Len DiCosimo, President of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, appeared on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about a successful organizing campaign of the Cleveland Institute of Music faculty, plus several events the Local will host in 2025.
Recently, a supermajority of the Cleveland Institute of Music faculty voted to make Local 4 their exclusive bargaining agent, said DiCosimo. He spoke about the process and called the new bargaining unit mercurial, as the faculty teach a specialized discipline and do not have traditional schedules. Plus, he added that some faculty are members of the Detroit Symphony and were unable to vote.
Looking ahead to 2025, DiCosimo talked about two big events Local 4 will host in August. The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) will be held in Cleveland. The Cleveland Orchestra is a charter member of this player conference of the AFM, which was formed in 1962. Additionally, the Theatre Musicians Association (TMA) will also hold a conference in Cleveland. Last year Local 4 founded a chapter of this player conference of the AFM, he said.
DiCosimo, who also serves as Executive Secretary of the North Shore Federation of Labor, talked about a few of the candidates the federation has endorsed, including one judicial candidate who graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
For more from DiCosimo, listen to the show above.