The Board of Directors of the New York chapter of the Recording Musicians Association is pleased to present this excerpt from the statement of RMA International President Phil Ayling acknowledging the commencement of a newly elected AFM administration:

A recurring theme at this year’s convention was a call for unity and change. The electoral results bespeak one of the most dramatic political shifts in AFM history.

We offer thanks to all of the AFM’s outgoing officers for their years of service, even as we now look to the future.

We also offer appreciation to everyone who ran for office at this convention. All of them participated in an important exercise in union democracy.

The International Executive Board has many critical responsibilities.

They administer the Symphonic Service Division to aid orchestras and the Touring Division for musicians on the road; they interpret AFM bylaws; work out disputes between locals; set budgets and represent the face of the musical community before government agencies.

For recording musicians – who primarily work under Federation agreements – we rely upon the IEB to act as our local board.

They work with us to set bargaining priorities, negotiate our contracts, and protect our agreements and performance rights into the future.

Strengthening and rebuilding our union is a core value we share with the AFM’s new officers.

The AFM’s bylaws and policies wisely provide for member democracy and rank-and-file input.

We believe that the new International Executive Board understands that honoring those principles will make our union stronger and more effective.

There is an enormous task ahead for our AFM officers and RMA is dedicated to working with each and every one of them.

On your behalf we offer them our congratulations and our promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with members across the AFM to make our union all that it can be.

Phil Ayling
RMA president

We echo Phil’s words in acknowledging the membership’s call for change in this election, and we look forward to working to promote the interests of recording musicians alongside the new AFM leadership.

RMA-NY would like to acknowledge the participation of the following individuals who represented New York musicians at the recent AFM Convention: Tino Gagliardi, John O’Connor, Gail Kruvand, Bud Burridge, Andy Schwartz, Bettina Covo, Tom Olcott and John Babich.

We would also like to congratulate Local 802 President Tino Gagliardi for winning a seat on the International Executive Board.

– Submitted by Roger Blanc and Juliet Haffner on behalf of the RMA-NY Board of Directors.
For more information, see www.rma-ny.com