May 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 May everyone. I hope you, like me, are finding returning to live performances a treat. Stay safe as you get out and about. I hope that I will see many of you at the FAI conference in Kansas City next week. We will have a booth as well as our regular SFZ room in the evenings. We will have our first live membership meeting since the pandemic. We will meet in the Crossroads Room at 3:00 on Thursday. See you all then. 

Please check out all the wonderful articles in this newsletter. There is a lot happening with Local 1000 and you don’t want to miss any of the opportunities. 

Aaron Fowler

Membership Meeting May 19, 2022

Please join us for the next Local 1000 Membership Meeting on May 19th. 4:00 EST, 3:00 CST, 2:00 MST, 1:00 PST.

If you are in Kansas City for the FAI conference we will be meeting in the Crossroads Room at 3:00 PM. If you are not in Kansas City, please use the link below to join by Zoom.

Documents for the meeting can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1l5GUcFux4ijb5Cc5ZkqdHdBrmG1CvRei

********

Topic: L1K Membership Meeting

Time: May 19, 2022 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88059211943?pwd=MjdpdnpPT2FkZ01YajlBUlZmd2gvQT09

Meeting ID: 880 5921 1943

Passcode: 711242

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,88059211943#,,,,*711242# US (Chicago)

+19294362866,,88059211943#,,,,*711242# US (New York)

Dial by your location

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

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        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 880 5921 1943

Passcode: 711242

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbvglonWEg

Folk Alliance International Conference 2022

Local 1000 will be at the 2022 Folk Alliance International Conference coming up May 18 – 22, 2022. We’ll be hosting a Showcase-Free Zone, we’ll have a booth in the exhibit hall, and we’ll be holding our membership meeting there (see details above). 

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.

More information at www.folkconference.org

Reminder: Local 1000 Demographic Survey 

The Local 1000 Demographic Survey is still open, and awaiting your response! We’ve heard from about 95 members but we’d like to hear from more. ALL members are encouraged to fill out our Local 1000 Demographic Survey, developed by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group. 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.

This demographic survey will give us 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!   

Members in NY State: Grants Available

Under the New York State Budget plan announced in April, independent musicians will now be eligible to apply for funding for work lost during the pandemic. Read more here.

Our friends at Music Workers Alliance (MWA), who helped get this measure into the budget, are sending updates and information to those interested in accessing these funds. Fill out a form here to hear more about this program and how to apply.

Member Coffee Hour

Union family! Our next coffee hour is on Wednesday, June 8

Local 1000’s Zoom Coffee Hour will meet again in June, hosted by our dear Charlie King! We will then take a break for July & August and resume in the fall with Annie and Aileen.

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

Time: This is a recurring meeting

Next one is Wednesday, June 8     
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.

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

May Birthdays

Finally, we would like to wish the following members Happy Birthday! If your birthday falls in May 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