Musicians Local 99’s Fife elected international VP

Bruce Fife, president of Musicians Local 99 in Portland, was elected international vice president of the American Federation of Musicians at their recent national convention June 21–24 in Las Vegas. The AFM represents 85,000 members, including symphony, recording, and live-performance musicians throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In his first run for international office, Fife was a part of a “unity” group of candidates who campaigned on building membership, building loyalty, and building relationships while providing living wages and a safe, healthy working environment for musicians.

Among those newly elected with Fife were President Ray Hair of Dallas, Texas, and International Executive Board member Tina Morrison of Spokane, Wash., the only woman on the Executive Board. Re-elected were Secretary Treasurer Sam Folio and Vice President from Canada Bill Skolnick.

As president of Local 99, Fife has been active on both local and national issues. He helped foster the “Fair Trade Music” campaign, which promotes fair wages for local musicians and publicly recognizes “Fair Trade” establishments; he helped facilitate the acquisition of a non-commercial educational construction permit for full-power, non-profit radio station KZME in Portland to benefit local artists by being an outlet for local musicians; and he successfully lobbied the Oregon Liquor Control Commission in regard to minor entertainment rules, thus allowing minors to be able to perform in venues such as bars and 21-and-over clubs. Nationally, Fife has worked with the Federal Communications Commission regarding consolidation of media ownership and net neutrality, and he continues to lobby legislators in support of the Performance Rights Act, legislation to provide royalties to musicians for airplay of their music on terrestrial radio.

Prior to his post with Musicians, Local 99, Fife spent 25 years as a full time working-class musician performing throughout the western states.