Category Archives: All News

Final Note: Eric C. (Rick) Culver

Life Member. Trombone
4/30/1943 – 1/11/2020

by Tom & Lila Peterson

This note is in celebration of the life of Rick Culver. I met Rick in 1967 when we were in the Army Special Services band at Fort Meade Maryland. It didn’t take long to become good friends and that friendship has lasted over the years. Continue reading

American Federation of Musicians Local 47 Endorses Bernie Sanders for President

Los Angeles musicians union makes historic move by taking position in 2020 Democratic Primary

LOS ANGELES, CA (Feb. 12, 2020) – The American Federation of Musicians Local 47 is proud to endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2020 Primary Election.

Members of the Los Angeles musicians union’s political action committee voted unanimously to recommend that the AFM Local 47 executive board – the elected leadership body of the 7,000-member union – endorse Sen. Sanders as the candidate who best represents the interests of musicians. On Tuesday, the board in turn voted unanimously to endorse Sanders in an unprecedented move for a union historically removed from taking official stances in presidential elections. Continue reading

Oscars 2020

Congratulations to all of this year’s Oscar nominees! All five Best Original Score nominees were scored AFM union musicians — 4 of them with members of AFM Local 47 here in Los Angeles.

  • Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer (AFM Local 47)
  • Marriage Story – Randy Newman, composer (AFM Local 47)
  • 1917 – Thomas Newman, composer (AFM Local 47)
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams, composer (AFM Local 47)
  • Little Women – Alexandre Desplat (AFM Local 802)

Listen to these scores here.

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 9, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, televised live on ABC starting at 5 p.m. PST. 

Free workshop on AB5 and Tax Reform laws

FREE WORKSHOP for musicians, actors, & everyone in entertainment

Monday, March 2 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Actors Fund, 1st Floor SAG-AFTRA Cagney Room
5757 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036

Make sure you understand both the potential impact of California’s new AB5 law and new Tax Reform laws. We’ll discuss the pros AND cons of incorporation, and help you ensure that you’re prepared to file your 2019 returns!

Co-sponsored by The Actors Fund and SAG-AFTRA, this FREE workshop is for EVERYONE (not just actors…) in entertainment. It will be moderated by Miata Edoga, National Financial Wellness Consultant for The Actors Fund, and Ronnie Steadman, Enrolled Agent with the IRS. Ronnie has over a decade of experience handling personal and corporate returns for entertainment professionals.

H&W: How Does the Taft-Hartley Act Affect My Union-Sponsored Health Plan?

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, along with the Wagner Act, enacted 12 years prior as part of the “New Deal,” laid the foundation for the current collective bargaining process as it relates to the formation, funding and administration of employee benefit plans. But, the way in which Taft-Hartley achieved this goal was not in a pro-union manner. Continue reading

February 2020 Overture Online: Black History Month in Los Angeles

Inside This Issue:

Black History Month in Los Angeles

Explore celebrations of African American music & culture throughout the city

Jazz in Schools

Bringing music education to Southland students

Member Spotlight

Sakari Dixon Vanderveer

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.

AFM Multi-Card Member Rebates

Effective January 1, 2020, members who belonged to three or more AFM Locals throughout 2019 can petition the AFM Secretary-Treasurer for a “rebate equal to the per capita dues received by the Federation” for that member’s membership in each AFM Local in excess of two. (Members pay their Federation per capita dues as a portion of their local annual dues. The local forwards the member’s per capita dues to the Federation. Only the Federation’s portion of the annual dues will be rebated). Continue reading

Grammys 2020

(Updated 1/27/2020 – winners noted below)

Congratulations 2020 GRAMMY nominees! Once again, union musicians of AFM Local 47 in Los Angeles can be heard on countless recordings from the hottest hits of the year.

Listen to our #ListenLA 2020 GRAMMY playlist here:

Browse the list of Los Angeles-made nominees below. The 62nd annual GRAMMY winners will be announced live on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Staples Center, airing on CBS. Be sure to tune in and listen for the live AFM Local 47 house band! Continue reading