Allegro
Currently Browsing: May, 2004
President’s Report: Victory at Variety Arts!
Local 802 Scores Another Win for Live Music
On April 13, Local 802 achieved another precedent-setting agreement against the use of the virtual orchestra machine. This time the battleground was at the Variety Arts Theatre, one of Off Broadway’s largest houses. An eleventh-hour agreement was reached shortly before
Workers and Artists Unite!
Why May Day Matters for Musicians
Click here for calendar of Labor History Month events and exhibitions. May is Labor History Month. And all over the world, workers celebrate May 1 as May Day — international labor day. The U.S. is one of the only industrialized
Music as a Common Tongue
Iraqi Symphony Joins Forces With New York Philharmonic
A group of musicians from Iraq’s National Symphony Orchestra traveled to New York in early April and worked with members of the New York Philharmonic as part of a cultural exchange program. Annie Melconian, 23, is the youngest member of
Can the Union Help You Get Gigs? Yes!
A Look at 802's Referral Service
Some musicians know that many years ago, Local 802 used to have a “hiring hall” where members could show up, meet contractors and try to get gigs. Eventually, this practice was discontinued because we learned that it’s not something we
Teaching Music Creates a Civilized Society
Member to Member
“Being a musician is not a profession and it’s not just a job, and it’s not something occasional — it’s the totality of your life and your devotion to something in which you believe profoundly. And, you have to believe
Was Your Band’s T-Shirt Made in a Sweatshop?
Musicians Against Sweatshops (www.NoSweatshop.org) is a new organization whose goal is to end the sale of sweatshop-produced merchandise on the music scene. Performing musicians and recording artists should join this campaign, and musicians who are on tour should use whatever
Not Just an Art, But a Job
Successes and Rewards of Organizing Music Teachers
According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Union Members Summary Report (Jan. 21, 2004), the percentage of unionized workers in the private sector plunged again in 2003 to just 8 percent — half of what it was only
Punk Party Line
Corporate vs. Indie...Is That a Choice?
The argument that “indie” equals “progressive” originally came from post-punk circles. Joel Schalit, editor of Punk Planet magazine and a self-described “anti-rock” artist, wrote about this in an article called “No Alternative to Transcendence.” (It’s available at http://eserver.org/bs/46/schalit.html.) In the
How to Choose a Manager
Musicians’ Assistance Program
Most music managers I’ve met have little or no training. There are no standards for managers in the music industry and they often make it up as they go along. While much of management is really crisis control — preventing
Creating Middle Class Housing
Guest Commentary
Will a middle class survive in New York City? The answer depends on many factors, but the availability of quality housing is perhaps the most important. At this moment, the city government has a unique opportunity to dramatically expand the
802 “Can You Turn It Down?”
Your Right to Practice in Your Apartment
Recently I was requested by a union official to research the issue of whether a musician who regularly practices and rehearses in his Manhattan co-op may be evicted because he is allegedly disturbing his neighbors and creating a nuisance. I
Don’t Mourn, Organize!
AFL-CIO Organizing Chief Tells His Secrets
On Halloween 2002, John Sweeney appointed Stewart Acuff as director of organizing for the AFL-CIO. Before coming to Washington, Acuff had been the AFL-CIO’s deputy regional director in the Midwest and the president of the Atlanta Central Labor Council. Executive
Lew Anderson, the Renaissance Man
A Lifetime of Music, Sleeper Buses and Clowning Around
Lew Anderson was born in Kirkman, Iowa, the son of a railroad telegrapher and a stay-at-home mom. His Iowa upbringing probably accounts for his Midwestern style of dry humor. He doesn’t tell jokes — he just says things that make
New Face in Jazz Department
Milton Charles, a member of Local 802’s Organizing Department for the past three years, has been assigned to serve as the union’s jazz rep for the next three months. Current jazz rep Natasha Jackson has been granted a three-month leave
802 Book Reviews
Books for Your Spring Break
SELF-MADE MUSICIANS “Up the Ladder and Over the Top” by Bob Alberti, 2003, 178 pages, $15, paperback, and “In One Ear and In the Other,” by Irv Greenbaum, 2000, 269 pages, $12.95, paperback Two self-published musical autobiographies arrived on my
HMO Plan to Change
The Local 802 Health Benefits Plan is pleased to announce that effective May 1, 2004 we will be changing HMO providers from MagnaHealth to Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Direct HMO. Here are some of the benefits of Direct HMO:
The Musicians’ Voice
The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The views expressed here do not express the views of Local 802. Please keep all letters to 300 words and send them to Allegro, c/o
Legislative Update
SHORT-TERM JOB RATE IS UP SHAVING TIME OFF WORKERS’ PAY CALL TO INCREASE WORKERS COMP RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE SHORT-TERM JOB RATE IS UP In March, payrolls grew vigorously after nearly three years of net job losses and seven months
Negotiations Roundup
THEATRICAL AGREEMENT “Chef Theatre.” A one-year agreement was negotiated with Chef’s Theatre Holdings, LLC, (Marty Bell, producer) for its production of “Chef Theatre” at the Edison Supper Club. The side musician minimum scale is $1,000 for an eight-performance week which
Executive Board Minutes
February 17, 2004 -- March 2, 2004
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2004 Meeting called to order at 11:30 a.m. Present: Recording Vice-President Dennison, Financial Vice-President Blumenthal, Executive Board members, Babich, Gagliardi, Gale, Landolfi, Schaffner, Shankin, Weiss, Whitaker, Controller Bogert, Assistant to the President Delia, and Jazz Advisory Committee
Bill Crow’s Band Room
I was chatting on the phone with Vinnie Zummo last year, and we discovered a mutual interest…the legendary trumpet player Don Joseph. I knew and played with Don during the 1950’s, and Vinnie knew him during the last years of