Allegro
Currently Browsing: February, 2015
Negotiating Together
President's Report
One of the AFM’s many important contracts is the Theatrical Motion Picture and Television Film agreement, which covers musicians who score and sideline for movie and television. The latest and last negotiation session for the successor agreement took place in
Victory! Winter Jazzfest musicians make historic gains
Organizing Matters
Maggie Russell-Brown is the director of organizing and field services. If you’re playing a job where you feel disrespected or know that you aren’t being paid fairly, contact Maggie at (212) 245-4802, ext. 157 or Mrussell@Local802afm.org. You can also call
Fighting Misclassification
Recording Vice President's Report
The state doesn’t seem to care that musicians are being misclassified as independent contractors. We’re going to change that… Local 802 has consistently championed the cause of fighting misclassification of musicians as independent contractors. But even though there is strong
The Next Generation
Financial Vice President's Report
How Local 802 spreads the message of union benefits to younger musicians – and how you can do it, too! The labor movement’s persistent message to its members – and to a wider national audience, to those who might listen
Your e-mail, your privacy and your right to organize
Legal Corner
For those of my readers in their 40s or older, try for a moment to imagine how your life was before the advent of e-mail. Hard to do, isn’t it? (For my younger readers, this must seem impossible!) Before e-mail,
New pension law is no cause for panic
On March 2010, the AFM and Employers’ Pension Fund revealed that it was implementing a rehabilitation plan, freezing both employer contribution levels and the multiplier it uses to calculate the amount of pension to which an eligible participant is entitled.
North/South Consonance Ensemble
Photo Spread
Musicians in the North/South Consonance Ensemble rehearsing before a recent concert at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church on West 69th. Funding for the concert came in part from the Music Performance Trust Fund, and musicians enjoyed wages and benefits of
As a classical musician, do you know what union scale really pays?
Unless you are a contractor or a negotiating committee member, chances are you have never stopped to read the contracts under which you work. Busy schedules and commitments often do not allow for a lot of down time, so this
Local 802 at the time of the Harlem Renaissance
In the 1920’s, a sort of pluralism sprang up within Local 802. Unlike other smaller AFM locals, Local 802 exhibited a great degree of tolerance to internal division. Within Local 802, a baffling array of ethnic interests and groups coexisted
A brief history of the Clef Club
The bandleader and composer James Reese Europe spent his first years in New York playing cabaret piano and mandolin in black shows. But by 1910, this work had begun to dry up. Undeterred, Europe organized a group called the Clef
Original Thinker
Howard Johnson's musical trailblazing
Howard Johnson, a member of Local 802 since 1963, is one of the finest jazz tubists in the world, but if that’s not enough, he also plays baritone sax, flugelhorn, bass clarinet, cornet and pennywhistle, among other instruments. Howard was
‘The Grinch’ returns to Madison Square Garden
Photo Spread
“The Grinch” was back again for the holidays in 2014. This year, all 15 musicians were covered under the full Broadway contract. The show ran for two weeks at the Chicago Theatre before playing four extremely successful weeks at Madison
‘Why we joined the union’
I joined Local 802 as part of the company of a Broadway-bound show called “The Last Goodbye” (directed by Alex Timbers), which combines “Romeo and Juliet” with Jeff Buckley tunes. I’m the guitarist and frontman of the onstage band. I’m
Executive Board Minutes
December 2, 2014 - January 6, 2015
Note: the Executive Board did not meet on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014 Meeting called to order at 11:05 AM. Present: President Gagliardi, Recording Vice President O’Connor, Executive Board members Brandford, Cutler, Dougherty, Hyde, Schwartz, Sharman, Assistant
Collaborating: The do’s and don’ts of dual relationships
Musicians' Assistance Program
Collaboration is the bread and butter of being a musician. It’s nearly impossible – and not advisable – to work alone, most of the time. Many collaborations become a significant source of creativity and growth. So who do you partner
February ’15
The Band Room
On Facebook, Roberta Gambarini posted a very nice tribute to the late James Moody. It reminded me of an encounter I once had with him. One winter night I was walking up 54th Street nursing a cold. As I walked