802 Together is a team of current Local 802 officers, Dan Point (President), Sarah Haines (Recording Vice President), and Colin Williams (Executive Board Member) running to become Local 802’s AFM Convention Delegates and Alternate Delegate on May 20.
Together, they are committed to unifying all of Local 802 by protecting union jobs, strengthening contracts, expanding opportunities for musicians, and building a more visible and accessible union for every member.
Local 802 Headquarters
10am-8pm
25 W. 45th St, 10th Floor
Good Shepherd Faith
Presbyterian Church
12pm-7pm
152 W. 66th St, Social Hall
I strongly endorse Dan Point and Sarah Haines as delegatesand Colin Williams as alternate delegate to the AFM Convention.
It is imperative that the three presiding officers of Local 802 have a seat at this and every convention. We are the largest and most influential Local in the AFM and we need informed and knowledgeable leaders to ensure that our members are well represented. I feel so strongly about this that I proposed a bylaw amendment to protect our interests in this regard to ensure that we will always have strong representation at future conventions.
The AFM convention is "the room where it happens." This is where bylaws that affect each and every one of us are debated and passed. It's also where we make connections with officers in other Locals across the US and Canada to more easily and efficiently work together when needed. The relationships made at conferences and conventions are just as valuable and as critical to our success as our bylaws.
In a short amount of time, Dan and Sarah, as well as Colin, have stepped into these leadership roles with astonishing speed, success, and ability. They have proven themselves to be responsible, intelligent, critical thinkers who get things done. And that is exactly what Local 802 needs. We deserve nothing less. Please vote for Dan, Sarah, and Colin, the people who can and will deliver for 802.
I strongly endorse this slate for delegates and alternate delegate to the AFM convention this June. The experience, knowledge and understanding of how Local 802 works embodied by these three candidates are unsurpassed. These are the folks we need representing our local at the convention. Do not be fooled by claims of others who have little to no understanding of what the local needs from the AFM to help us navigate perilous times to benefit all our members.
The Local 802 Executive Board officers signed below enthusiastically endorse the following candidates as delegates to the AFM convention next month:
- 802 President Dan Point
- 802 Recording Vice-president Sarah Haines
- 802 Executive Board Officer Colin Williams (alternate)
Local 802 is the largest, and among the most influential, locals who attend the convention. For obvious reasons, the 802 President is traditionally elected as a delegate. We believe President Point, appointed mid-term, must receive this membership endorsement to lead our delegation as well.
Both Point and Haines demonstrate the knowledge, experience and understanding of how unions function. In addition, during their short time in office, they have actively built relationships with various AFM conferences, giving Local 802 an even higher profile on the international stage. We believe furthering these relationships within the AFM are important to our local’s future.
Please join us in electing Point, Haines, and Williams as 2026 AFM Convention delegates and alternate.
My fellow musicians, let me be clear: I am all for healthy democracy, discourse, respectful disagreement, the works. But this is a no-brainer.
Please help send Dan and Sarah to the convention, because they are the most responsible choices.
Let’s not get distracted. Morris and Andy are on the board, and let’s hold them to the responsibilities they have committed themselves to. But for right now, we have ONE JOB. Send Dan and Sarah to AFM convention, as it should be, as it has been.
Please join me and vote for the 802 Together team.
I'm casting my vote in support of our 802 President and Recording VP to serve as AFM delegates. Your vote for Dan and Sarah not only grants them voting power - your vote of confidence also enables our 802 officers to act in agency of their positions - to begin building the necessary relationships and critical leverage we need at the national level. In solidarity, Julie.
Next month, Local Presidents from all over North America will gather at the AFM Convention. As a member of Local 802, and the President of Local 47, I know how important it is for members to be represented by their top officer. What's at stake is the stature and standing of Local 802. I know Dan Point to be a brilliant strategist, a gifted communicator and a unionist deeply committed to Local 802 members. We will all benefit from his leadership at the AFM Convention.
Since rising into the President’s role earlier this year, Dan Point has shown himself to be a leader who wants to bring musicians together. Dan has not only consistently stood in solidarity with his own members, but with musicians across the AFM, including the Boston Symphony Musicians during their tour to Carnegie Hall. Dan Point’s leadership and vision for the AFM are needed at the AFM convention.
