Union Divided

Black Musicians’ Fight for Labor Equality

Leta E. Miller

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English

University of Illinois Press
06 February 2024

Music; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; History of the Americas; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Media, information & communication industries; Industrial relations & safety

Series: Music in American Life

An in-depth account of the Black locals within the American Federation of Musicians In the 1910s and 1920s, Black musicians organized more than fifty independent locals within the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) in an attempt to control audition criteria, set competitive wages, and secure a voice in national decision-making. Leta Miller follows the AFM’s history of Black locals, which competed directly with white locals in the same territories, from their origins and successes in the 1920s through Depression-era crises to the fraught process of dismantling segregated AFM organizations in the 1960s and 70s. Like any union, Black AFM locals sought to ensure employment and competitive wages for members with always-evolving solutions to problems. Miller’s account of these efforts includes the voices of the musicians themselves and interviews with former union members who took part in the difficult integration of Black and white locals. She also analyzes the fundamental question of how musicians benefitted from membership in a labor organization.

Broad in scope and rich in detail, Union Divided illuminates the complex working world of unionized Black musicians and the AFM’s journey to racial inclusion.

By: Leta E. Miller
Imprint: University of Illinois Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 367g
ISBN: 9780252087677
ISBN 10: 0252087674
Series: Music in American Life
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 06 February 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgments Abbreviations Chapter 1. Prelude Chapter 2. The Origins of the American Federation of Musicians and Its Place in the History of Organized Labor Chapter 3. The Formation of Black AFM Locals, 1897–1927 Chapter 4. Early Black Locals: Three Case Studies Chapter 5. From the Glories of the ’20s to the Despair of the ’30s Chapter 6. The 1940s: Change Is in the Wind Chapter 7. Leading the Pack: The 1953 Los Angeles Merger Chapter 8. Mergers from 1954 through 1966: State Labor Laws and the Battle of Chicago Chapter 9. After Chicago Chapter 10. Coda Notes References Index

Leta E. Miller is an emerita professor of music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of fourteen books, including Chen Yi and Aaron Jay Kernis.

Reviews for Union Divided: Black Musicians’ Fight for Labor Equality

This work shines light on a little known and understood chapter of the American Federation of Musicians' Unions. It explores the creation by Black musicians, history of, and eventual collapse of dual unionism through the amalgamation of separate African American and white organizations. This was a complicated matter lasting some sixty-plus years and author Miller skillfully shows both the benefits and pitfalls of this development. --David Keller, author of The Blue Note: Seattle's Black Musicians' Union, A Pictorial History, distributed by Washington State University Press