Local 1000 February 2020 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
New Deal Winter 2020
The Winter 2020 issue of Local 1000’s New Deal is now available and can be downloaded here!
In the past we have mailed hard copies to our entire membership, however moving forward we will be distributing it primarily digitally. If you would like to request a hard copy, please let us know.
Membership Meeting Report
Our last membership meeting was held on January 23rd at the Folk Alliance conference in New Orleans. This was the first meeting where long-distance members could fully participate via Zoom, which allows electronic participants to see, hear, and talk during the meeting. As a non-geographic local, we are always looking for ways to be more connected to each other.
Upcoming organizing campaigns include the Fair Trade Music project, aiming to provide good working conditions for all touring musicians; and a Work Dues Equivalency campaign to bring long-term financial solvency to our organization. All of these projects, and more, are possible because we have joined hands, and resources, to build a better, stronger community for all working musicians.
If you missed our Membership meeting (in person or via Zoom video link) the minutes are available here. Thanks to all who attended!
In solidarity,
Erin Mae (Midwest Rep)
Folk Alliance International Conference 2020 Report
Local 1000 had a strong presence at this years Folk Alliance International conference in New Orleans in January.
We were well represented at this conference with many of our members being recognized at plenary sessions, playing showcase stages and performing in guerrilla showcases. Oh, so much great music!
Richard Coombs and the Executive Board, along with John O’Connor, hosted a table in the Exhibit hall. We had lots of great conversations with a variety of people from venues to musicians to industry folks all sharing the power and strength of our common goals. We were able to share our Statement of Support for Working Musicians and the Fair Trade Music (FTM) committee survey. More than 200 folks signed the Statement of Support. If you would like to download a copy to share at your concert you can do that here. Have your fans sign it and once you get a full sheet scan and send to the office or just mail the sheet. The FTM committee will be compiling these signatures for a show of support for working musicians.
As in years past, the board hosted a member gathering on Wednesday night as well as three nights of in our Showcase Free Zone room. We had a fantastic set of Local 1000 members leading our evening song circles including, John O’Connor, Freebo, Erin Mae Lewis, Aaron Fowler, Erika Kulnys and Vi Wickam. A BIG thank you for sharing our very tight room!
Vi Wickam resigns as Local 1000 Secretary
It is with great sadness that the Executive Board received Vi Wickam’s resignation as our Treasurer. He has been a vital part of moving our organization to be more sustainable. His insight and persistence have put us on a good path. Vi served on the Finance committee and the Communications committee. He will continue to serve on both of these committees as the Board transitions to a new Secretary/Treasurer and until the Communications Committee gets a new website up and running. Thanks Vi for all you have done for Local 1000.
Beth Cahill Appointed as Local 1000 Secretary Treasurer
Beth is a singer, instrumentalist and writer. She weaves her love of people, travel, food and irony into stories with melodies. For the audience, every performance is an intimate journey – from the desert of west Texas, to an Andean mountain village, to a gas station in northern Ontario.
She calls Wakefield, Quebec home but tours extensively as a solo performer, with the way cool folk trio The Malvinas (Gina Forsyth and Lisa Markley), and with bass virtuoso Susan Cahill (who also happens to be her sister). Beth has been a finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Contest and the B.W. Stevenson Singer-songwriter competition as well as a CBC Canada Writes semi-finalist. She also took part in RealWomenRealSongs, an online collective of women musicians writing a song a week for one year. Along the road, Beth has been invited to appear, among other places at: The Kerrville Folk Festival, Festival Memoire et Racines, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Festival International, WFMT’s Folkstage and Bass2012 Copenhagen.
In addition to her music career, Beth is also an extreme geek with a passion for both libraries and numbers. She is a volunteer with Biblio Wakefield Library and a Library of Parliament Analyst. She never tires of explaining central tendency, compounding interest and the law of large numbers to anyone who will listen. Accused by her sister of still having her first communion money, Beth is currently leveraging these counting, saving, record keeping and organizing skills in her role as secretary treasurer of the AFM Local 1000.
What Does the Application for Benefit Reductions by the AFM Pension Mean?
In January participants in the AFM-EPF, the musicians’ union pension fund, received a letter about a petition to the US Treasury Department under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act to reduce benefits. The pension trustees decided to do this because the pension is in critical and declining status and if cuts were not made the pension would run out of money within the next 15-20 years.
