I. ELECTION BOARD NEWS
II. COMMENTARY FROM ANOTHER LOCAL
III. EVENTS
…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer
…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician
…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician
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I. ELECTION BOARD NEWS – MEMBER SUBMISSION
Dear Editor,
At last Tuesday’s Local 47’s Executive Board meeting,
President Acosta introduced a member of the Election
Board present to give his election report. Apparently,
to everyone’s surprise the member informed the Executive
Board that he was there to resign from the Election Board
and any comments he made were strictly speaking for himself.
Subsequently, he read his resignation letter citing several
problems not disclosed to the membership that could have
jeopardized the referendum if the numbers had been close.
The letter should be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Since there is nothing more for the current Election Board
to do and the next Election Board election is in April…
the member simply did not have to run again.
Why resign now?
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II. COMMENTARY FROM ANOTHER LOCAL
This was written by the president of another Local.
While this is from December 2014, it is still valid today and
shows the damage the RMA’s policies have done Federation wide.
THE WAY FORWARD WITH NATIONAL MEDIA POLICY
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra is at odds with our national
union (AFM) over differences with electronic media policy. In
recent years the CSO [along with 70 other orchestras] was signed
to the AFM’s Integrated Media Agreement (IMA) which expired
in the Fall of 2013. The IMA is a national agreement that covers
electronic media work common to symphony orchestras such
as CDs, public radio and television, but doesn’t cover commercial
work such as commercial announcements, film, videogames, etc.
Over the past year the CSO offered to bargain a new agreement
with the AFM, but that effort seems to have failed. On broader
fronts a multi-employer bargaining group was formed to
represent the management side for a new national contract, but
one year later a new agreement remains in the offing.
Before proceeding I should point out that the DMA (Local 20-623,
AFM) is the bargaining representative for CSO musicians with respect
to most matters in their collective bargaining agreement, including
local media. However, the AFM is the recognized bargaining agent
for the Integrated Media Agreement and all national media work.
Certainly the DMA has a vested interest in seeing a satisfactory
resolution to any internal union conflict, but therein lies the question.
Our local membership first learned of this conflict at our March 31,
2014 General Membership Meeting when members of the CSO shared
concerns about the AFM’s intransigence over a marketing collaboration
between the CSO and the Colorado Rockies. This was a local collaboration
that had broad support of the musicians and a perfect example of creative
marketing that orchestras across the country should capitalize on.
Nonetheless, the AFM only fought management on this matter. They even
fought the musicians against their will, all the while claiming to represent
them.
Ultimately a resolution was passed at our membership meeting, expressing
unanimous support for the CSO on three points: 1) AFM’s unreasonable
delay in bargaining, 2) failure to consult the Orchestra Committee before
initiating grievances against the orchestra, and 3) CSO musicians’ exclusion
from contract and policy-making decisions that affect them.
These are conventional expectations for any democratic organization, but not
in the AFM. One reason is the AFM has grown accustomed to setting uniform
rates for 70 years. Surely the prospect of achieving genuine support for
uniform recording rates across North America would be preferable, but
establishing and enforcing such policy requires broad and inclusive
representation that frankly does not exist in our union. Yes, the
AFM is obligated to represent the interests of those who do the work,
but it’s equally important to represent the interests of those who
must otherwise turn the work down. That democratic model is a world
apart from where we are now and would be expected if the AFM is
to serve the needs of “the many.”
This is a key point of contention for the CSO because the Integrated
Media Agreement only covers “symphonic” work and does not cover
commercial work. Moreover, I see no visible trace of representation
between CSO musicians and those who presently establish terms and
conditions for work under these commercial agreements. That remains
the closely-guarded and protected turf of the Recording Musicians
Association (RMA) which is an AFM “Player Conference” that aggressively
represents a small fraction of the AFM membership who greatly influence
AFM recording policy. Despite their relatively small numbers, RMA has
long demonstrated its ability to elect or unseat AFM officers who fail to
follow their lead. That political will enables RMA to impose their agenda
on AFM members who don’t even know RMA exists, let alone what it
stands for. Consequently, RMA’s unchecked power comes at the
expense of “the many” and only serves the needs of “the few.”
On the one hand I can’t blame RMA for taking all they can from
a union that wrongly and feebly ceded so much power to them,
but I do blame other AFM player conferences (ICSOM and ROPA,
specifically) for failing to see what’s really going on here. These
representational failures have taken a heavy toll on our union, so
I applaud the CSO and AFM members across North America for
standing up to force necessary change. Fortunately their demands
for change are also being heard. In his column in the November,
2014 International Musician, AFM President Ray Hair points to “brush
fires in Montreal, Vancouver, Denver, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-
St. Paul.” Fair representation, especially with respect to electronic
media, appears to be a common demand.
