Congratulations to the newly elected members of our Election Board and Salary Review Board, nominated at our April 27, 2020 General Membership Meeting held via Zoom video conference. The Local 47 Election Board announces the following results of electronic voting held via ElectionBuddy: Continue reading
LA Times Sports Column by Bill Plaschke: “He plays alone to empty seats, but L.A.’s only working live musician has song of hope”
“Call to the Post” never sounded so sweet: Last week bugler Jay Cohen returned to work at the Santa Anita Park racetrack, the first AFM Local 47 member to file a live performance contract with the union amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
We spoke with Jay after his first day back to work on Friday, May 15 about his experience returning to work with the new safety procedures in place. Continue reading
Musicians have suffered deeply as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Helping us get back to work while protecting your health and safety is our number one priority. Several top-level processes have launched in an effort to provide a pathway to reopening for the entertainment industries, and we are working around the clock for you. In a major step that ensures musicians will have a clear voice, I am pleased to report that I have been appointed to Los Angeles County’s new Economic Resiliency Task Force as a member of the Film and Digital Media sector. We are also working with our entertainment industry union allies to develop health and safety standards that can be used throughout California, and throughout the country. Continue reading
Now More than Ever, Union Contracts Can Help
What You Need to Know
Tell Congress to Protect our Pensions
and more!
Download the FREE App:
Overture Online is optimized for reading via smartphone or tablet. For those without access to a smart device, issues may be viewed on a web browser here. Local 47 members may download archived pdf versions from the members section at afm47.org.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Local 47 Executive Board has had to change the way it conducts its weekly meetings by transitioning from in-person meetings to holding them via video conference. Due to challenges in ensuring that only members would have access to these meetings, the Executive Board has determined that we are unable at this time to provide video access for members to observe meetings digitally. Any members with specific questions or issues are invited to contact the Secretary’s Office in order to be placed on the agenda. Additionally, Executive Board minutes are accessible to all members in the secure members-only section of our website at afm47.org.
At market closing on April 10, 2020, while tens of thousands of musicians and DJs across the country tried to access unemployment benefits, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Larry Page of Google/Youtube had earned $6.2 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, for the week, according to Forbes. On that same day, the Music Workers Alliance launched an emergency petition directed to Facebook, Google and YouTube asking for relief and justice.
The undersigned guilds and unions represent the diverse, professional workforce that, in ordinary times, come together on productions throughout each year to bring our stories to life for audiences across the globe. Now, in this time when the coronavirus pandemic has brought an unprecedented challenge to our industry, our solidarity is more important than ever before. We come together on behalf of our respective memberships to ensure coordination between our efforts to secure relief, financial support and other critical assistance for the working professionals in this industry. Our members understand the unique power of collective action. Through our unity, we reinforce that power to safeguard our members as much as possible during the extraordinary set of events we face today. Continue reading
Life Member. Alto/Tenor Saxophone
9/11/1929 – 3/26/2020
Big band leader and alto sax great Pat Longo died on March 26, 2020 of the coronavirus. He was 90 years old. Pat was a first rate musician who lived a long life and made a lot of great music. Among the highlights of his career, Pat was lead alto on the Harry James Band. With Harry’s blessing, Pat founded and directed the Pat Longo Super Big Band and the Pat Longo Hollywood Big Band, performing and recording with L.A.’s best. Continue reading
With COVID-19 stay-at-home orders issued throughout the world prohibiting in-person gatherings, people are increasingly turning to virtual meetings to stay connected. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to participate in virtual meetings using Zoom. Continue reading
