FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 16, 2018

Contact:

For Local 802:
Laura Dolan / Geto & de Milly, Inc.
(212) 686-4551 / ldolan@getodemilly.com

Fellow musicians call on JOSH GROBAN to reject Live Nation’s exploitative hiring practices, and demand a union contract for musicians playing his Sunday 11/18 show at Madison Square Garden!

Musicians run ads akin to those in Boston and Washington DC, urging star to take a stand

New York, New York — Friday, November 16, 2018 — The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM is calling on popular Broadway performer and pop music star Josh Groban to demand that his management at Live Nation sign a union contract for the protection of orchestral backing musicians contracted to play his Sunday, November 18th show at Madison Square Garden.

In the course of his current tour, Local unions in both Boston and Washington, DC have called on Groban to step up, speak out and fight the union-busting tactics of Live Nation, taking out ads in local publications. In an ad that ran in DC’s Metro newspaper noted that local orchestra musicians playing Groban’s show reported being denied access to an air-conditioned tent in sweltering heat, receiving no food or per diem, no benefits and no travel mileage. While the ad noted there was no reason to believe that Groban had a role in authorizing these conditions, the union pointed out that he is nonetheless in a powerful position to advocate for change.

This Sunday, Groban’s tour will play Madison Square Garden—and tour management is continuing to refuse to sign a union contract covering the backup musicians. In response, The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM is running ads on Facebook targeted to Groban’s fans and the public at large, asking that the star make his voice heard and join the fight for fair treatment of fellow artists.

“Josh Groban knows well the hardships that working musicians face as they try to put food on the table and make ends meet. As a musician himself, he should be standing up to his show promoters and demanding that his fellow artists are covered by a union contract, which would guarantee them fair wages, benefits and important protections,” said Tino Gagliardi, President, Local 802 AFM, “Other high-profile artists use their power to advocate on behalf of working people, and Josh Groban should be doing the same. He obviously values the expertise of the musicians he calls upon to enrich his sound—he should also value their right to healthcare, pension benefits and fair treatment—protections that a basic union contract provides.”

About Local 802, AFM
The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 American Federation of Musicians represents over 7,500 highly-skilled musicians who drive the New York City’s thriving cultural and tourism economy, which brings over 58 million visitors each year. Its members—who perform on Broadway, at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Radio City, on Late Night TV shows and in other televised bands, as well as in hotels, clubs, festivals and venues across NYC—are protected by collectively bargained agreements ensuring fair treatment and living wage. www.local802afm.org.

###