April 2022 Newsletter

April 2022 Newsletter

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This is our regular monthly email newsletter. It includes reminders, member news and important announcements from the Executive Board and the office.

News from the Executive Board

President’s Message

Happy Spring everyone! Here in Kansas the flowers are starting to bud, and Bradford Pear trees, although beautiful, are kicking everybody’s butt! There is a ton of information in this newsletter so I will keep this short and simply encourage you to read this one all the way through. 

Always remember, Together we are Mighty!

President Fowler

Local 1000 Demographic Survey – There is no union without U!

The DEI Working Group invites ALL members to fill out our Local 1000 Demographic Survey. The survey will take less than 5 minutes to fill out and is made up of 8 questions. You can fill out the survey here.

As part of working towards being a more inclusive and diverse union, the DEI Working group would like a better picture of who our members are and how they identify. This will be part of assessing our organization and helping us move forward with our work towards diversity and equity. 

Let your voice be heard in our work to make our union better for all members; fill out the survey today!   

Race & Labor Training Report

Members of your Executive Board, The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group, and members of Local 1000’s committees spent two days together in March (virtually), participating in the Race & Labor Program training hosted by Kasi Perreira, director of  Racial & Gender Justice at the Washington State Labor Council.

It was a profound and amazing experience for all of us and one which promises to inform our ongoing work as musicians who care deeply about social justice within the AFM.  The Executive Board is grateful to our DEI group members for calling us to action and also to the WSLC for offering this training free to union members. 

Members of the IEB will also be doing this training this year and will send some of their members to become trainers so that the entire Federation can have the opportunity to learn and to challenge ourselves to change. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group is excited to announce some upcoming events and actions in 2022. 

The Local 1000 Demographic survey is now open and collecting responses, and we had a wonderful anti-racism training session with Kasi Perreira of the Washington State Labor Council (see above). 

DEI members John Acosta and Faith Nolan are collaborating on a project to present concerts in 2022 featuring BIPOC artists.  If you are a BIPOC member our union and would like to get involved in this concert project or in the newly-formed BIPOC Caucus of Local 1000, contact John: john_coz@hotmail.com or Faith: nolanfaith@yahoo.com

Solidarity Team: April Calls are In Process!

The Solidarity Team is now making friendly check-in calls to some members. We expect to reach about half the membership in this round of calls. 

We are looking for more members to make calls! It’s a great way to keep in touch with a few fellow union members, find out what successes and challenges they are having, and let them know more about what Local 1000 is up to.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Solidarity Team chair Eve Goldberg at eve@evegoldberg.com

Member Coffee Hour

Local 1000’s Zoom Coffee Hour continue, hosted by Annie Patterson & Aileen Vance.

Bring your own beverage and join us for an hour of camaraderie, support, check-ins, ideas, laughs, connections and more.

This is a recurring meeting.

Upcoming Wednesdays:  April 20, May 11     
12pm Pacific/1pmMTN/2pmCentral/3pmEastern

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86037179426…

Meeting ID: 860 3717 9426

Passcode: 863331

Bill & Pay

We encourage members to make their payments using Bill and Pay wherever possible, but it has come to our attention that Canadian members have not been able to enter their zip codes in the required field. We have deactivated the need for a zip code on the backend of Bill and Pay, but we are unable to remove the field from the webpage. Since the requirement has been deactivated, Canadian members no longer have to enter their zip codes, but they do have to enter 5 numbers in order to complete their payments. Any five numbers will work (ie: “00000”).

Fair Trade Music Update

The Fair Trade Music (FTM) Committee continues its hard work on the most far-reaching and important organizing effort in our Local’s history. As a labor union, Local 1000 is committed to the core guarantees of FTM. These state that musicians are entitled to:

• Fair wages for all, union members or not
• The right for union members, if they so choose, to use a single engagement contract (USA LS-1 or Canadian LPCC) that includes pension contributions.
• Safe working conditions and freedom from harassment and discrimination

We are firming up plans to hire a part-time organizer in 2022, with a goal of having 100 FTM signatory venues/presenters a year from now.  We also are in the process of helping to fund this effort by offering t-shirts for purchase, guitar picks with the FTM logo, stickers and informational postcards. Information on how you can get your shirts and other items will be coming soon. 

If you’re interested in being a part of this dynamic and creative adventure determined to help create real collective thinking in our entire community, please join us!

Drop me an email at: appalseed@folkmusic.com and I’ll send you an invite to our next FTM meeting.  Just come by and see what we’re up to.

