Happy New Year to all! As I jump into my third month as chief of staff, I want to let you know that our biggest New Year’s resolution is cultivating a stronger sense of unity here at Local 802 and working enthusiastically with our new president Dan Point.

You already know about our contract successes in 2025 and our ongoing strategic planning, so we have plenty of positivity to build on.

But let me be totally transparent: to move forward, we’re going to have to come together for the February 4 membership meeting, which will address several bylaw proposals. You can read more about the bylaw proposals via this link. It’s very important that people show up to the meeting. The location and format of the meeting itself is still being finalized as this issue goes to press. As soon as we have more information, we’ll post it here.

THANK YOU, JULIA

Right around Thanksgiving, Local 802 accepted Julia DeRosa’s resignation from the Local 802 Executive Board. We want to personally thank Julia for her longtime service to the union.

NEW OFF BROADWAY REP

Local 802 is pleased to have the resources to start filling staff positions again. For many years, we had an Off Broadway rep who could help handle many kinds of theatre contracts. Recently, our hardworking Broadway rep Theresa Couture has had to do “everything” in theatre — including Broadway, the Radio City contract and much more. We hope that the new Off Broadway rep will take some of the heat off of Theresa and expand our membership outreach. You can see a list of our reps here.

SOLIDARITY WITH NEW JERSEY MUSICIANS

For the first time in decades, the Ocean City Pops Orchestra — which has had an AFM-negotiated CBA since 1998 — was NOT hired to play as part of Ocean City’s #FirstNight festivities. These concerts serve as a valuable opportunity for the orchestra to perform for the public outside of their regular season, and have been contractually part of their offered dates since 2003. This year, the music director of the Ocean City Pops, Vince Lee, instead decided to program his own show, utilizing musicians who are not members of the Pops, as well as offering substandard wages and no AFM pension or payroll protections which are included in the orchestra’s current CBA. This represents at least the third instance of concerts like this one being programmed at the expense of the member musicians and established substitute players. If you were contacted to participate in the Ocean City First Night festivities, please alert the New Jersey Musician’s Guild (AFM Local 16-248) at local16and248afm@gmail.com

NO CUTBACKS AT THE NEW SCHOOL

The New School Labor Coalition is protesting cuts and downsizing at the university, where Local 802 represents part-time jazz faculty. Fortunately, our Local 802 union contract with the New School offers some protection for the part-time jazz faculty. We plan on continuing to do outreach to our jazz faculty letting them know their rights.

HANDS OFF NYC

Local 802 is a proud coalition member of Hands Off NYC, whose official position is that American cities are under attack by the Trump administration. Instead of investing in schools, hospitals, and public services, taxpayer dollars are being spent to send National Guard troops and ICE agents into our communities — ripping families apart and targeting working people. New York City has been directly threatened.

Hands Off NYC is a coordinated effort supported by unions, faith leaders, and community groups, standing together in nonviolent resistance. Just as people in cities across the country have stood up to these attacks, we will too.

We’re fighting for a NYC that is safe and free — and we say that masked agents are not welcome here. We’re also celebrating the power of New Yorkers to stand up for our communities. Learn more here.

VOLUNTEER AT YOUR COMMUNITY BOARD!

As many of you know, NYC community boards are the first level of local government and consist of appointees and volunteers. There are many opportunities to lend your voice to a community board; you just have to be an NYC resident. We encourage you to learn more here.

NEW MEMBER INTERVIEWS

Our Communications Director Mikael Elsila recently rebooted our new member interviews, and it’s wonderful to see our newest members posted on our social media. Here are some reasons that musicians have recently joined Local 802:

• “I joined Local 802 because unions are a cornerstone of the community and the workplace.”
• “Although working on Broadway was certainly a meaningful reason to join, my larger motivation was becoming part of the incredible community of professional musicians who make this city so amazing.”
• “Creating a community of musicians who work together is essential for keeping this career equitable and accessible.”
• “I joined the union because it’s important for musicians and all freelance workers to be protected.”

It’s especially inspiring to see how many younger musicians are joining Local 802. Spread the word to your colleagues: musicians are stronger in a union…and students ALWAYS pay no initiation fee! You can read our new member interviews here.