The only way to move beyond this old and deep-rooted conflict is
if our union commits to serve the ‘greater good’ and it appears
that President Hair draws this very conclusion in his November
column when he writes: “All previous AFM administrations faced
the same institutional pressures as we do to this day – the internal
struggle to balance the needs of the many, versus the needs of the
few, or the one. The rise of business unionism over the past 60
years, with its culture of divisiveness and hierarchical bargaining has
spawned a host of haves and have-nots in the workplace that serve
the interests of the employers. This has come with a terrible cost.”
President Hair’s hope to serve the greater good is a step in the right
direction, but actions speak louder than words. Whether or not the
AFM then commits to doing so will be determined by the success
or failure of organized protests and demands for change that are
taking place in Colorado and across the AFM.
The AFM’s willingness to go to the next step by confronting “business
unionism”, if true, is a very long time coming because AFM media policies
have been the standard-bearer of business unionism for 70 years.
Dictionary.com defines business unionism as “the trade-union philosophy
and activity that concentrates on the improvement of wages, hours, working
conditions, etc., rather than on the general reform of the capitalistic system”.
Sadly, that is an exacting description of the AFM’s flagship “Sound Recording
Labor Agreement (SRLA)” which defines AFM media policy. The predecessor
to the SRLA – the Phonograph Record Labor Agreement – was established
in 1944 with Decca, Capitol, RCA and Columbia. Those four producers were
arguably the only true players in the industry then, but today there are
thousands of legitimate record labels and independent producers while
only seven producers are actually signed to the SRLA document today.
Others may come and go, and typically sign for single projects when
they do.
Nonetheless, AFM members are led to believe that the 100-page SRLA
is an agreement with “the industry” which therefore applies to any and
all competing companies from coast to coast, no matter how small.
A “Favored Nations” clause exists to this day in the SRLA that obligates
the Federation to notify their signatory business partners if a more
favorable deal is cut to anyone else. That little clause is an extraordinary
deal for our capitalist business partners like Sony ($3 billion annual sales)
and Warner Brothers ($5 billion annual sales) and is quite possibly their
primary motivation to keep these “agreements” in place. When President
Hair publicly assails Lionsgate ($2.3 billion annual sales) for disregarding
AFM agreements, few are cheering him on more than the CEO’s of Sony
and Warner Brothers. Observe the Clash of the Titans – “the few” – who
already command the upper percentile and remain determined to rule
the world of media.
How does this affect the great majority of AFM members who work in
an economy where the great majority of employer/producers, i.e., “the
industry” may only be one-thousandth the size of Warner or Sony? Does
“the industry” benefit when the titans establish and set terms for small
independents?
Only time will tell if our elected AFM leadership will stand up to these
mega-corporations and reject old business union habits so our union
can truly serve the greater good. Early indications of change for the
better [or worse] will surely be found in President Hair’s reference
to “brush fires.” Will these members be welcomed and encouraged
for the healthy debate and necessary change they bring, or not?
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III. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
DEAN AND RICHARD are now playing every third Friday
at Culver City Elks 7:30pm-10;30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
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LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, Burbank.
Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way they
should be.
We are in the back room called the Trailside Room.
Come on down. Guaranteed to swing.
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2/19,20,21/16
The EUROPEAN CONCERT TRIO
will present the premiere of Paul GIbson’s
“The Shepherd’s Lot”
in three February concerts.
Harriet Fraser (soprano),
Amanda Walker (clarinet)
Irina Bazik (piano)
Winners of the 2015 Beverly Hills National Auditions
The European Concert Trio was formed in 2015 by
three European-born, Los Angeles-based professional
artists, each having already established successful solo
careers, to fulfill their passion for chamber music and
share it with Southern California audiences.
Fri, FEB 19 – Encinitas – 7:30pm
The City of Encinitas presents
Music by the Sea concert series
Encinitas Library
540 Cornish Drive
Tickets: $13, plus fee. Purchase tickets in advance here.
Sat, FEB 20 – Torrance – 3pm
Classical Crossroads &
FirstServe Community Services present
The Interludes concert series
First Lutheran Church & School
2900 W. Carson Street
Tickets: FREE, donations appreciated. Information here.
Sun, FEB 21 – Beverly Hills – 2pm
Music in the Mansion concert series
Greystone Mansion
905 Loma Vista Dr.
Tickets: $20. Information here.
