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Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFM Files Charge Against HBO for Firing Musicians Requesting Union Representation

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

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) on Friday filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against HBO for federal labor law violations. In its charge, the union said that the company fired musicians after they asked to be represented by AFM. “The producers of the HBO miniseries ‘The Gilded Age’ are violating workers’ rights to select the union of their own choosing, to negotiate with that union, and permit the musicians to work under a fair contract that respects industry standards for professional musicians,” stated AFM International President Ray Hair. “Musicians deserve the same consideration as any other worker in film and TV production, and it is unconscionable that a multibillion-dollar corporation would deny musicians wages, benefits and working conditions that are provided under AFM agreements.”