WELCOME, SANDRA!

Local 802 has hired a new director to supervise Local 802’s Computer Department. Her responsibilities will also include oversight of a complete software upgrade for the Local 802 Health Fund and the union’s internal computer system. Sandra Alayo is the new CIO (Chief Information Officer) for 802 and she started work in August. Alayo comes to the position with an impressive resume both in the private sector and in the nonprofit field. She will be working for both the Health Fund and Local 802.

Most immediately she will be managing a project just begun by the software firm ISSI to create a new information management system for the Local 802 Health Fund. When completed sometime next year, it will vastly improve the ability of the fund to manage the various health plan levels, the increasing number of plan participants and allow more efficient service to 802 members. At the same time, a request for proposals has gone out for a similar upgrade of the 802 computer system, which has been in place and largely unchanged since the mid-80’s. She will oversee that upgrade as well, while supervising the ongoing work of the union’s computer department. Local 802 welcomes Sandra to our staff.

ALLEGRO WINS WRITING AWARDS

Allegro won three writing awards in the annual journalism contest of the International Labor Communications Association. The paper won the prestigious Saul Miller Award for Best Organizing Story for a piece written by Local 802 member Rebecca Moore that appeared in December 2007. The story was called “Turning the Tide” and it was about how the union might be able to make a difference for musicians and their neighbors on the Lower East Side.

Allegro editor Mikael Elsila also won a second-place Saul Miller Award for Best Collective Bargaining Story for his April 2007 cover story on striking Bach trumpet workers.

Local 802 president Mary Landolfi won a third-place Best Editorial for her column “A Lesson Learned from a Segregated Union,” which appeared in the paper’s February 2007 Black History Month issue.

“This paper is a group effort,” said editor Elsila. “Staff and members put a lot of energy and work into Allegro and we should all be proud of it. Congratulations to us all.”

‘THE SEARCH FOR ELLE’

More good news for musicians connected with “Legally Blonde.” Last May, we reported in Allegro that musicians who play on the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde” won a settlement when MTV taped a special production of the show and broadcast it last year. Now Local 802 is collecting more money for additional musicians.

MTV has been taping a reality show called “The Search for Elle,” which documents the casting of a new female lead for “Legally Blonde.” As a result of the union’s efforts, MTV has now agreed to file union contracts and is paying benefits and additional wages to the musicians on earlier episodes who had originally been hired nonunion. Some will get quite a windfall.

“The world of cable TV has been nonunion in the past, but the future will be union,” Recording Supervisor Jay Schaffner told Allegro. “This settlement with MTV and our other recent win with ‘WonderPets!’ shows that musicians who work on cable can achieve union contacts.”

The five musicians who worked on “The Search for Elle” — along with the synth programmer whose work was required for the show — will be receiving pensionable wages in the amount of $35,907.61. In addition to wages, musicians involved also had full benefit contributions for both pension and health paid on their behalf, in accordance with the terms of the AFM’s Basic Television Film Agreement.

RADIO CITY MUSICIANS EXTEND CONTRACT

Musicians of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra have ratified an agreement which delays all economic increases in the contract for one year in return for an agreement by management that no one will be removed from the orchestra pool in 2008. The change will extend the contract until May 31, 2011. Although this agreement represents a financial sacrifice for everyone working at the Music Hall — principally by delaying a 3 percent raise that was due this year — it prevents the potential dismissal of six musicians for this year. The committee unanimously recommended the agreement to the Executive Board and orchestra; the agreement passed by a vote of 13 to 1.

Committee member Bud Burridge told Allegro, “We felt it important to extend the existence of the orchestra pool by one year, though we were unfortunately not able to accomplish the same temporary job security for the orchestra’s newest 802 members, who must re-audition for the coming season.

NEGOTIATIONS ROUNDUP

American Opera Projects, a small opera company in Brooklyn dedicated to performing new opera and musical theatre, has signed a recognition agreement with Local 802. Their first production utilizing a union orchestra, “This is the Rill Speaking,” was performed in April in Purchase, NY and at Symphony Space in Manhattan. The musicians in the largely student orchestra were offered a waiver of the AFM initiation fee. Several young professionals took advantage of the incentive to join Local 802 at a reduced rate.

FREE EAR PLUGS!

If you are on the union’s health plan, you are entitled to free, specially-designed musicians’ ear plugs every two years, from Radio Partner. Call the Health Department at (212) 245-4802 for details.

DO YOU HAVE MONEY WAITING FOR YOU?

The following people have dormant accounts at the Actors Federal Credit Union. Any money in these accounts may be forfeited and turned over to the state. If your name is on this list, contact the credit union immediately at (212) 869-8926 (then press 6 for Member Services), or come to the credit union’s branch in the Local 802 building on the fourth floor at 322 West 48th Street.

Here’s the list, in alphabetical order: Kieran Ahern, Daniel L. Bello II, Stephanie Bier, Gretha D. Boston, Dawn Bradfield, Candace Broecker, Ricardo Brown, Stacie Chaiken, Spencer Cherashore, Dancetrax, Markita P. Daughter, Paige V. Den Burg, Jennifer M. Diaz, Daniel P. Donnelly, Donna F. Dunmire, Tricia M. Fernandez, Joan Franklin, Steven Gelfand, Stephanie J. Goldberg & Ailey Irving Jazz Sheehan, Lisa E. Green, Roland P. Hanna, Tommy Hollis, David Horak, Michael Imperioli, Paul L. Johnson, Carlos R. Jones, Bridgitte Kaplan, Andrew Kato, Bonginkosi H. Kulu, Theodore Kwiatkowski, Gregory B. Landess, Lisa Locurto, Charles O. Lynch, George P. Mansour Jr., Michael J. Martino, Judith J. McLane, Jeff McCarthy, Mart Mcchesney, Ted McKnight, Marnie Nicolella, Pedro E. Ocampo, Will Osborne, Patrick Page, Suzanne Pillsbury, Noah Racey, Russell Rizner, Mark J. Rozzano, Richard W. Sears Jr., Matthew K. Seidman, Sandra Setticase, Bruce K. Sevy, Kenneth U. Simmons, Ashok Sinha & Sidney Carson, Jason K. Smith, Lois G. Spence, Lisen U. Sundgren, The Storybuilders, Joel Tishcoff, Mary H. West and Warren R. Zeh.