We are also in the process of arranging some organizing training sessions with both the AFM and with a private consultant.  We’ll keep you posted.  Everyone can gain from such training and it’ll help strengthen our Union.  

John McCutcheon chair, Fair Trade Music Committee

New Website: Your Member Profile

A primary feature of our new website is a Member Directory. This directory will be a place for people to find and hire union musicians for their events and for our members to get to know each other a little bit better too. 

To be included in the Member Directory, you must be current on all dues and fees. After you log into your account, navigate to your profile and click on “edit your Local 1000 profile.” Step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial are available here: https://www.local1000.org/how-to-edit-your-profile/ 

After you update your profile, make sure to browse the site— you may learn something new about your union! The website is also a one-stop-shop for you to pay membership dues, work dues, or make a solidarity pledge. Plus, it’s a great place to send your musician friends who are not yet union members.

If you find any problems with the website, please contact us at: office@local1000.org
The new website is built and managed by Local 1000 member Vi Wickam, with guidance from past-US Vice President Erin Mae Lewis, the Executive Board, and the Communications Committee. 

Social Media Handles

Are you connected to Local 1000’s Social Media accounts? If not, make sure you like or follow us!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afmlocal1000

Twitter: https://twitter.com/local1000afm

Facebook Public Page: https://www.facebook.com/local1000afm

We also have a private member page, which is to facilitate communication between members of Local 1000 and to promote discussion of Local 1000 issues amongst our members. Please ask to join this page to connect with your fellow members (note: this page is for current Local 1000 members only — friends of the Local are encouraged to like our public page instead.)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AFM.Local1000

Show Us Your Card!

As the saying goes, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!”. Now that our Instagram and Twitter accounts are active again, we’d like to showcase our members. If you would like to be included, please take a photo of yourself with your Local 1000 union card and we’ll post it on Twitter and Instagram. If you are on either of these platforms, please include both your Instagram and twitter handles so we can tag you. Send your photos to Deb Cowan: dcowan@DebraCowan.com Also be sure to follow us so we can follow you back.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afmlocal1000

Twitter: https://twitter.com/local1000afm

Work Dues Equivalency/Solidarity Pledge

Are you signed up for monthly Estimated Work Dues or Solidarity Pledge payments?

Learn more here. 
 

Music Performance Trust Fund Grants Available

You can get up to 50% funding for a live or streaming concert through the Music Performance Trust Fund of the AFM. You will need a co-sponsoring organization, and applications must be submitted 30 days in advance of the performance. Please contact Richard in the office for more information (with email/phone number).

MusicianFest Grants Available

MusicianFest is a specific project of the Music Performance Trust Fund that supports performances in seniors residences. Local 1000 has been allocated 5 grants for members through the MusicFest program. Please contact Richard in the office for more info.

Emergency Relief Fund

Local 1000’s Emergency Relief Fund still has grants available to help with expenses during the pandemic.  Grants of up to $1000 are available to members in good standing while funds last. Please note, members who have previously received an ERF grant cannot apply for a second one at this time.

To apply for a grant or to donate to keep the fund healthy for members in need, visit our website or contact Richard at the office.

Folk Alliance International Conference 2022

The 2022 Folk Alliance International Conference has changed dates, and will now take place May 18 – 22, 2022. Local 1000 will be there publicizing our Fair Trade Music campaign. The conference will be a hybrid event, with the in-person portion will be held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.
The conference theme is Living Traditions and will showcase various traditional folk music forms regionally, nationally, and internationally. The theme will be explored through topics of music preservation, migration, evolution, and authenticity, while the Global Summit will highlight the work of folklorists.

Local 1000 will be at the conference hosting our regular Showcase Free Zone room as well as having a booth in the exhibition hall. If you plan to attend please stop by one of our events.

If you are interested in attending and need a discount code please contact Aaron Fowler.

Member News

Tell us your news! Have you released an album, won an award, been involved in an interesting initiative that you’d like to let people know about?

If you have exciting news to share with Local 1000 members, we want to know. Submit Your News Here!

Submissions should relate to significant career events, Please do not submit individual gig or tour announcements. Thank you!

We’ll include your news in an upcoming Local 1000 e-newsletter, and we’ll post it on our public Local 1000 page at https://www.facebook.com/local1000afm

April Birthdays

Finally, we would like to wish the following members Happy Birthday! If your birthday falls in April and you don’t see it listed below, or if the date is incorrect, please send an email to Deborah Van Kleef with your birthdate, current phone number and email address. Thanks to Deborah and fellow Birthday Bunnies Arthur McGregor and Tim Van Egmond.

In Solidarity,

AFM Local 1000