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3/20/16
PETER ERSKINE
Legendary drummer Peter Erskine, reaching back
to his fusion and R&B playing with Weather Report,
unpacks a lost page of a song by Joe Zawinul, and
releases a 21st century nod to Weather Report.
Record Release Concert will be held Sunday,
March 20th, 2016 at the Moss Theatre,
Santa Monica, California.
“This is the album Weather Report might have
made were the band members all still on this
earth now,” says Erskine.
Sunday March 20, 2016
3:00 pm
Conversations with the Artists on-stage interviews
4:00 pm Concert
Peter Erskine – drums
John Beasley – piano and keyboards
Zanek Gwizdala – bass
Bob Sheppard – sax
VENUE: MOSS Theatre: free parking, wheelchair accessible, all ages
3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404
TICKETS: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2489104
INFO: [email protected] – 818-632-4868
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3/20/16
LISA HALEY AND THE ZYDECATS
SUNDAY 3.20.16 HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – 4PM
ASHGROVE AT THE IMPROV!
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Please join us for this special evening with the “New Ashgrove Players”
Continuing the legacy of the “Historical Ashgrove Theatre!”
“If” we do well this first time here, they will continue to have Cajun & Zydeco!!
Come on out Y’all!!!!
Tickets: http://hollywood.improv.com/event.cfm?id=435277
or (323) 651-2583
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2/21/16
SONGWRITERS WORKSHOP
Come join three fantastic songwriters (and one mediocre host) at the upcoming Songwriter’s Square – a music and storytelling show!
Sunday Night, February 21st
Doors open at 7:30PM, Show starts at 8:00PM.
At the Lyric/Hyperion Theater & Cafe.
This month we feature:
GREGG SUTTON
Songwriter (Joe Cocker, Percy Sledge, Maria McKee and more), music director for Andy Kaufman! Bassist for Bob Dylan! We will hear some incredible stories along with his great songs.
JAMES LEE STANLEY
The legendary folk singer returns to Songwriter’s Square. “One of the few all time greats and undisputed geniuses among singer-songwriters.” FI Magazine. Great storyteller!
PATRICIA BAHIA
Fantastic feel good songs from the award winning writer! Patricia was nominated for two 2016 LA Music Critics Awards: Best CD Female; and Best Pop/Rock Female Artist for her “Save Your Heart” CD.
Sunday Night, February 21st
Doors open at 7:30PM, Show starts at 8:00PM.
At the Lyric/Hyperion Theater & Cafe.
2106 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
$15 or $12 with discount code ‘bill’ CLICK HERE
Come enjoy an intimate evening with some of the best songwriters in Los Angeles! The monthly showcase is hosted by BILL BERRY and features songwriters from country to cabaret, rock to folk and everything in between. Enjoy a glass of wine and dinner with your show. Free parking.
More information at billberrymusic.com or at www.lyrichyperion.com.
Thank you,
-Bill Berry
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2/21/16
LA WINDS IN CONCERT! 1pm and 4pm
Sunday February 21, 2015
1:00 and 4:00 P.M.
Los Angeles Pierce College Performing Arts Building
Subscription Concert — “Stars of the Pierce College Symphonic Band”
Our program will include the dazzling virtuosity of the Pierce Symphonic Band and some of it’s members.
Music from Robin Hood – Erich Korngold,
arranged by Member Robert Joles
Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C with soloists – members Leslie Kearney and Juan Rivera
I Have Found My Peace (Mov. II) by member Andrea Vancura
Call to Arms by the SFVS’s own James Domine
The 1st movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony #9.
Transcribed by member Charles Fernandez
Windsor Processional by member Charles Fernandez
On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss by David R. Holsinger
Washington Post March by NON-MEMBER John Philip Sousa
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2/24/16
Corbin Bowl and the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra
Present Concerts at the “Bowl” in the “Corbin Lounge”
Wednesday Evenings at 7:30 pm
February 24
The SymphoBlondiax
Perform music from baroque to contemporary by Bach, Domine, Vivaldi,
Telemann, and others, featuring James Domine, guitar; Ruth Bruegger,
Ruth Siegal, Carolyn Osborn, and Florence Titmus, violin; Glenn Grab,
‘cello and Larry Muradian, bass
“Lounge” at the Corbin Bowl
19616 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana
Free Admission/ONE Drink Minimum
Persons under 21 years of age not admitted
“CONCERTS” ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
For photos of the performers and the latest schedule updates, go to:
http://www.sfvsymphony.com/concerts_at_the_bowl/
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You can read all previous offerings at:http://www.responsible47.com
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47
================================
You can read all previous offerings at:
http://www.responsible47.com
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47