Communications from the AFM-EPF on this topic can be long and complicated. Member John O’Connor has prepared a summary to explain what’s happening. Click here to read the article.
WE MOVED! New Address Effective December 1, 2019
Local 1000 has moved out of our old office on 48th Street in New York City, and into brand new space inside AFM headquarters around the corner on Broadway. Effective December 1, our new address is:
AFM Local 1000
1501 Broadway, 9th floor
New York, NY 10036 USA
Our phone and email remain the same:
(212) 843-8726
Alert: Membership Dues Increase Jan 1!
At our Nov 8 membership meeting, members approved by-law changes that will increase our membership dues over the next three years, and also will increase the surcharge on quarterly dues.
The increases will be different for US and Canadian residents, in order to recognize the effect of the exchange rate for our Canadian members.
Effective January 1 2020, the new dues will be:
US members:
$188 annually
$47 per quarter plus $5 surcharge = $52 per quarter
Canadian members:
US$180 annually
$45 per quarter plus $5 surcharge = $50 per quarter
(If you are currently paying quarterly, you can switch to Annual payment to save.)
Emergency Relief Fund
Please help your brothers and sisters in need by contributing to our Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.local1000.org/product/emergency-relief-fund
Canadian Corner
All Cheques for Canadian Pension Contributions Must be Made Out to Musicians’ Pension Fund of Canada
The Musicians’ Pension Fund has advised that, starting November 1st, 2019, they are changing the Custodian for their investment accounts. This change is being implemented to reduce custody fees and improve accuracy of reporting.
Due to these changes, ALL CHEQUES MUST BE MADE OUT TO THEIR CURRENT NAME, MUSICIANS’ PENSION FUND OF CANADA, or some version of said name.
The new custodian will not accept cheques made out to AFM, AFM-EPW Fund or any variation of their old name, as they will have no record of that being the name of the Fund.
Click here for more information.
P2 Processing Times
The CFM is currently advising Canadian members applying for P2 visas to get their application in at least 60 days before the first engagement.
If you are applying, please make sure you download the latest application, which can be found here:
English: http://www.cfmusicians.org/services/work-permits French: http://www.cfmusicians.org/services/permis-de-travail
Please contact Canadian VP Kev Corbett or the CFM for more information.
Take Action!
Butch Lewis Act – Protect Your Pension!
U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Lamar Alexander have put forth a proposal that would amend the Butch Lewis Act and make the situation much worse. The Grassley-Alexander proposal would cut retirees’ benefits and threatens the future of the entire multi-employer pension system.
Call your senators at 844-551-6921 and urge them to reject the Grassley-Alexander proposal, which would harm the Butch Lewis Act.
Musicians and other working people did not cause this crisis and we should not be penalized because of it. The Grassley-Alexander proposal not only includes big cuts to retirees’ benefits, it also would impose hefty costs that would destabilize multi-employer pension plans like the AFM-EPF.
Tell them to support legislation that will provide retirees with their hard-earned benefits and stabilize the multi-employer pension system overall. Anything less is unacceptable.
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!
Local 1000 Membership Update
New and Reinstated Members
We are excited to welcome the following new and recently reinstated members to Local 1000!
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John Adler Joshua Beatty Emma Frampton |
Andy Irwin Craig Roberts Matthew Watroba |
February Birthdays
Finally, we would like to wish the following members Happy Birthday! If your birthday falls in February 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.
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02/01 Joe Jencks 02/02 Aiden Villa 02/04 Wayne Greene 02/04 Edith Wallace 02/05 Carroll Sanders 02/06 Steve Eulberg 02/06 Faith Nolan 02/09 Joan Smith 02/11 Ben Deschamps 02/12 Chris Coole 02/12 Michael Miles 02/13 Lisa Hodgson 02/13 Stephen Suffet 02/15 Carolann Solebello 02/15 Baldemar Velasquez 02/15 Cris Williamson |
02/16 Catherine Wilson 02/17 David Borough 02/17 Adrian Gross 02/18 Sonia Rutstein 02/19 James McEleney 02/19 Paul Taylor 02/21 Greg Artzner 02/22 SJ Tucker 02/23 John Fohl 02/23 Arthur McGregor 02/25 Marcy Marxer 02/25 Jennifer Heitler-Klevans 02/27 Robert Couture 02/28 Ysaye Barnwell 02/28 Mark Westberg 02/29 Francis McKenty |
In Solidarity,
AFM Local 1000
New Deal Winter 2020