Local 1000 July 2021 Newsletter

Local 1000 July 2021 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

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

A big thanks to everyone who joined us at our membership meeting on June 19— we had a great turnout! I am thankful our leadership saw the need for virtual meetings long before Covid. When we changed our bylaws to allow for virtual meetings we never imagined that the whole world would be meeting virtually. Once again Local 1000 was a trend setter for the music industry! The minutes and recorded meeting will be available at https://www.local1000.org/back-office/membership-minutes/ for those that were unable to attend to listen to the meeting. Our next meeting will be August 21. Watching for the detailed information in our next monthly newsletter.

We are excited to announce that our website, which is sorely in need of a refresh, will be completely rebuilt by the fall. The e-board has hired Vi Wickam to design the new site. In addition to being a Local 1000 member and a wonderful fiddler, Vi is a great website designer! We are glad he is helping us out on this project.

With this in mind, we are looking for high resolution photographs of current Local 1000 members at work and you can help us out! Please see the item below for more information.

As we slowly make our way back to performing, it is important to remember that our Local survives on the collection of work dues. Two types of dues are collected to pay for the ongoing work of our Local, Work Dues and Estimated Work Dues. Work Dues are collected when you submit a union contract, and is set at 2.5% of the gross wage. Estimated Work Dues can be submitted on all other music work you do that is not covered under a union contract. An easy way to pay this estimated work dues is to calculate your annual income for non-contracted work, take 2.5% of that, and then divide by 12.

If you are not making income from music, you can still support the local with a Solidarity Pledge. A regular monthly contribution will make sure we are able to provide the value you expect from your local. You can set up an automatic monthly payment for Estimated Work Dues or Solidarity Pledges using the online form here or contact Richard Coombs at richard@local1000.org.

Please find out about all the other great things your union is doing by reading the articles in this newsletter. Stay safe and let the music flow!

Together We Are Mighty!

Aaron

Upcoming Online Membership Meetings

Saturday, August 21st
Saturday, November 13th

Time: 2:00 PM EST; 1:00 PM CST; 12:00 PM Mountain; 11:00 AM Pacific

Meetings will take place on Zoom; meeting link and other details will be provided in advance of the meetings.

Photos Needed for our New Website

The Local 1000 website is being re-vamped! As part of that process we are collecting high resolution photographs of Local 1000 members at work (playing gigs, studio work, teaching, etc.) We need LOTS of photos to create a vibrant site that reflects the diversity of our members. We want to represent members of various ages, backgrounds, gender identities, and include US and Canadian members, as well as members who play different instruments and genres. Please help us by submitting 1-3 of your best “action shots.” We are NOT looking for headshots, cell phone shots, etc.

Photos can be submitted to Erin Mae Lewis — vicepresident@local1000.org or Colin Dean — colin@local1000.org.

Disclaimers: By submitting a photograph, you are agreeing that you have photographer permission to use the photograph; and that you give Local 1000 permission to use the photograph on their website for the purpose of promoting Local 1000. Submission of a photograph does not guarantee its use on the new website.

By-law Changes Proposal

We have some proposed changes to our by-laws that have come forward, and we will be sending them out to all members in a separate email soon. Please keep your eyes open for them! We will be discussing and voting on them at our next membership meeting on August 21st.

Folk Alliance Village Fund

Folk Alliance’s Village Fund is still accepting applications for Covid-19 grant assistance.

The Village Fund is designed to provide support for musicians and independent music industry professionals in need. More info at: https://folk.org/resources/the-village-fund/

July 17 John McCutcheon Concert to Benefit Local 1000

Past Local 1000 President John McCutcheon is performing an online concert on Saturday, July 17 at 8 pm ET and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Local 1000!

John’s new…and 42nd!..album, Bucket List is being released nationally on September 17th, but he’s doing a special Album Release Concert on July 17th, 8PM Eastern Time debuting every one of the 18 album cuts live. AND concert attendees will be the very first people anywhere to purchase the album the day of the show…2 months prior to its national release!

“This is one of the most fun I’ve ever had working on an album, watching these songs I composed during these past 15 months come to life in the hands of some of my oldest friends and collaborators.” says John.

Purchase your tickets through this link: https://boxoffice.mandolin.com/products/john-mccutcheon-bucket-list-an-album-release-concert-general-admission

Please buy tickets and spread the word!! This is a great opportunity to raise some money for Local 1000.

