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Hello, and welcome to AGMA, the labor union of the finest singers, dancers, and staging staff in opera, concert dance, and concert choral performance. As a new or prospective member of AGMA we would like to congratulate you and welcome you to your union, a community of artists across the United States and around the world who are standing together to improve their lives, the lives of future artists, and our industries.
Table of Contents
About AGMA
Benefits of Being a Union Member
How to Join AGMA
About Union Dues
AGMA Leadership
AGMA Staff Representatives
MyAGMA Login
AGMAzine
AGMA Retirement and Health Funds
About AGMA - Orientation Video
What is AGMA? What is a union? What does AGMA do? How did it get started? Why should I join? Who are the members? What is my role in AGMA as a member? How do I get involved?
For answers to these questions and more, please watch this AGMA Member Orientation video:
Benefits of Being a Union Member
By joining AGMA you join thousands of other artists around the country and the world who stand together in union to create collective power. With that collective power we are able to:
- Fight for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions through member-driven contract negotiations (“collective bargaining”).
- Protect your contractual and legal rights at work.
- Raise industry standards in opera, dance, and concert choral work by strengthening, engaging, and educating the membership, as well as expanding the reach of AGMA through new organizing.
- Address issues of racism, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace and our industries.
- Support our members in times of need through the AGMA Relief Fund.
- Support and partner with organizations that help our members, like the Entertainment Community Fund (previously The Actors Fund), a non-profit human services organization that assists everyone in the performing arts through counseling, grants, scholarships, and more.
- Access the many benefits of Union Plus, including discounts on a variety of goods and services for union members and their families.
- Collaborate with our sister unions through the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, and the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds.
- Any non-union Artists that are interested in learning more about AGMA, are encouraged to visit our official Organize webpage.
How to Join AGMA
If you currently work, have worked, or are about to work under an AGMA contract, we encourage you to join AGMA today! You must provide the completed and signed application and a copy of your most recent AGMA contract or offer letter from an AGMA company. A full explanation of AGMA’s initiation fee and dues can be found on the application and below.
By joining AGMA you increase the collective power of artists to make positive change in their workplaces and in their lives!
About Union Dues
Along with the engagement and participation of the membership, union dues are one of your union’s greatest sources of power. By pooling the resources of all AGMA members, we harness the power to bargain effectively, enforce the contractual and legal rights of our members, increase union power through outreach and organizing, and affect positive change in our industries.
AGMA Leadership
AGMA is a democratic union, and the decision-making body for the union – the AGMA Board of Governors – is made up of members just like you who are elected every two years by vote of the full membership. The AGMA Board of Governors is responsible for setting union policy, final approval of all contracts and agreements, management of union funds, and protecting all members from unfair or unsafe practices and conditions at work.
AGMA Staff
AGMA’s professional staff is made up of expert attorneys and negotiators with decades of experience in labor and the performing arts. A staff representative has been assigned to each AGMA signatory company and works with the members to negotiate and enforce the collective bargaining agreement and protect members’ rights.
MyAGMA
“MyAGMA” is the secure and exclusive, members-only portal of the AGMA website. Here you will find important information for members such as copies of all AGMA Collective Bargaining Agreements, AGMA’s Constitution and Bylaws, other important policies and procedures, summaries of recent Board of Governors’ meetings, and more. Here you will also find your “Personal Portal”, where you can check your membership status and account, pay dues, and update your personal information. Learn more about your MyAGMA portal by watching this short video:
AGMAzine
AGMAzine is the official publication of the American Guild of Musical Artists. Within its pages, you will find a variety of topical interviews and articles about, and/or written by, AGMA members and staff. You will also find reports from AGMA leadership and members from across the country about events spanning different areas and shops.
AGMA Retirement and Health Funds
Many AGMA collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) include employer-provided health insurance and retirement benefits through the AGMA Retirement and Health Funds. For more information about the Funds, please follow this link. If you are an AGMA member in good standing, you can see if your current CBA provides these benefits by logging into MyAGMA and navigating to the Contracts and Agreements page via the MyAGMA dropdown menu. You can also contact your AGMA Staff Representative.