AFM Reaches Agreement with Television
Networks as Negotiations Shift to Film
New York, NY – The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) is pleased to announce that, after years of delays, it has reached an agreement with NBC, CBS, and ABC network representatives for live and recorded TV. Last concluded a decade ago, the successor agreement covers hundreds of musicians who perform in weekly variety shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. The new TV/Videotape Agreement also covers the house bands and guest artists of popular late night programs like Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
“The path to this agreement was arduous,” says AFM President Ray Hair. “I cannot praise too highly the steadfast work of our negotiating team in protecting the interests of our musicians and the talent they bring to the television industry.” The new three-year agreement includes basic wage rate increases, as well as increased pension and health and welfare contributions. It also includes new media provisions requiring supplemental payments when television shows are used or reused in webcasts or online.
Having concluded this important agreement, the AFM’s focus will be on negotiating a new agreement with the film industry. Negotiations for a successor Motion Picture-TV Film Agreement began November 2.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.afm.org.
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