Allegro
Executive Board Minutes
January 8, 2008 -- January 22, 2008
Volume CVIII, No. 3March, 2008
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008
Meeting called to order at 11:05 a.m. Present: President Landolfi, Recording Vice President Dennison, Financial Vice President Blumenthal, Executive Board members Burridge Fein, Hunt, Johansen, Rizzo and Schwartz.
Recording Vice President Dennison distributed the minutes of Dec. 18, 2007. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the minutes as amended.
Motion made and carried unanimously to affirm a phone poll approving the collective bargaining agreement with Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) representing the union’s clerical staff.
Motion made and carried unanimously to extend the same Plan A health benefits negotiated in the Local 153 (OPEIU) agreement to Local 802 supervisory staff, which benefits includes payment of the premium for Plan A family coverage.
Board member Roach present at 11:15 a.m. Landolfi reported that a grievance meeting with the League of American Theatres and Producers regarding lost wages and benefits during the Local 1 Stagehands strike failed to reach a resolution.
Board members Giannini and Schaffner present at 11:20 a.m. Motion made and carried unanimously to file for arbitration over wages and benefits lost during the Local 1 Stagehands strike.
Motion made and carried unanimously to make health benefit contributions from the Local 802 Strike Fund on behalf of any member of the “Saturday Night Live” orchestra and any member of the bands performing on the “Late Show with David Letterman” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” who otherwise would have lost health benefits as a result of the strike by members of the Writers Guild of America.
Landolfi presented an agreement covering a workshop production of “Langston in Harlem.” Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the agreement.
Landolfi, Roach and Fein reported on two meetings with the producers of the Broadway production of “In the Heights” regarding their Special Situations request. Discussion held.
Local 802 Counsel Mars present. Financial Vice President Blumenthal and Counsel Mars presented an agreement with the New York Pops. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the agreement.
Landolfi and Mars reported on issues regarding work dues received from the Metropolitan Opera. Motion made and carried unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Committee regarding the amelioration of discrepancies in the payment and collection of orchestra member work dues. Mars excused.
Landolfi reported on issues regarding actor/musicians performing in the Broadway production of “Cyrano.” Discussion held.
Landolfi reported that Local 802 had received a Special Situation request from the Broadway producers of “Crybaby.”
Blumenthal distributed a proposal regarding the redesign of the Local 802 Web site. Discussion held.
Dennison requested payment of an invoice for the purchase of 250 Local 802 hats at a total cost of $2,660.79. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Dennison reported that he had received a request for assistance from other unions in behalf of folk singer and union activist Utah Phillips. Phillips, who has spent decades writing and performing music about the history of the labor movement, has been in declining health and in need of financial assistance. Motion made and carried unanimously to make a donation of $250 to Phillips and a $250 donation to No Guff Records in his behalf.
Concert Representative Karen Fisher appeared before the Board regarding a request from New York Revels. Discussion held.
Principal Theatre Business Rep Donovan appeared before the Board and presented an agreement with Lincoln Center Theatre for their production of “South Pacific.” Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the agreement.
Meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Meeting called to order at 11:05 a.m. Present: President Landolfi, Recording Vice President Dennison, Financial Vice President Blumenthal, Executive Board members Fein, Johansen, Rizzo, Roach, Schwartz and Jazz Advisory Committee Liaison Owens.
Recording Vice President Dennison distributed the minutes of January 8, 2008. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the minutes as amended.
President Landolfi requested payment of annual dues to the Working Families Party in the amount of $3,000. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Landolfi requested that Local 802 be listed as a supporter of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Commitment to National Health Care sponsored by Health Care Now. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Motion made and carried unanimously to affirm a phone poll of the Board approving the purchase of an ad in the 2008 Grammy Awards program in conjunction with the AFM and Los Angeles Local 47 at a cost of $500.
Landolfi reported on further discussions regarding the Special Situation request from the producers of “In the Heights.” Discussion held.
Motion made and carried unanimously to grant conditional approval for Special Situation status to the Broadway production of “In the Heights” provided that the union may attend rehearsals and previews and that a neutral will be called to render a decision in the event the union concludes that the representations made regarding the production are not accurate.
Landolfi reported on an overtime issue at a Broadway show. Discussion held.
Controller Goldman appeared before the Board and reported that the calculation of officers’ salary increases made by the previous controller had been based on 11-month increases in the U.S. Department of Labor’s All Urban Consumers Price Index (CPI) for the New York metropolitan area rather than the yearly CPI increases as contemplated by the Local 802 Bylaws.
Motion made and carried unanimously that officer salary increases be based on yearly increases in the CPI and that a bylaw be submitted to clarify the current language in Article I Section 5 paragraph (gg) of the Local 802 Bylaws. Blumenthal and Dennison recused.
Blumenthal requested a 3 percent wage increase for several non-bargaining unit employees. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Goldman presented the November 2007 and the January to November 2007 Local 802 finances. Discussion held.
Goldman excused. Dennison reported that the total number of members who had achieved Plan A + or Plan A coverage on the Local 802 Health Benefits Fund had increased for the period October 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 from 1,163 to 1,317, an increase of 154. Including dependents the total number of covered lives rose by 190.
Blumenthal requested payment of an invoice in the amount of $2,236.85 for the purchase of Local 802 T-shirts. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Blumenthal distributed a progress report from the Local 802 Computer Department regarding the work on upgrading the union’s proprietary software.
Principal Business Rep Donovan appeared before the Board and presented an agreement for a choreographic session of “Brigadoon.” Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the agreement.
Meeting adjourned at 12:55 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2008
Meeting called to order at 11:15 a.m. Present: President Landolfi, Recording Vice President Dennison, Financial Vice President Blumenthal, Executive Board members Fein, Giannini, Johansen, Rizzo, Roach and Schwartz.
Recording Vice President Dennison distributed the minutes of January 15, 2008. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the minutes as amended.
President Landolfi reported that Local 802 had responded to a request from the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health by sending letters to NYC Council President Quinn and NYC Mayor Bloomberg opposing a City Council measure that would limit the use of devices used to measure hazardous materials or other dangers in the work place.
Landolfi reported on a communication from Stagehands Local 1, IATSE inviting Local 802 members to attend a Broadway Union Pride & Solidarity Day on Saturday, February 9, 2008 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Landolfi reported on the status of a grievance regarding additional payments due the members of the “Legally Blonde” orchestra for an airing of the taped show on MTV beyond the contractually prescribed period.
Dennison distributed an adjustment required in the Local 802 Bylaws to reflect the $2 AFM per-capita increase mandated by the 2007 AFM Convention. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the adjustment.
Dennison submitted an audio-visual archival recording agreement with Concert for the Troops, Bruce Eagel covering a performance on January 23, 2008. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the agreement.
Dennison requested payment of $2,109.13 in expenses for the attendance of Jazz Advisory Committee Liaison Jimmy Owens at the 2008 conference of the International Association for Jazz Education. Motion made and carried to approve the request within Local 802 guidelines and to submit the expenses to the Coordinating Advisory Committee for payment from the Special Projects and Services Fund.
Dennison requested a contribution of $250 from TEMPO 802 to the campaign committee of Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick. Motion made and carried unanimously to approve the request.
Meeting adjourned at 12:55 p.m.