Building Organizing Skills to Build a Movement

 

Union musicians met at the Tommy Douglas Center in Silver Spring, Maryland for AFM’s Leadership Development Program in April. Musicians—from as far away as Orange County, CA and Saskatoon, SK—settled in for three days of intensive and active learning with AFM and AFL-CIO Organizing Institute staff.

AFM’s Leadership Development Program is centered on organizing with a strong focus on one-on-one conversations. Participants learn about developing musician leaders, charting workplaces, and building organizing committees. Musicians put their new skills to work by breaking into teams and to planning an organizing strategy for a symphony orchestra and a casino resort.

Key to the training is that participants identify and craft a plan to tackle a real-world target (including non-union orchestras, theaters, clubs, showrooms, and churches) in their communities.

Organizing is how musicians build collective power to win fair treatment and respect in every workplace. Learn more about the Leadership Development Program by contacting AFM’s Organizing and Education Department.