Tino Gagliardi
Ray Hair
Jay Blumenthal
Bob Suttmann
Ethan Silverman
Justin Vance
Gail Kruvand
Wende Namkung
Bill Hayes
Juliet Haffner
Bruce Bonvissuto
Cenovia Cummins
Susan Lorentsen
Nick Grinder
2025 Broadway Negotiating Committee Members:
Steve Lyon
Drew Griffin
Maxim Moston
Allison Seidner
Rob Jost
Matt Brown
Other AFM Leaders:
Dave Pomeroy, President, Local 257 (Nashville)
Ed Malaga, President, Local 161-710 (Washington, DC)
Nate Omdal, President, Local 76-493 (Seattle, WA), President, AFM Freelance Musicians’ Association
Dusty Kelly, Executive Director, Local 149 (Toronto, ON)
Stewart Williams, President, Local 72-147 (Dallas, TX)
We believe our union must continue evolving to meet the challenges facing professional musicians today — protecting live music, defending good union jobs, organizing non-covered work, and ensuring musicians have a strong voice in every negotiation.
So what sets us apart?
We are committed to:
Whether you work on Broadway, in film scoring, in orchestras, clubs, education, touring, or freelance performance, our mission is the same: protect musicians and strengthen the future of our profession.
Ensured unanimous passage of a revised Member Legal Services Fund bylaw expanding access to independent legal support for all bargaining units regardless of contract term.
Negotiated an 18-month "cut-through" agreement with no concessions, synchronizing Local 802's contract expiration with Actors' Equity for 2025 and beyond.
Won 14-18% raises over the 3-year contract term, including 8% raises for lowest paid musicians in year one.
Represented touring musicians on the negotiation of the AFM's touring agreement, alongside leaders from Locals across the country.
Maintained a salary during the COVID shutdown, ultimately negotiating back lost wages and a bonus for impacted members.
Represented members of the Atlanta Symphony as both at-large committee member and Vice President.
Organized ASO members during the 2012 lockout, pioneering use of social media for public communication as an independent body of players and serving as spokesperson for national media coverage.
Increased member outreach, contract education, organizing support, and worksite visibility across the union.
Whether it is winning strong contracts, building the union, or ensuring effective leadership, Local 802’s future depends on members like YOU getting involved.
We encourage every member to stay informed, ask questions, share ideas, and get involved in shaping the future of our union.
Have questions or want to connect directly?
Reach out to:
Dan Point
646-450-2064
Dan Point is a musician, labor leader, and public affairs strategist dedicated to advancing the rights of working musicians. Classically trained on French horn, he earned his bachelor’s of music at New York University before embarking on a career in public affairs and organizational development. With over a decade of experience across city, state, and federal government, he established a reputation for broad coalition-building and strategic leadership.
Point’s dual passions for music and politics brought him to Local 802 AFM, where he served as chief of staff for three administrations. In these roles, he was instrumental in helping the union navigate several high-stakes negotiations that delivered a historic wage increase in 2024 for the New York Philharmonic and, in 2025, averting a Broadway strike by securing the first 3-year Broadway Musician agreement since the COVID pandemic. In 2025 he successfully fought for the inclusion of film scoring in New York State’s Film and TV Production Tax Credit, ending over two decades of exclusion from the program for musicians.
Since becoming President of Local 802 in January 2026, Point remains focused on strengthening protections for musicians in a rapidly evolving industry. Drawing on both his artistic background and political acumen, he is committed to securing fair contracts, fostering unity, and ensuring that live music remains a vital force in New York City’s cultural and economic life.
Sarah Haines is a violist and violinist who has worked in the New York City area for nearly fifteen years. With her experience as a Broadway and off-Broadway chairholder and sub, on club dates, recordings, as a sub for ABT and ASO, as a longtime touring theater musician, and as an independent artist with a singer songwriter project of her own, she brings a unique and artist-minded perspective to her current position as Local 802’s Recording Vice President. Before being elected to the Executive Board, she was involved in the Pamphlet B negotiations for AFM, as the chair of the off-Broadway NFP negotiating committee, and as a Theater Committee subcommittee member. Most recently she served as the vice chair of the Broadway negotiations in 2025.
Colin Williams is the Associate Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, where he has performed since 2014 after serving as Principal Trombonist of the Atlanta and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras. In addition to his performing career, Colin is deeply committed to supporting musicians through education, mentorship, and union service.
A longtime advocate for working musicians, Colin has been active in conversations surrounding artistic standards, fair representation, and the future of the profession in a rapidly changing industry. He believes strong unions depend on transparency, collaboration, and leadership that listens carefully to the concerns of all members — from full-time orchestra musicians to freelancers and educators.
Colin is also the co-founder of the Southeast Trombone Symposium, an internationally recognized educational festival that has supported and connected hundreds of young musicians and professionals for more than fifteen years. He currently serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and maintains an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Nikki Abissi, and their two sons, Christopher and Alex.
802 Together is a coalition of active Local 802 leadership focused on protecting union jobs, strengthening contracts, improving member engagement, and modernizing the union for the future.
We believe Local 802 should continue evolving to meet the changing challenges facing professional musicians while remaining aggressive in protecting wages, benefits, and live music jobs. And to do that, we need to come together rather than tear each other down.