How to Join

Joining Local 1

Welcome to Local No. 1. We're glad that you are interested in joining us and we look forward to working with you. Whether you're interested in the benefits of union membership or simply in joining the largest association of professional musicians in the country, we're here for you.

Please visit our office at 2145 Central Parkway for an application.

Initiation Fees

In order to join Local 1, there is a one-time Initiation Fee of $115 plus a pro-rated quarterly Membership Dues payment. ($65 dollars of the Initiation Fee is forwarded to the American Federation of Musicians and the remaining $50, plus the pro-rated Membership Dues, remains with Local 1.)

Membership Dues

Regular Annual Dues

Regular dues are payable, in advance, during January, April, July and October.

CMA Benefit Club Payers* Annual Dues

Dues are payable, in advance, during January, April, July and October.

*Members owing CMA Benefit Club initiation fees – generally members who have not belonged to the Local for 10 consecutive years and who had not reached the age of 45 at the time they joined the Loca1.

50 Year AFM Honorary Members Annual Dues

Dues are payable, in advance, during January, April, July and October.

Membership Dues may be paid in installments per calendar quarter. Quarterly installments may be paid any time before the end of the quarter to which they apply, plus a one-month's grace period. After the grace period, a $1 penalty will be charged for late payment.

Upon payment of a full year's Membership Dues, or of a quarterly installment, a Membership Card and receipt will be provided to the member.
Paying Your Dues

Membership Dues may be paid by mail, by check or by money. The mailing address is:

Cincinnati Musicians' Association
2145 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45214

Membership Dues may also be paid in person at the office.

Re-entry Fees

A musician who has resigned from Local 1 in good standing (that is, whose Membership and Work Dues were paid up to the date of resignation) and who wishes to re-enter Local 1, a Re-entry Fee of $50 is required, plus a prorated quarterly Membership Dues payment.

For a musician whose membership in Local 1 lapsed not in good standing and who wishes to re-enter Local 1 within four years of the date of lapse, there is a Re-entry Fee of $50, plus a Clearance Fee of up to two quarters' Membership Dues, plus a prorated quarterly Membership Dues payment. If the period of time exceeds four years, the musician is considered a new member and is required to remit a "new members" total Initiation Fee of $115.
Entry from Another Local

The Entry Fee is $50 plus a prorated quarterly Membership Dues payment. A membership card from the applicant's home local must be presented, showing dues paid through the current quarter.

Honorary Membership

Members with fifty years or more of continuous membership in this Local are exempt from further payment of dues but are entitled to all rights and insurance benefits.

Resignations

If a member wishes to resign in good standing s/he must send a letter to Local 1, prior to the end of a quarter for which the member's Membership Dues have been paid, stating that s/he wishes to resign his/her membership. Members may continue their membership even though they are leaving the Greater Cincinnati area and will no longer be working in Local 1's jurisdiction.

A musician will lose his/her status of "resignation in good standing" if s/he continues to work in the local's jurisdiction without re-entering the local. By resigning in good standing, a member who wishes at a later date to re-enter the local may do so by paying a re-entry fee of only $50 instead of the $115 usually required, as explained above. Work Dues

Local 1 members are obligated to remit the following Work Dues on scale wages for engagements covered by collective bargaining agreements:

Engagements when musicians are employees subject to tax withholding: 2.75%
Recording and electronic media: 3.5%

Scale wages are the minimum wages listed in the Local’s Minimum Price List or those terms agreed to between the employer and the union in a collective bargaining agreement. Local 1 contracts do not prevent musicians from negotiating wages which are higher than the minimum scale. Your employer or the Contract Supervision Department will automatically deduct Work Dues from your wages because you have signed a Dues Authorization Checkoff when you joined the union.

Those musicians who are engaged on a self-employed basis (when no Social Security or taxes are deducted) shall pay work dues at the rate of 5% of total scale.

Musicians who belong to Local 1 but who work outside the local's jurisdiction, may be subject to a Work Dues payment to the local in the jurisdiction in which they are engaged. They may receive a Work Dues bill by mail from said local, and are obligated by the Constitution of the American Federation of Musicians to pay any such bill or risk being expelled from the union.

Address/Phone Change Moved? Have you added or changed your home, business, cellular or pager numbers? Do you have a new e-mail address? Keep your directory listing current. To update your records visit our offices; call (513) 241-0900; or send us an >e-mail