2/3/17
I. LETTER FROM CHARLES FERNANDEZ
II. FROM THE 802 ARCHIVES – 2008
III. MEMBER LETTER
IV. COMMENTS
V. 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. A LETTER FROM CHARLES FERNANDEZ
Colleagues,
No doubt some will give each other high-5’s that the local is using
all it’s resources to financially damage a single member who has tried
to make the local more responsive, accountable and transparent for the
rank and file against it’s will.
Here is a letter I have submitted to the Overture. In anticipation of
there refusal to publish it, I share it here.
If you would like to respond, please either respond directly to me,
[email protected] or through the responsible47.com site.
Pro or con is of course welcome, and all comments will be published
unless you request it not to be, your name will of course not be included.
As of this date, they still are not giving up on these bogus charges. Perhaps
if enough members call them out they will do the right thing.
I thank you in advance,
Here is the Letter:
To the Editor,
My name is Charles Fernandez. I’ve been a Local 47 member and Emmy/Annie nominated composer/orchestrator/conductor/bassoonist since 1983. I am being targeted for conducting on an educational demo for an English music university. They brought students to Los Angeles to record with Los Angeles musicians. I arranged a connection with a contractor and left it to them. I was at the session to help students in whatever way they needed as an employee of the company. A couple of them needed me to conduct.
Though I am being charged with conducting, conducting is NOT a union craft. The word “conducting’ does not appear in the local’s bylaws. The charges are baseless.
Two former employees informed me that they were told to include a conductor on a contract only IF they wanted to be. We all know why. If they had to enforce a non-existent rule about conducting they’d have to charge a former RMA President who has worked in London countless times. In fact, he’d have a stack of fines a foot high.
Members of the executive board, trial board, all committees, orchestrators, “a” list members and copyists work non-union. They have no choice. My targeting is selective enforcement and designed to hurt me financially.
The lawyer fees I have had to pay are above $10,000 at this point. The letters first came from Gordon Grayson, but now the letters are coming from Louis Levy’s Law Firm.
That means the Local is paying the hourly fees of a professional law firm out of member’s money to target, not a company, nor a studio, nor an orchestra, nor a band, but to target a single member.
A union member who actually played on the session was told they would be charged UNLESS they signed a letter stating they saw me specifically conduct. That is targeting.
While one of the duties of the AFM is to protect members from warrantless harassment and targeting, the AFM has slow walked the process as much as the Local. I cannot get a fair hearing at the local OR the national.
This is the type of conduct our local engages in if you dare speak up. They should be ashamed and are doing nothing but guaranteeing a counter suit for damages.
If you find this as unacceptable as I do, please contact the Local.
Thank you.
Charles Fernandez
Local 47 member since 1983
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II. FROM LOCAL 802 ARCHIVE
{EC: Colleagues, Considering how bad things have gotten, this
letter from an 802 member from 2008 should let you how
bad it’s was even 9 yeas ago….)
Archive: Volume CVIII No. 10 October, 2008
Readers Speak Out!
The Musicians’ Voice: Recording at a Crossroads
The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The letters published here do not necessarily express the views of Local
802. Letters must be 300 words or less.
RE: RECORDING AT A CROSSROADS
To the Editor:
I’d like to ask my fellow musicians a few questions. How many union film sessions have you done in the last year? Of those sessions, how many do you realistically think will pay any back end? One more question: Who is recording all the low-budget, indie, made-for-cable and foreign film sessions? The bulk of that work, when it actually uses live musicians, is recorded nonunion.
We need to stop living in the good old days when every film was made in Hollywood and every session was with a major studio. Today’s films are made all over the world and even in home studios. Many production companies are put-together operations that don’t have full-time accountants to track secondary markets year after year.
There is a lot of work out there that we don’t have, and we will not get it unless we change the way we do business. I enjoy getting my special payments checks and I would push to strengthen those markets that are still healthy enough to support them. But we have our heads in the sand if we think that all of today’s markets are the same and that one contract fits all.
I am totally pro union. But we must be realistic and not repeat mistakes
made by other unions in the past.
Globalization is a reality. Do you have any idea how little European orchestras
charge for recording? These are orchestras with world-class musicians.
I strongly disagree with those who think that digging in our heels is
the answer. The strength of our union will be in its ability to adapt
with changing technology and its many markets, not with stubbornly
holding on to old practices that don’t work anymore.
==========================
III. MEMBER LETTER from Dr. Len Bergantino
Dear Local 47 Members,
I spoke with Don Vappie a few weeks ago about the selling of Local
47 buildings and properties. Don in my view is the best tenor banjo
player alive today. Wanton Marsalis calls him from New York to play
at the Lincoln Center for Dixieland Jazz.
As tradition would have it, Don’s father played in the New Orleans
Local with Wynton’s father as did their grandfathers!
Don is aware of the special nature of Local 47. I visited the New Orleans
Local. Don had the following to say:
They sold he New Orleans Local Building which was on Esplanade Street
for One Million Dollars. Everybody was pissed. I hear they sold three
other Locals (he rattled off 3 cities which I do not recall, although I think
Chicago was one of them.)
Don and I both lamented about the tradition of Los Angeles and New
Orleans Locals having g the finest musicians in the world go through
their doors. From Louis Armstrong to my second trumpet teacher’s son,
the great lead trumpet player Conrad Gozzo whose picture was on the
wall of Local 47 doing the 16 years I was a member.
