The Local 802 Emergency Relief Fund donated $25,000 to the Local 47 (Los Angeles) Emergency Relief Fund to help musicians in need who were affected by the California fires.

Local 802 musicians are keeping an eye on the situation unfolding 3,000 miles away as our union brothers and sisters in AFM Local 47 (Los Angeles) face a city leveled by uncontrolled wildfires. Even for those who managed to escape personal loss, life there will never be quite the same. Although it’s challenging to find ways to help from so far away, I am pleased to report that the Local 802 Emergency Relief Fund was able to donate $25,000 to the Local 47 Emergency Relief Fund to be utilized by their members impacted by the fires. (See photo above.) It is too soon to know how the devastation will affect the recording industry, but we know that numerous concerts and sessions have recently been cancelled or postponed and many of our colleagues have lost their homes and all their possessions. We hope this contribution helps. Our hearts are with you, L.A.

In response to our donation, we received this message from Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe: “The outpouring of love and support from our union siblings in Local 802 is heartwarming, and wholly demonstrative of what it means to be both a union member, and a human being. We cannot thank you enough.”

Here in New York, we have several contracts expiring this year. These include: NYGASP, Little Orchestra Society, and Westchester Philharmonic. As always, we will do our best to negotiate fair contracts and keep standards high for the freelance community. If you play in these groups, please keep in touch with your orchestra committees and let them know your concerns and requirements for a new contract.

I’m pleased to report that the Local 802 Executive Board recently approved a new contract with the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project. VHRP has been on a short hiatus due to loss of funding and other issues, however there is the possibility of a concert in the fall which will be covered by the new agreement. Additionally, negotiations with Orchestra Lumos are drawing to a conclusion. I expect to be able to report on that next month.

Just a brief reminder that if you are planning to avail yourself of the concert department’s shortfall funds, the maximum amount you may request from ALL participating orchestras is $250 total. This change was made effective January 1, 2025, following a decision by the trustees of the Musicians Health Fund in 2023. All information on the shortfall fund application process is here.

Not surprisingly, our finances have been heavily impacted by the building renovation. This will continue to be felt for some years, and likely for decades. It will not, however, decrease our ability to run the business of the union. Local 802 has faced adversity before but we musicians are resilient, creative and committed. As reported previously, the project has been fraught with problems, most of which have been unavoidable or simply strokes of very bad luck. We are exploring all possible funding sources and are working literally every day to get the project back on track as soon as possible. See Sara Cutler’s update on the project in this issue.

There’s no doubt about it- we in the labor movement are in for a rough four years. My personal intention is to continue to do my best work on behalf of our Union and our members each and every day, despite the utter foolishness and outright insanity already coming at us from the White House. But we cannot let it consume our energy or run our lives. This time around, I am taking my direction from neuroscientist, author, and all around smart guy, Sam Harris:

“I am not going to spend the next four years obsessing about Donald Trump. As I’ve said before, I consider him one of the greatest opportunity costs for humanity to appear in my lifetime. The fact that we’ve had to think about this man continuously, for a decade, is just an incredible piece of bad luck. So, I’m going to do my best to pick my moments. I’m sure there will be many over the next four years, but I am just not willing to give more of my time to politics than is absolutely necessary.”* (*From ‘The Reckoning’ by Sam Harris, Nov. 11, 2024)

If sharing that quote helps even one reader, I’ll have done my good deed for today.

There’s work to be done — decent, valuable work — and we’re not going anywhere.