Service & Solidarity Spotlight: American Federation of Musicians Reaches Tentative Agreement with Metropolitan Opera

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

After nine months of negotiations, members of American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802 have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the Metropolitan Opera.

AFM represents more than 130 associate musicians at the iconic New York City opera house. Throughout bargaining, artists stood strong and fought for the wage parity they deserve after more than a decade of pay cuts.

“The Associate Musicians of the Metropolitan Opera make up 30–50% of what audiences hear each night when the curtain goes up at the Met, and after more than a decade of absorbing cut after cut to their pay, they have won a contract that recognizes that contribution,” said AFM Local 802 President Dan Point. “This deal is a testament to what these musicians accomplished by standing together behind their committee, signing their names to a petition, and telling management face-to-face that they would not trade permanent concessions for temporary gains.”