Category Archives: President’s Report

AFM Local 47: Covering Lots of Bases

Modernizing Bylaws: At the April 27 General Membership Meeting we are also calling a special meeting of the Musicians Club, the entity that owns our physical property. There will be a bylaw resolution to allow us to vote both online as well as by mail or in person. Currently the bylaws, written in 1924, require the use of postal mail only for a referendum. For voting reasons, this meeting will be in person only. Please make your plans to attend and help us modernize the voting process to save your money and resources on future important votes! 

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Jazz Appreciation Month – A Union Guitar Player’s Perspective

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and for those of us who came up playing the bandstand, carrying an amp up narrow staircases, and learning the trade from older players, it’s more than a celebration….. it’s a reminder of how this profession was built. 

Here in Los Angeles, that history runs straight through Central Avenue, where from the 1930s through the 1950s some of the greatest jazz ever played in this country came out of union halls, nightclubs, recording studios, and live stages where musicians worked under AFM contracts that set real standards. Those contracts meant scale wages, pension, health, and the idea that musicians are professionals…. not hobbyists. 

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Moving Forward Together 

Got a question, a thought, need some information, want to be heard? We are committed to bringing Local 47 to you, opening doors, sharing and listening. Our regular Ask Me Anything series, Friday mornings at 11 a.m. is one way in which we are trying to invent space for you. We have also launched what we hope will be a monthly series of informational panels, beginning with our Health Care Panel on March 16th, featuring our Vice President and Local 47 Health and Welfare Fund Trustee John Acosta, Flex Plan Trustee Pete Anthony, and Flex Plan Administrator Sean Dugan. We are already planning a presentation by the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund in April. And shortly we will be rolling out a survey of all Local 47 members to ask what topics or presentations you would like to see. 

We are currently interviewing candidates for Local 47 Director of Organizing and are happy to report that we have already interviewed several candidates who we would be thrilled to bring on board. The challenges that we face with our building in Burbank, the opportunities for organizing musicians and employment, and the needs we have for legislative and public policy support in Sacramento are all endeavors that can only move forward with a skilled, experienced organizing leader. Stay tuned! 

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