It’s been an eventful summer at Local 802. As you may know by now, the big news is that we’ve moved to our temporary space at 25 West 45th Street while our building is being renovated. Many have asked why the move was necessary: couldn’t we have simply moved people around and renovated floor by floor? We considered that solution; however, we found that staying in the building would not only expose staff and guests to air quality and safety issues, but it would have extended the renovation time by many months. Moving to another space has been a big headache and expense, but it was the best way to handle a challenging situation. We are now (slightly) closer to Times Square and are enjoying sampling the wares of the businesses in our “new” neighborhood. We hope you will come by to visit us! However, please call first, as we will be rotating remote work among the staff throughout the renovation. As always, our staff contact list can be found here: https://www.local802afm.org/contact/

Now that members are returning from vacations and festivals, negotiations will resume in full force. Orchestra Lumos, ACO, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s are first up. We have been in negotiations with ABT throughout the summer. The focus at ABT has been wages, which have been nearly stagnant for over a decade. According to Local 802’s promulgated freelance concert scale, union wages for a 2.5-hour concert performance pay $333.91, but ABT only pays $291.87 for a three-hour performance. This difference is unacceptable, especially for a Lincoln Center orchestra and we are working hard to maintain the high quality of the orchestra by fighting for wage parity with the rest of the orchestral field in NYC. We also have two outstanding grievances with ABT that we are working to resolve. Stay tuned. I’m looking forward to a productive musical season ahead.

REGIONAL ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS UNITE!

As I write this column, I’m fresh from the conference of the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA), which was held July 29 to Aug. 1 in San Francisco. Attending at least one of the player conferences remains a highlight of my year. I really get to recharge my batteries by hearing different perspectives from symphony musicians and labor leaders from all over the country.

Among the highlights of the conference were timely reports on the role of unions regarding sexual harassment and workplace misconduct, a presentation about the #notme app, which Local 802 is putting in place,, discussions on diversity, electronic media, and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly known as the Actors Fund). Next year’s conference will be right in our backyard: Philadelphia! It would be a shame for Local 802 not to take advantage of the proximity of this wonderful resource when it will be happening so close to home. To find out more, please check out www.ropaweb.org. Below is more information from ROPA Vice President Amanda Swain:

The Regional Orchestra Players’ Association promotes the interests of its member orchestras and their musicians. As an official Conference of the American Federation of Musicians, it acts to enhance communications among orchestras, with the AFM and its Locals, and with other conferences.

As a representative organization, ROPA pursues other activities to benefit the general welfare and artistic well being of its members.

Membership in ROPA gives access to valuable communication resources and effective organizing tools that enable musicians to deal successfully with their managements and boards.

Membership in ROPA builds solidarity on both a local and national level with strong programs and support to protect jobs and sustain fair working conditions among union musicians.

Above all, membership in ROPA means working with colleagues who share the same goals and aspirations for the welfare of our art and our profession.

Benefits of ROPA membership

Support from the National ROPA organization. Delegates from member orchestras help keep all ROPA orchestras up-to-date

Networking: Share information, ask questions and seek resources with musicians from other orchestras via E-mail lists and Facebook (read more)

The ROPA Annual Conference (read more)

Associate membership does not include access to the Emergency Relief Fund or voting privileges.

Associate members receive all bulletins, are listed in the AFM Wage Scale Chart, and receive a limited number of ROPA’S publication, The Leading Tone.

In order to join ROPA, your orchestra must:

Have a collective bargaining agreement between orchestra management and an AFM Local, and

Vote by secret ballot to join ROPA, and to adopt and abide by the ROPA Bylaws.

Membership dues and conference expenses

Full Member orchestras pay annual dues of $700 (plus $100 to the Emergency Relief Fund)

Associate Member orchestras pay annual dues of $220.

Conference Expenses: The AFM bylaws provide that the AFM Local is responsible for covering a Delegate’s conference expenses.

Download and distribute a brochure

To help rally support, please download the ROPA Brochure, make copies (double-sided) and distribute it to your orchestra. You can download the brochure here. Please share it and help spread the word about ROPA to your orchestra!

The fine print

The Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA) promotes the interests of its member orchestras and their musicians. As an official Conference of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), it acts to enhance communications among orchestras, with the AFM and its Locals, and with other conferences. As a representative organization, ROPA pursues other activities to benefit the general welfare and artistic well being of its members.