Symphonic Services Division

The Symphonic Services Division is the resource within the Federation for local officers, orchestra committees, symphony musicians, negotiators and symphonic music students to come for advice, assistance and support with all symphony-related questions.

On a day-to-day basis, staff members answer questions about contract interpretation, recording projects, auditions, negotiating strategy, arbitration precedents, organizing techniques and suggestions for solutions to individual problems.

On-site assistance can be provided for negotiations, arbitrations and organizing new orchestras to win union recognition and negotiate collective bargaining agreements. Seminars are offered in pre-negotiation preparation, the negotiation process, contract administration, concession bargaining and the relationship between the local, the committee and the rank-and-file.

Upon request, Local officers are provided with materials on informational picketing, pre-strike preparation, public relations information and up-to-date audition information. When basic services, as defined in the AFM Bylaws, cannot be supplied by the local union, the SSD oversees the union responsibilities through the Orchestra Service Program (OSP). Upon request from a Local Officer, the SSD will provide an extensive analysis of an orchestra's financial records prior to the beginning of a negotiation.

The SSD has formatted collective bargaining agreements into a database to provide officers, musicians and negotiators with the ability to scan collective bargaining agreements and compare relevant contract language necessary to determine industry standards and possible options during negotiations. This database is available to AFM members in the Members Only area of this site.

Annually, the SSD prepares Wage Charts for the 125 orchestras represented by the Regional Orchestra Players Association, the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians and the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. These too can be found in the Members Only area of this site.

We provide access to the services of legal counsel both in the United States and Canada, who offer advice, legal opinions and negotiating strategy not only to the SSD staff, but also to symphony musicians and local officers.

We maintain a symphonic media department, to monitor media services, assist negotiators to maintain proper contract language and industry standards and develop special letters of agreement to cover unique recording projects.