President’s Message

It has been quite the summer for everyone, but especially so for musicians. With all the of the ups and downs, shutdowns and restarts, controversies over mask wearing, and a summer spike in infection – right here in North Texas – things have remained constant for musicians. As our work requires the gathering of our audiences (and for us too!) the reality is that we will not be able to return to work like normal as long as the Pandemic continues. After the shock of the shutdown last spring and finding an immediate response to it, this summer began the work for us forging a path FORWARD.

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Dear Local 72-147 Members,

I address you now as we all address one of the greatest crises in our union’s history, and in fact, in our nation’s history. We musicians are affected by COVID-19 in an especially personal way. As we were among the very first to feel the economic burn that gathering restrictions and social distancing reeked upon our complete industry, we have sustained a blow at our very core. Beyond the very real economic affects of the shutdown and the dangers to public health, we are further made to stop doing that which brings us life. As we now are kept from coming together to make music in groups, and share that collaboration with our audiences, we wonder when our work, our livelihoods, our mission will be allowed to return. And yet I am seeing our music survive and sing through the void, and our union stepping up to the challenge.

Legislative Advocacy at the time of Crisis

From the moment that the shutdown of the entertainment industry became a previously unimaginable reality, the AFM came together through an immediate campaign to have legislation introduced, which would provide relief for working people in the entertainment industry – every bit as crucial to the economy as the cruise ship, airline and travel industries. After the Families First Coronaviris Response Act was signed into law expanding paid leave and unemployment benefits, mandating paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing, most gig workers in the entertainment industry were still not provided for. After a renewed campaign from the AFM Legislative Department and a letter writing campaign by our members across the nation, unemployment relief was extended to independent contractors for the first time through the CARES Act, signed into law on March 27. Also included in this legislation is added support of the arts through increased funding of the National Endowment of the Arts, and through the SBA’s Payroll Protection Program’s forgivable loans. Here in DFW, our three largest employers of musicians were greatly helped to maintain payroll and benefits to our musician

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and wish you all the best as we gear up for another great holiday season this December.

This time of year we always look back on the year, its ups and downs, and plan forward for the next year. At our last Membership meeting on November 11, we had a discussion about making more of these meetings, increasing attendance, and our sense of community in our local. After a discussion of how member participation is how we really make our union stronger, one member who had just joined this year commented: “Ask not what your union can do for you, but what you can do for your union…”

We carried this discussion on to our next Executive Board meeting, and from this arose plans to build new standing committees with the purpose of bringing our union more together and getting more done. We are beginning with a Member Engagement Committee to help schedule and plan our Membership Meetings and Orientations, and develop them into really special events. Our first of these is scheduled for the morning of February 22. We are looking for folks to help come up with ways to program the events so they bring special opportunities to our members, along with access to union business, discussion and fellowship. Please contact me or Frederick Nichelson, who has volunteered to chair this committee as we get it going. Let us know soon, as February 22 will be here sooner than we all think!

As of March 31, the AFM-EPF’s fiscal year of 2018-19 has come to an end. In February, we were notified that actuaries project a strong likelihood that the Fund will enter “critical and declining” status after being in critical status since 2010. You may find the text of the full notification, which is posted on afm-epf.org. 

Over the next two months, the Fund’s actuaries will collect and analyze the year-end data and prepare actuarial projections to determine whether our Fund will remain in “critical” status or move into “critical and declining” status for the new fiscal year.

I recommend that you visit the Fund’s Website and check out the “Staying Informed” tab for more detailed explanation, but I wanted to provide as clear an explanation here as possible.

As February rolls to a close, it is most appropriate to remember one of history’s greatest labor leaders, A Philip Randolph. On August 28, 1963 more than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington DC for a political rally which became a key moment in the struggle for civil rights in the United States. On that day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired millions across the world with the delivery of his immortal “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

In many ways that march and that speech defined the virtue and ideals of an era struggling for and through progressive change – a struggle which continues today.

What we often forget is the place of organized labor in bringing about this watershed event.

When looking over photos documenting this history-changing event, one sees the two principal organizers of the event at Dr. King’s side. One is A. Philip Randolph who had been an African American Union leader (National Brotherhood of Workers of America and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters) for more than 40 years, and now considered the father of the modern American civil rights movement. Randolph’s protege Bayard Rustin, who can also clearly be seen in those pictures, had been cutting his teeth organizing non-violent protest for decades.
The idea for the March on Washington actually began back in 1941 when these two began organizing such an event.

I hope everyone has had a great holiday season, and a Happy New Year! As we tend to make New Years resolutions, I would like to put forth some resolutions for our local — resolutions we will keep!

Building on the beginnings of last year, we are set to move forward representing musicians and partnering with our community like never before. Last year, we held three events — Jam Sessions — where we reached out to members in the community to host events building our own internal relationships while reaching out to other musicians in our area. We held events in Dallas, Denton and Fort Worth. In beginning this initiative, we took the first steps in developing a new outreach, but achieved things that we had not expected, leading us to new avenues of potential. As a result, we now have partnerships with the community that we otherwise would not have. With the Greater Denton Arts Council for example, we now have a partner in reaching out to students preparing for their music careers at the University of North Texas. And with the Woodall Rogers Park Foundation (Klyde Warren Park), we have a partner in bringing musicians together and showcasing them to the city. (You will hear more about that soon!) With these new connections we are increasingly set up to foster the performing arts scene

On behalf of the officers, staff and executive board of Local 72-147, I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons. Reaching this special time of the year, we once again affirm all the hopes for goodwill that we have for life, our families and our communities. We think of those who have less than we do, and of the power of generosity and empathy in making our world better. As musicians, we regularly use our skills to help engender this holiday spirit. Just last month at our last Meet and Greet + Jam Session held in Fort Worth, I learned about some wonderful things our members do. Singer Jennifer Martin told me about a series of concerts that a she and a group of our members come together – regularly – to provide for homeless individuals. I was touched as she described to me the annual holiday concert coming up on December 20, and the effort to put together Christmas packages for the people in attendance. She told me that last year’s concert brought in about 400 people to participate in this sharing of hope and love. Another special holiday celebration comes to mind which takes place with the help of our musicians, and through the funding of Music Performance Trust Fund