Please take a look at the new website
I hope that you have all had a chance to look at our new website. If not, please take a moment and log in. It can be found at the same address, www.musiciansdfw.org. The user name on your account will be the same as the email address that we have on file for you (if you would like to change this, call the office at 817-469-6040, or email me at apino@musiciansdfw.org). You should have received an email from us at that address several weeks ago with a temporary password. If you cannot find it, or have trouble, try using this forgot my password link to set up a new password. You can also always call the office and any of us can help you set up a new password.
The functionality of the new site is greatly increased over the old one, and we will continue to improve it over time. It will also greatly improve our ability to communicate with our members. This new online newsletter you are now reading, for instance, is in the form of a blog and will be out monthly in the future. You will have the ability to edit most things on your profile. I would strongly urge everyone to take a careful look at it, especially the section on your life insurance beneficiary. There are instructions for changing this on the site – many of you still either do not have a beneficiary card on file with us, or the one that is on file is now too old. We made a new rule a few years ago that the cards are null and void after twenty years, and in those cases the benefit goes to the estate, which can make it take longer for your beneficiary to collect the money. So please do make sure you have a current card on file. We are one of the few AFM Locals left that offers such a benefit. It is $2000, and it is self-funded. The fund is kept in our own Musicians Federal Credit Union.
The payment gateway is also greatly improved. You will be able to see if you have a credit on your account, and it will be applied when you make your payment. You can also see any old balance on your account, which will also be added. If you have any questions about an old balance, please call or email and we can discuss it before you pay. This is as good a time as any to remind you all that 2019 Membership Dues are due by the end of this month. You can pay Annual Dues of $135, or Semi-Annual Dues of $70. You can send a check if you want to avoid the credit card fees. I am happy to say that if you do pay by credit card, our Executive Board recently voted to lower the processing fee from 6% to 3.5%.
President Williams has written about our Bill Collins Benefit Fund elsewhere in this issue. I would also like to put in a plug for TEMPO, which is the AFM’s political action committee. Congress makes regular changes to things like arts funding, copyright, intellectual property rights, travel regulations, pensions etc. Alfonso Pollard, the AFM’s Legislative-Political Director, is a very busy man, working hard to represent our interests. Any amount you can contribute is welcome, but if you contribute at least $52 per year, you can become a member of the TEMPO Signature Club. I can provide you with an application if you are interested. TEMPO contributions are NOT tax deductible, and they must be made with a personal check or money order, not a corporate or company check. They must also be made separately from your dues payment. You can send a check made out to TEMPO to me at the office, and I will transmit it for you.