This mailing has vital information all orchestral players must know about your metro contract.
Greetings Local 47 Colleagues!,
Anyone who is a regular or even semi regular member of an area
orchestra needs to know their rights under the metro contract.
If you are in an orchestra, know your players committee members and make sure they know you and what your ideas and concerns are.
If your orchestra has no players committee, make one.
Only in this way can you protect you rights and possibly your job.
Recently there have been cases where the union YOU pay for
has negotiated contracts for you with NO MEMBER INPUT
because no players committee had been formed.
Such was the case with the Desert Symphony.
With no players committee protecting the members,
some players who’d been in the orchestra since it’s inception
were denied tenure and sometimes even their places in the orchestra.
Pay scales were adjusted, and while some are fine with the
contract a majority are not.
Under the metro contract some of the orchestras’ actions were illegal
and condoned by whomever it was from Local 47 who negotiated with them.
Please read this wonderful short article by Local 47 Colleague Helen Crosby. This is vital information all orchestral players must know.
If you do not look out for your rights in these situations, no one else will
UNLESS there is a members committee doing it for you.
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January 2005 “Your Rights Under the Metro Contract”
By Helen Crosby, Member Local 47
RE: Metropolitan and Community Orchestras
UNIFORM MASTER AGREEMENT
Beach Cities Symphony, Brentwood-Westwood Symphony, Burbank Chamber (Phil) Orchestra, Carson-Dominguez Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, Downey Symphonic Society, LTD, La Mirada Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Marina Del Rey-Westchester Symphony, Music Sinfonia of Los Angeles (Campus Concerts), New Valley Symphony Orchestra, Observatory Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Presbyterian Church (Friends of Music Orchestra), Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Santa Cecelia Orchestra, Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, Southeast Symphony Association, Southwestern Youth Music Festival Orchestra, Topanga Symphony, Valley Cultural Center Chamber Orchestra, West Hollywood Orchestra, West Los Angeles Symphony
As one of your player representatives contributing to the Metropolitan Orchestra contract and its renewal for the 2004-2007 seasons, it became clear that many of the musicians covered by this agreement are not aware of the job security clause in the contract. Because there are often changes in contractors, players who are not aware of their status in regard to job security, may not know that the signatory orchestras and their
“new contractors are obligated to offer the position and the right of first refusal .”
Please review the following clause as it applies to you and your past service in the various signatory orchestras. If you meet the criteria for the job security clause of the contract and you have not been called and given the right of first refusal for your chair, then YOU need to contact Local 47 immediately to help YOUR union enforce the agreement.
Contract Oct. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2004
Article IV E. Job Security. A musician who has been employed for over 50% of the concerts in each of the two consecutive Contract Years shall have the status of a REGULAR MUSICIAN with the orchestra, and shall have the right of first call for all services requiring a professional in his/her positions during each Contract Year immediately following two Contract years in which that Musician has continued to fulfill this requirement.
Contract Oct. 1, 2004 to Sept. 30, 2007
Article IV E. Job Security. Same as above except the change from over 50% of the concerts ..etc. to 50% of the concerts..etc. Omitting the word over from the contract language.
This information is being submitted for publication in the next Overture.
Helen Crosby, Member Local 7 & 47 AF of M.
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This information brought to you by the COMMTTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47
Please feel free to forward this to any Local 47 members you know.
We are always looking for more Local 47 members to keep
informed! Please share this info and have them send along their E-mail addresses!
THE COMMITTEE