The Score | AFM-EPF Announces Proposed Benefit Reductions

In early January, the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF), in which many orchestras participate, announced details of a proposal to reduce benefits in an effort to avoid insolvency under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The AFM-EPF covers more than 50,000 people, including orchestra musicians, Broadway musicians, and freelance musicians and recording artists, and is the largest musicians’ pension plan in the U.S. The proposal is currently under review by the U.S. Department of Treasury, will be posted online by the Treasury Department for public comment, and will also come to a vote by plan participants. If approved, benefit reductions would begin on January 1, 2021. Details of the proposal are available on the AFM-EPF website and in a newsletter and notice shared on January 7 with plan participants. The League of American Orchestras has been keeping orchestras engaged in efforts to call on Congress to take immediate action that would improve the status of multiemployer pension funds. Orchestras and musicians can learn more about legislative proposals and opportunities to weigh in through the AFM-EPF site at afm-epf.org.