Instead of plying his trade as a musician during the height of the Covid pandemic, Glen Wilkofsky’s union dues were paying for political activism he did not support.
As the principal timpanist for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Wilkofsky was not keen on vaccination mandates that created additional hurdles for him and his colleagues to resume their normal schedule. But the union leaders he supported financially embraced government restrictions and health-care directives enthusiastically.
The orchestra usually played several concerts annually throughout the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania but only played two in 2020 under government-imposed lockdowns. During this time, orchestra members did not draw a salary, but the American Federation of Musicians Local 45, an affiliate of an international union representing Canadians and Americans, still expected them to pay dues.
“Before Covid, my contact with the union had been peripheral at best,” Wilkofsky said in an interview. “My union membership was forced on me as a condition of my employment. But I have found that the union is very politically active and does not really represent my interests. In fact, I would say the union is really a left-leaning political action committee that masquerades as an advocate for musicians. They support one political party nearly 100 percent of the time, and it looks to me like they spend zero percent of their time representing musicians.”
The PAC for the American Federation of Musicians donated 100 percent of its contributions to Democrats in the 2019-2020 election cycle, according to campaign finance data.
Isabel
