Allegro
Currently Browsing: April, 2000
Recording Musicians Benefited From Union Intervention in ’99
Collections Approach $1.5 Million Mark
Local 802 recording musicians received almost $1.5 million in grievance collections and late payment penalties in 1999 – a huge sum they would not have received without union intervention. Grievance collections ran about 25 percent higher than the previous year
Basic Information to Obtain on Recording Sessions
If you require assistance from the union – to check on a date before it occurs, or to track payment or pursue a grievance after the session’s done – having some specific information can be critical. Two questions to ask
Hearing Tests for Local 802 Members
Union, Health Plan and Providers Join to Offer Affordable Options
Preserving your hearing is one of the most important things you can do for yourself as a professional musician. Hearing loss is not inevitable; you can take precautions and protect yourself. The first step is testing. Every musician should have
Credit Union Reports Growth in Assets and Services
AFCU Annual Meeting
Substantial increases in assets, transactions, and services to members were highlighted at the Actor’s Federal Credit Union annual meeting, which was held on Feb. 25. AFCU President Jeff Rodman reported healthy increases in a number of key statistics: The credit
American Opera Musical Theatre Company Ordered to Bargain with Local 802
Local 802 won a 17-month battle against the American Opera Musical Theatre Company when the National Labor Relations Board determined that the company withdrew recognition from the union and failed to negotiate in good faith. Administrative Law Judge Joel P.
Rally Charges Cooper Union With Exploiting Building Cleaners
In The Key Of Solidarity
A trio of 802 members played “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at a Feb. 24 rally, while an actor portraying Abraham Lincoln told a cheering crowd that Cooper Union is exploiting its building cleaners. Meanwhile, Cooper Union officials were
Gearing Up for a Crucial Year in Politics
Guest Commentary
For the past several months, Americans have been inundated with stories about the 2000 elections. With so many talking heads making so much noise, the natural reaction has been to tune them out. But this year’s elections have a rhythm
Legislative Update
CITY COUNCIL PASSES THREE PRO-WORKER BILLS A battle is shaping up between the City Council and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani over three important pro-worker bills, which the council recently passed and the mayor has vowed to veto. On Feb. 29, Council
Negotiations Roundup
THE SUPPER CLUB Musicians who play at the Supper Club with bandleader Michael Smith recently voted to approve a new two-year contract. Wages will rise from $113.50 per performance to $121 in year one and $125 in year two, a
Rescue Health Care Day is April 1
A rally against health care profiteers and for health care for all will take place on Saturday, April 1, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Washington Square Park in Manhattan. Rally speakers will include consumers, health care providers, elected
Should We Reconsider Special Payments?
President's Report
The last two issues of Allegro have contained letters from Canadian AFM and local officers which addressed the subject of so-called runaway film scoring. The writers told of their experience with this phenomenon, and the steps that have been taken
Local 802 Ended 1999 With a Modest Gain
Controller's Report
For the year ended Dec. 31, 1999, Local 802 realized a gain of $36,509. This was a decline of almost eighty per cent from earnings of $167,761 realized during the preceding year. The audited financial statements for the year appear
Internet Distribution – Artist Beware
Viewpoints
They act like they are the artist’s best friend. They portray the traditional record companies as the enemy. They claim that the internet is the great equalizer. They say, “Distribute your music through our web site and millions of people
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Workers’ Compensation
My last article (see February Allegro) introduced four musicians who had developed injuries while working. One of them was Carolyn, a violinist who developed carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of playing her instrument. (A brief description of this condition,
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Causes and Treatments
Carpel tunnel syndrome, a hand and wrist disorder that may bring debilitating pain and weakness of the thumb and fingers, is the most common of all injuries that result from jobs requiring repetitive motions. The incidence of repetitive motion injuries
How Sleep Deprivation Affects Our Functioning
Musicians' Assistance Program
Nearly half of all Americans have difficulty sleeping. Research indicates that sleep problems have reached epidemic proportions and may be the country’s number one health problem. A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation revealed that 64 percent of people
802 Bookshelf: The Good Life
by Tony Bennett, with Will Friedwald. Pocket Books, 1998, 312 pages, $25 hardcover
Tony Bennett has aptly named this book of memoirs with the title of one of his big hits in the 1960s. His good life in music has included a recording career that began in 1947, took off in the fifties,
802 Bookshelf: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934, Vol. 1
by Stephen Walsh, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 698 pages, hardcover, $35.
Stephen Walsh’s new biography of Igor Stravinsky – volume one of two – is, in a word, spectacular. In the 20th century, long past the age of court composers or predictable patronage, every piece has its very specific and fortuitous
Executive Board Minutes
January 25, 2000 -- February 22, 2000
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2000 Meeting called to order at 10:45 a.m. Present: President Moriarity, Executive Board members Crow, Gale, Rosen, Shankin, Simon and Weiss, Controller Bogert, Jazz Advisory Committee Liaison Owens. Financial Vice-President Landolfi and Recording Vice-President Price were excused
Bill Crow’s Band Room
Playing at Mister Kelly’s in Chicago around 1966, with a trio that backed some of the acts that appeared there, bassist Joe Levinson inadvertently became part of the act. Kaye Ballard swept onstage on opening night wearing a fancy gown