 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bkmorton
Date: 2004-02-03 21:50
I am a graduate student recieving my performance degree. I have done gigs when they come up, but it is not that frequent. I have heard some good things that come out of joining a musicians union but I have also heard the not so good things. Is it for semi-good players that don't have much exposure or is it for everyone that wants to play semi- to professionally? If it is, Can you recommend some unions in the Washington D.C. area.
I checked the board already for past topics but I got tired of seeing Broadway updates. PLEASE DON'T WRITE IF YOU ARE GOING TO SAY "LOOK IN THE ARCHIVES" OR THAT YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE MESSAGE.
Thankyou
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-02-03 22:02
bk - it used to be compulsory to be in a Union here, to work as a musician. The Union was a good thing, in my humble opinion and experience. Nowadays our current (right wing) federal government has done its best to subdue the union movement in favour of "enterprise bargaining" and "economic rationalism", John Howard, our Prime Minister, is a Harvard graduate ...
I think the whole thing about being in a Union is that you have to believe in what they stand for. Take time to look at the positives and negatives about union membership before you make a decisions. I certainly would not have been able to work if I'd not been in one, and I had no problem joining one.
You might find some difficulty in getting professional work if you're not in one, it's certainly still the case here in Australia, even though they union membership is supposed to be voluntary.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2004-02-04 00:24
bkmorton wrote:
> PLEASE DON'T WRITE IF YOU ARE GOING TO
> SAY "LOOK IN THE ARCHIVES"
But you looked in the archives! It's always nice when someone at least makes an effort.
My son played in some orchestras around Ohio. He was required to join the union in order to play. YMMV.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2004-02-04 01:31
I joined the AFofM to play in an MPTF band, having played there for free for several years. The first years' pay covered my dues and initiation with a little left over. In this case, no Union, no pay, so I made out OK. Since then, I have played largely free-lance jobs, where the union has had at the most a minor role, but the union is still helpful to me and worth the little dues I pay.
Being in the union has helped me to get gigs, and to get people to play with. The local here in Ann Arbor has a pretty good website, that lists groups, individual musicians and teachers. Your personal profile ties you into the group, musician and teacher lists. The biggest problem is that the website is relatively new and everyone hasn't updated their profiles.
The union will be most helpful if a client cheats you. If you used a union contract in booking the gig, the union will bring more influence to bear than you would otherwise have. I have been fortunate in this regard, but we have come close a couple of times to being stiffed - hired for gigs which were then cancelled. Having a union contract will make the difference between making or losing money.
Working conditions in the Detroit Symphony were dreadful until the AFofM went on strike in the 1970's. And Detroit is a union town. My reaction at the time was "jeez, guys, what took you so long?" I grew up there and did not become a musician largely because all of the symphony people I knew were negative and bitter . Afterward the strike, musicians are guaranteed basic rights. Such as, management won't demote someone for getting sick. Such as, conductors cannot fire musicians at will. And the symphony people I meet are largely positive about their craft and their jobs. Too bad it took a strike to get this, but also too bad they waited so long.
I am not generally pro-union, but I do realize that unions perform the necessary function of letting the little guy/gal stick up for their rights.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2004-02-04 03:15
If you agree with the aims of the particular union then join. Likewise, if YOU receive the benefits that the union has achieved, and the union members have funded by their contributions, then you should also join and contribute. The same can be said for professional organisations which are not strictly 'trade' unions but still representative of a particular profession.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2004-02-04 04:10
I suppose, like most things, it depends on the local organization. I was an AFofM member for about fifteen years. Sure, I believe in what it stands for - fairness in business. Dues were nominal and it was nice to be part of an "association". Realistically, there was nothing the union could've done for me that I couldn't have taken care of myself (and did, a couple of times). The need never arose but had a 'client' tried to stiff my combo or something like that, small claims court would have been more than adequate to resolve things. You can write you own contracts, which you have to do anyway when you pick up blank contract forms at the local office and just fill in the blanks.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-02-04 11:53
The Musician's local, here, has the first right to fill the Pit in travelling shows.
The only thing that seems to swing gigs for reed players is a willingness to juggle several horns and read on the fly.
It is not exactly a meritocracy, but the union does seem to promote the use of live players - and that's positive.
More gigs means you may be offered more gigs.
What's the fine to join, anyway?
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-02-04 12:23
No, you don't have to be good to be in the union. You just have to pay your annual fee and work dues. I've played with plenty of guys with union cards that couldn't play their way out of a paper bag.
The union rules are pretty stiff about taking non-union work if you sign up, but I have rarely seen that enforced in recent years. The AFM has been shrinking, so their seems to be something of a "don't ask don't tell" policy at work so they don't drive off more of the membership. So, that said, being a member probably opens up more possibilities for work than it takes away, and the brotherhood does look out for its own.
Check the AFM site -- it has info on local coverage so you can join where it is you want to work.
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Author: Dan1937
Date: 2004-02-04 12:31
As mentioned above, it depends largely on the local in your area. If it has a good office staff, and you make an effort to get to know them AND local bandleaders/contractors, it's probably worth the money, because you will likely get some work -- at least enough to pay your dues. If the above factors are not present, you pays your money and you takes your chances! (It helps to be a good player, as well, but there are a lot of the other kind who are working, at least semi-regularly!)
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