (i.e. where all ensemble members receive equal payment for gigs rather than the “leader/sideperson” model).
Co-Equal Ensemble
Opener: $50 + Pension – Per Ensemble Member
Small Concert: $100 + Pension – Per Ensemble Member
Standard Concert: $200 + Pension – Per Ensemble Member
Festival: $350 Per Day + Pension – Per Ensemble Member
Special Event: $400 + Pension – Per Ensemble Member
Further, while AFM Local 1000 does not yet have a codified promulgated scale for musicians teaching private lessons, we want to encourage our members who do teach private lessons to consider signing a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with AFM Local 1000 so that they can make pension contributions on their teaching hours. This is the only scale where the Scales Committee recommends a distinct adjustment for the variance in the value of currency between the U.S.A. and Canada. Note, as with all scales – this is a recommended minimum, not a suggested maximum wage. Every musician has the right to negotiate for higher wages with any employer.
Proposed Promulgated Teaching Scales (For use with CBA’s)
$50 – Per Hour USD
$60 – Per Hour CAD
$25 – Per ½ hour
$30 – Per Hour CAD
$80 – Group Lesson USD
$100 – Group Lesson CAD
Note: If you have a CBA with Local 1000 – You can set your own teaching scales
Promulgated Scales as they currently exist for AFM Local 1000
Solo scales – Current (Last significant revision was in 2017)
- Concert: $250.00
- Small concert/club: $120.00
- Opening act: $75.00
- Festivals: $225.00 per day
- K-12 school engagements: $220.00 performance (2 performances within 3 hours may be counted as one.)
- Higher education engagements: $350.00 per performance
Special event scale
- Leader: $400
- Sideperson: $175
Note: If you perform under a union contract you will receive a pension contribution of between 8% to 15% of scale. (The Pension Fund has a small Rehabilitation percentage that is required at this time. Contact the Office for details.) The employer pays this amount in addition to your performance fee. Suppose you get $230 for your performance, plus a 10% pension contribution.
10% of $230 = $23
$230 + $23 = $253 (your total compensation)
Ensemble scales
For each additional musician, add half of the applicable solo scale amount; for example, concert scale is $345 for a duo, $460 for a trio, etc.
- Leader: $230
- Sideperson: $115
- Small concert/club: $120 for a leader and $60 for a sideperson.
Equal-sharing ensembles The following scales be promulgated for ensembles that function on an equal sharing basis (i.e. where all ensemble members receive equal payment for gigs rather than the “leader/sideperson” model).
- Opening act: $50 per ensemble member
- Small venue: $75 per ensemble member
- Standard scale: $150 per ensemble member
- Special event scale: $275 per ensemble member