Anne Feeney Hellraiser Fund

The Anne Feeney Hell Raiser Fund is a fund fiscally sponsored by the Labor Heritage Foundation that will carry on Anne’s work of constantly passing the torch and lifting up the voices of emerging activist artists. Each year the fund will provide small grants to artists carrying forward Anne Feeney’s rabble rousing legacy. Grants between $500 – 1,000 will be used to support a recording project, subsidize a tour, or support in the creation of original music, theater, or other artwork that comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. Winners will also receive the right to put “hellraiser” on their business card, just as Anne Feeney did throughout her career. Fill out the form and include up to three links to your work (a video, recordings, visual art, website, social media, etc) in order to apply for the fund.

Application Deadline: August 26th, 2021. Hellraiser Grantees will be announced on Labor Day, 2021.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/the-anne-feeney-hellraiser-fund

Emergency Relief Fund COVID-19 Grants are still available to AFM Local 1000 members!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our members and our large community of fans and friends, Local 1000’s Emergency Relief Fund has been able to give out grants totalling over $38,000 to our members during the pandemic.  These grants have helped keep your union sisters and brothers afloat during these hard times.

We still have a limited number of ERF grants of up to $1000 per applicant available to members in good standing, while funds last.

To apply for a grant, visit this link:  https://www.local1000.org/local-1000-emergency-relief-fund-covid-19/

With an eye to keeping the ERF healthy for the future, Local 1000 is very grateful for ongoing donations and for your additional fundraising efforts.

To donate, visit this link and use the pull-down menu to specify the ERF: https://www.local1000.org/donate/

Solidarity News

Thanks to member Al Bradbury for these items from Labor Notes.

Aaaand Here They Come: Steelworkers at Allegheny Technologies are now on strike to defend their benefits. The company wants them to start paying more, though it’s flush with cash. The pandemic and the economic crunch have provided new leverage, and new excuses, for employers to push their pre-existing agendas — whether that’s watering down workers’ benefits, or speeding up the poultry production lines to three birds per second. Read more.

Defying Police Violence, Strikers across Colombia Are Demanding Transformational Change: What started as a Colombian protest against a regressive tax bill has become a national strike against police brutality and poverty. Unions, student groups, and other organizations have formed a National Strike Committee which is negotiating with the government. Among its demands are guaranteed health care during the pandemic, a universal basic income, and a commitment to protecting domestic industries. Read more. 

‘We Took Care of Each Other’: A Maritime Union’s Hidden History of Gay-Straight and Interracial Solidarity: Decades before the modern LGBTQ+ movement, a small but militant union of maritime workers on the West Coast with openly gay members and leaders was connecting the dots. In 1936, members of the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union coined a slogan: “It’s anti-union to red-bait, race-bait, or queen-bait.” For the better part of two decades this union fought discrimination on the ships where its members worked and in society, using strikes and hiring halls to force the integration of formerly all-white crews. Read more. 

Submit Your 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? You can let us know by filling out the form here: https://www.local1000.org/my-account/submit-member-news/

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

Canadian Corner

Local 1000 Canadian Committee

Our new Vice President from Canada, Arthur McGregor is seeking volunteers from Local 1000 to participate in the Canadian Committee. If you are interested, please contact him at vicepresidentcanada@local1000.org

Member News

Do you have a new album coming out? Did you recently receive an award?

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

Member Larry Long wrote “No More Pipeline Blues (On This Land Where We Belong)”  to support Water Protectors standing against the highly polluting Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline. Line 3 crosses 200 water bodies (including the Mississippi River), dissects the heart of Anishinaabe territories, and impacts the most pristine and complex watersheds and ecosystems in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, including Lake Superior. All net proceeds from the song go to Honor the Earth and #StopLine3.  The song features Waubanewquay, Winona LaDuke, Day Sisters, Mumu Fresh, Pura Fe, Soni Moreno, Jennifer Kreisberg, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt and Joy Harjo.

Since being featured in Rolling Stone, the song has garnered several awards and received considerable airplay worldwide. “No More Pipeline Blues” is available for streaming or download via most platforms including Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, iTunes/Apple Music,YouTube & Bandcamp.  

The music video can be watched here.  

 

You can download the song here.  
 
Send a letter to President Joe Biden’s administration telling them to #StopLine# by visiting STOPLINE3.org/Biden

 

July Birthdays

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

In Solidarity,

AFM Local 1000