There are two weeks left to vote in AGMA’s Constitutional Referendum. We hope that you will make your voice heard on this important Referendum. On the ballot, which you should have received from Global Election Services via the email address helpdesk@voteges.com, you will have a choice to vote for either the “Board of Governors Revision” to the AGMA Constitution, the “Petition Amendments,” or neither. Additionally, you will be asked to vote on the Petitioners’ proposal to increase dues by raising and then eliminating the dues cap, along with a temporary reduction in the initiation fee. The choice is yours to make. In many ways, this vote is a choice between two different visions for our Union. The Board of Governors R... Read More -->

AGMA Artists have been out of work since March. Since then, the AGMA Relief Fund experienced a 2,000% increase in applications for assistance; more than it had ever seen in its 75-years of existence. Thankfully, the generosity of previous donors prepared the Relief Fund for a dark crisis such as this. With another wave of COVID-19, comes another wave of grant applications. We need your help so we can continue to provide grants to eligible Artists in danger of not having food, lodging, medication, and other life sustaining necessities. On this #GivingTuesday, there are a number of ways you can support the AGMA Relief Fund. 1)  Donate! Make a gift of any size to the AGMA Relief Fund 2) Shop! Purchases through AmazonSm... Read More -->

November 24, 2020 - The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and Lyric Opera of Chicago have reached an agreement to modify their currently existing multi-year labor agreement that extends through the 2020/21 Season. Lyric’s General Director, President, and CEO Anthony Freud cites, “Together, we have reached our goal of providing our artists with clarity and security, despite the loss of the full opera season, the devastating impacts of the pandemic, and this uncertain climate." “We are thankful that we could work together to focus on the health and well-being of the Artists whose talents create the art seen and heard on the Lyric Opera stage,” stated Len Egert, National Executive Director of AGMA. Lyric and AGMA are full... Read More -->

Dear AGMA Artists: You may have seen Friday’s article in The New York Times about the Met’s proposed cuts prompted by Mr. Gelb’s remarks to the Company. AGMA was quoted in the article and we wish to expand more on our thoughts and position. AGMA represents the choristers, dancers, soloist singers, stage managers, stage directors, and actors at the Met. Without all of these talented Artists and staging staff professionals, the Met would simply not exist, and no performances would be possible. The Met’s position, that this essential group of Artists agrees to substantial pay cuts, not just during the COVID-19 crisis but long after the return to normal box office revenue, is out of step with the rest of the Opera and Dan... Read More -->

We hope that you remain safe and healthy during these uncertain times. It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen across the country. The number of positive cases in the US has surpassed 160,000 cases in one day. Some states are reevaluating their reopening plans and reinstituting restrictions, though there is great inconsistency in this from state to state. AGMA is closely assessing the situation and how it varies across the country. From the outset, AGMA’s main priorities have been the health, safety, and livelihood of our members. With no available vaccine, hospitals once again under strain, and deaths from the virus still on the rise, AGMA has recommitted to working collaboratively with our companies to mitigat... Read More -->

November 13, 2020 - The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has announced it will hold a Constitutional Referendum. For the first time in many years, the AGMA Constitution will be getting an update. This Referendum is the culmination of more than a year of work by AGMA’s elected member-leaders, who have been working to revise and fix AGMA’s Constitution since last fall. On October 28, the AGMA Board of Governors approved and recommended to AGMA’s membership the “Board of Governors Revision,” a comprehensive rewrite of the AGMA constitution designed to improve AGMA’s governance, increase transparency, and make AGMA’s foundational document more accessible to the membership. The Board of Governors Revision focuses o... Read More -->

Dear AGMA Artists: The right of the members to recall their elected leaders for serious misconduct is a hallmark of a functioning democratic union. AGMA would never intentionally strip you of that right. Since releasing the details of the Board of Governors Revision of the Constitution, some members have raised concerns that the Revision removes this right. I am writing to reassure you that this will not happen should the Board of Governors Revision be approved. To be clear, the ability and procedure for AGMA members to sign a petition triggering a recall election for a National Officer or a member of the Board of Governors was never in our Constitution. Instead, this provision was contained in AGMA’s Bylaws. In rewriting the Co... Read More -->

https://vimeo.com/472295870/17d5456ea1 The following memo was sent to AGMA members on 10/28/2020: We are excited to bring you an important announcement about the future of AGMA. Next month, on November 16, AGMA will begin a referendum vote to revise our union Constitution. We wanted to let you know how we got here and to encourage you to vote in the referendum. AGMA’s Constitution is our foundational governing document. It’s the most important document in the union and serves as our “rules for the road.” Our Constitution hasn’t been meaningfully updated in some time, which has lead to some problems along the way. Since 2019, AGMA’s Constitutional Working Group which is part of the Administration and Policy Committee ... Read More -->

AGMA was saddened to hear of the cancelations of the remainder of Lyric’s 2020-21 season. The pandemic has made it difficult for all of us in the Performing Arts industry and our Artists are eager to return to their favorite stage in the world. Lyric Opera said that its goal is to collaborate with its unions on “good faith proposals that included guaranteed wages and medical benefits during the dark period to help reduce the hardship during this difficult time.” That is AGMA's goal as well. AGMA wants to work with Lyric Opera to find a solution to all of the problems posed by COVID-19. In fact, we were doing just that: negotiating with Lyric Opera to find a way to provide income to our Artists who have been out of work since M... Read More -->

Following Lyric Opera of Chicago's announcement on the cancelation of its season, AGMA sent the following email to AGMA Artists of Lyric Opera of Chicago: You are receiving this email because you’ve worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago in the past season or were scheduled to work for Lyric Opera during this season. We are reaching out because today Lyric Opera announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020-2021 season. To say AGMA is disappointed is the understatement of the year. For those who were not able to join AGMA last night at our emergency shop meeting, we feel it is necessary at this moment to update you on the status of our negotiations with Lyric Opera of Chicago and what today’s announcement means for Artists. ... Read More -->