Sincerely,
Dr. Len Bergantino
===========================
IV. MEMBER COMMENT
The union only controls half of the pension fund fiduciaries.
It seem that the only recourse we have to this terrible
performance is to put pressure on them to resign and ask
Ray Hair to replace them with members who have knowledge
of capital markets.
We don’t have any control over the employer appointed
members, other than pressure as employees.
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V. EVENTS
———————————–
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first
Friday of
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
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.
—————————————–
2/10/17
TALL AND SMALL!
Pete Christlieb & Linda Small
with the Ray Ohls Trio
Friday, February 10, 2017 8:00 pm
Brother Don’s Bar & Grill
4200 Kitsap Way
Bremerton, Washington 98310
Directions
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2/12/17
PALISADES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conductor Joel B. Lish
Sunday, February 12, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Mendelssohn: “Hebrides” Overture
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto – Helen Goode-Castro, Clarinet Soloist
Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Admission is free; open seating
Palisades Lutheran Church
15905 Sunset Boulevard
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
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2/15/17
FREE ADMISSION GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS
Wed. FEBRUARY 15, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm at the
Free Admission Glendale Noon Concerts:
The Music of Scott Joplin featuring
violinist Yvette Devereaux, with
bassist Kevin O’Neal.
Sanctuary of Glendale City Church,
610 E. California Ave. (at Isabel St), Glendale, CA 91206.
For more information, email [email protected]
or call (818) 244- 7241.
Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108
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2/16/17
THE ORCHESTRE SURREAL
February 16th 8:00
El Portal Theater
The Orchestre surreal will be performing and filming
our up coming concert at the historic
El Portal Theater in North Hollywood.
This is a special event.
If you are receiving this email then you are on our special list.
We want to recognize your loyalty and connection
with the Orchestre and offer you 1/2 price tickets.
For 1/2 price tix
Use the Code Word
ELVIS.
Here is the link
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/961811/prm/ELVIS
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2/24/17
DON’T MISS THE
THE PHIL NORMAN TENTET
AT THE
NEWPORT BEACH JAZZ PARTY
February 23rd thru February 26th
Marriott Hotel & Spa
900 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Tentet’s performance
Friday, February 24th @ 2:30pm
For Tickets: 949-759-5003
www.newportbeachjazzparty.com
Remembering the classic sounds & variations of
12 jazz legends to include:
The George Shearing Quintet
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
The Modern Jazz Quartet
The Cal Tjader Quintet
the Ahmad Jamal Trio
Miles, Dizzy and more
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3/18/16
SFV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Mar. 18, 2017 –
Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
Tuttle: By Steam or By Dream Overture
Inaugural Performance
Prokofiev: Symphony #1 in D major (Classical)
Ben-Haim: Pastorale Variée for
Clarinet, Harp and Strings
Geoff Nudell, clarinetist
Beethoven: Romance for Violin and Orchestra
Ruth Bruegger, violinist
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Other concerts in the series
May 13, 2017 – Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center
Saint-Saens: Bacchanale from “Samson and Delilah”
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major
Egizi: Orchestral Suite
“In Memoria di Mio Padre”
Inaugural Performance
Programs subject to change
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3/26/17
LOS ANGELES SYMPHONIC WINDS
Subscription Concert 3 – Calabasas High School
Stars of the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds
Revel in the artistry of some of the LA Winds’ most
acclaimed performers.
-Geoff Nudell and Parker Gaims (now a member of the US Marine Corps Band) play Felix Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Two Concert Pieces. Also on the program will be two works by the LA Winds’ resident composer,
– Charles Fernandez
• Sunday March 26, 2017
• 2:30 p.m. Performing Arts Education Centers.
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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
I am perplexed why this blog hasn’t generated ANY discussion. First, the letter from Charles Fernandez warrants a discussion about the ongoing persecution by AFM of a select group of working musicians here in Los Angeles. I say “select” because some people are being brought up on charges while others are still getting away with playing dark dates. I’m sure most of us are aware of it happening, but I worry that many people still feel that if they simply keep their heads down it won’t happen to them. Maybe that was true 10 years ago, but it is definitely not true today. Why doesn’t this make people mad??? I was one of those people – until I was brought up on charges by AFM. I had to hire an attorney to help me navigate through the Answer/Rebuttal/Surebuttal process only to suffer the indignity of learning that the IEB met behind closed doors, found me guilty and expelled me. I was never granted a hearing nor did they ever answer my questions or address my concerns! That is not only a direct violation of the AFM By-laws, it is a violation of my constitutional rights. Thankfully, I had already been granted Fi-core status so I am free to perform both union and non-union work. Things need to change here in LA if working musicians ever want to be able to work freely without fear of repercussion. The answer is simple. Until California becomes a “Right To Work” state, musicians need to strongly consider declaring their Fi-core/Beck status in order to do both union and non-union work out in the open. The second letter in the blog should also get people’s attention. This letter was written in 2008 by a member of Local 802 accurately describing and predicting the demise of the film music recording industry. That was NINE years ago! It is now 2017 and we have lost the majority of our recording contracts to overseas orchestras. Why isn’t this generating discussion? Why doesn’t this make people mad as hell and want to change the situation? Los Angeles has a plethora of amazing musicians who are ready, willing and able to play these sessions. What is it going to take to get enough people to speak out so that change can begin to happen? I am perplexed. I simply do not get it. I hope this will generate some discussion. (Be careful what you wish for, right?)