After nearly two years of requesting voluntary recognition, musicians with True Concord Voices and Orchestra (TCVO) are now voting in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election to join the Tucson Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 33.
Members initially formed a union with AFM in spring 2024, but TCVO’s board of directors has yet to do right by their musicians and start the bargaining process. In fact, the nonprofit has actively attempted to block the NLRB process that ordered a vote and spread misinformation about what union membership would mean.
“When I go to work for an AFM orchestra, I know when I need to show up to work, I know that I’m going to be guaranteed my work year over year, I know how much I’m going to get paid, I know when I’m gonna get a break, I know how long my break is gonna be,” said Ellen Ensey, a professional violinist with TCVO who also plays in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, which operates under an AFM contract. “With nonunion orchestras, you don’t have any of that . . . they give you a contract that’s dictated on their terms, and you kind of take it or leave it.”
- AFL-CIO Daily Brief