Media Center

The history of the music industry in the U.S. is dotted with unions, strikes, and collective action — from the 1942-44 musicians strike to the 2019 No Music for ICE campaign — but the focus has tended to land on the artists themselves. Union-minded musicians have a few options: The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) was founded in 2012 (the result of a merger of the two organizations founded in the 1930s), and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) dates back to 1896; they collectively represent about 75,000 musicians, the majority of whom work with orchestras, in opera, or in musical theater.

The scourge of anti-Asian racism in the United States is nearly as old as our nation itself. Throughout our country's history, white supremacists and their enablers have subjected Asians and Asian-Americans on and off U.S. soil to discrimination, violence and bigotry. Recent waves of violence, incited by careless rhetoric and reckless misinformation, have carried on this shameful tradition against our Asian-American and Pacific Islander citizens.

Due to popular demand, we are proud to present a third opportunity to view 9to5: The Story of a Movement, a new PBS-backed documentary by Oscar-winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar.

RSVP HERE for one of three showings, all on March 23. Be sure to let us know if you'll be attending the 7:30 EDT panel with the filmmaker, OPEIU members featured in the film, and new OPEIU members who just won their union at Augsburg University in Minnesota. Registrants will be sent a link to access the film at their designated time in advance; it's as simple as clicking a link from your smartphone or computer.

We've included below the biographies of the panelists who will be joining us for the exclusive panel at 7:30 p.m. EDT on March 23. We look forward to seeing you there!

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OPEIU is proud to invite you and your family to an exclusive screening of a new PBS-backed labor documentary, 9to5: The Making of a Movement. We are offering two showings on Tuesday, March 23, so members on both coasts can enjoy the film: one at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific and one at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific. In between showings, we are also hosting a half-hour virtual panel with the Oscar-winning filmmaker, OPEIU members who are featured in the film, and new members of our union family who just won recognition of their union at Augsburg University.