UPS Teamsters rallied and picketed in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, just over a week before their contract with the shipping company is set to expire, raising the specter of a possible strike.
Among those in attendance were AFM Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe and Vice President Marc Sazer along with other members. Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, which are both currently on strike, also attended the Teamsters event. Continue reading
Striking workers at dozens of Southern California hotels spent their Fourth of July on picket lines, joined by thousands of supporters.
AFM Local 47 joined the march and rally in Santa Monica, demonstrating outside of several local hotels in support of workers workers pushing for higher wages and better health and retirement benefits.
The contract between the hotels and UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers employed at major hotels, expired at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Workers officially walked off the job on Sunday.
AFM Local 47 members joined with more than 5,000 supporters in a dazzling display of union solidarity at the WGA STRONG rally on Wednesday, June 21. Thousands marched from Pan Pacific Park to the La Brea Tar Pits, where an array of special guest speakers and performers voiced their overwhelming support for striking WGA members. Continue reading
In an unprecedented and impressive show of solidarity, thousands of workers gathered for a massive rally in downtown Los Angeles on May 26 to support the ongoing Writers Guild of America as they entered week four of their strike. In addition to WGA, many other unions — including the AFM — have contracts ending this year. Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (January 14, 2019) — American Federation of Musicians Local 47 proudly stands with the thousands of brave workers who are striking for our communities, our families and our children.
Members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union are taking a stand to be treated with dignity and respect. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest in the country, yet our schools are painfully underfunded, understaffed, and overcrowded. Continue reading
Reflections by Local 47 member Ross Altman, Ph.D
Recently I had the strangest dream. It had to do with my union card for American Federation of Musicians Local 47, and what it means to me. In my dream I just barely touched the truck in front of me when we were both stopped at a red light. The driver got out and decided to make a federal case out of it, even though there was no visible damage to the back of his truck. He said that he would not report it if I agreed to give up my “freight card” (in his words) for good; I would no longer be a member of the professional musicians’ union. I told you it was a strange dream. And yet it forced me to confront the question of what my union card meant to me—and whether it was worth all the hassle and potential expense of dealing with my insurance company and the DMV in order to keep my card. Continue reading
L.A. County Fed Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rusty Hicks, keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson, Senator Kamala Harris, Supervisor Hilda Solis, and SEIU 2015 President Laphonza Butler. (Photo: Monica Almeida, The Newspaper Guild)
On Saturday, January 14, 2017, nearly 1,000 community and labor leaders and elected officials gathered for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast hosted by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Held at the Westin Bonaventure downtown, the event kicked off with an address by newly elected United States Senator Kamala Harris. Sen. Harris has not only been a champion for California’s working families, but she has been a leader in reducing recidivism and providing tools to re-enter back into civilian life. Continue reading
Saturday, January 21, 2017Women’s March Los Angeles is open to everyone who stands for human rights, civil liberties, tolerance of diversity, and compassion for our shared humanity.
We stand together in solidarity for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.
Sign up to join with fellow AFM Local 47 members and supporters and march with us at the city’s largest grassroots mobilization around the inauguration on January 21!
Members of AFM Local 47 joined with hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members, labor and community supporters on today’s picket line outside of Warner Bros. Studios regarding interactive video game employment.
SAG-AFTRA members continue on their second week on strike against several video game employers. Following the first demonstration last week, AFM musicians again joined hundreds on the picket line in support of voiceover and motion-capture workers seeking a fair contract. Continue reading
“Hey hey, shut it down, L.A. is a union town!” supporters chanted at today’s SAG-AFTRA rally against video-game makers. American Federation of Musicians members pictured here with SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris.
AFM members joined more than 300 on a picket line in Playa Vista today in support of SAG-AFTRA interactive video game voice actors who have been on strike since Oct. 21. Continue reading