February 1952

VOL. V, No. I PUBLISHED BY AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, Inc., A. F. of L. FEBRUARY, 1952 "THE HAUNTED ROO,M" OURS IS a strong ship. This ship-our union-has carried Unfortunately, we have within our midst thousands of free us safely through calm waters and boiling seas. riding non-members, barnacles befouling the bottom of our We may well be proud of our ship. We, the membership, craft. The point is now reached where the bottom must be are that great vessel-its ribs and struts, its steel plate, its scraped clean. The free-rider must learn that he is an un motive power, the full ship's complement. As we grow and welcome guest at our table, that he is not wanted. weld into bonds of unbreakable steel our unity, we strengthen In practical terms the cost to us of the non-member is far the ship and those who sail upon it. too great to be borne further. He hampers our every activity, Nevertheless, a specter haunts our ship and its crew. making our union's task far greater than should be the case. Across the decks there strides a shadow. Almost inevitably, When we, at our conventions, layout our bargaining pro as we navigate in troubled water, this shadow materializes grams, the non-member's voice, although silent, rings loudly into a menace. in the negative. When our chosen representatives sit across Stealing into the engine room, this specter throws monkey the bargaining table, the employers have on their side an wrenches into the intricate machinery that drives forward our unseen ally; the free rider. craft. Haunting the chartroom, it tries to steal the maps and Yet, every gain we make is grabbed by the non-member guide-posts. Walking among the crew, it spreads unfounded -without so much as a, "Thank you." The non-member, rumor in an effort to stir up panic, fear and mutiny. save to criticize, takes no part in our affairs. He contributes This is the non-member. He is neither passenger nor crew. no financial support, no positive work, no sacrifice and no He pays no passage, yet he comes along for the ride. He is moral aid. Because of him, it it harder to win justice on the excess baggage riding upon the shoulders of those who bear job. the load. He is a menace to the security of our ship and to The non-member is a parasite upon all and can be ill the precious cargo of lives which our vessel carries. (Continued on next page) afforded by our union. We pay a heavy toll for his existence We are the overwhelming majority and in this lies our in foregoing additional benefits that cannot be realized while strength. The minority of non-members must be made to he remains to plague us. He is a big cost upon the member recognize the will of the majority. We have it within our power ship in money, in extra effort and in useless dead-weight. to enforce that will through the deliberate isolation of the There is no reason to tolerate the non-member. Where he confirmed non-member who will then stand out as a horrible exists through ignorance upon his part, we must educate him example. into membership. Where the fault is our own due to improper We now start the year 1952. This must be the year in which contact with him or through lack of contact, we must correct we must establish the full stability of our union-a historic our organization and our efforts. Where he deliberately year in our development. If every member will do his part, chooses to remain out of our ranks, we must make his isola we can kill the ghost of the non-ember and his haunting of tion complete, being far more exclusive concerning the com our ship. It is up to all of us, each and every member. Together pany we keep than he would ever know how to be. we can, we will, we must do this job. AGMA Unfair List The companies and producers listed 11. New York Civic Opera Company 14. Star Opera Company below have been placed upon AGMA's 150 West 46th Street, N.Y.C. 317 West 42nd Street, N.Y.C. unfair list by the Board of Governors. William Reutemann Francis C. Torre Under no circumstances mayan AGMA artist perform with those companies. 12. New York Operatic Society 15. Verdi Grand Opera Co. Any violation of this rule will result in Empire Hotel 110-42 65th Avenue disciplinary action by the Board of 63rd & Broadway, N.Y.C. Forest Hills, N. Y. Governors. William Feinmann Sylvestre Zaccaria 1. Adams-Williams Corporation 13. Rochester Grand Opera Co. 16. Washington Grand Opera Assn. 430 Sixth Avenue, N.Y.C. 745 Penfield Road 1710 19th Street, N.W. Wilson A. Williams Rochester, N. Y. Washington, D. C. Josephine di Crasto William Webster 2. Alkahest Celebrity Bureau 1221 Mortgage Guarantee Bldg. Atlanta, Georgia AGMAZINE S. Russell Bridges Official organ published bi-monthly by the American Guild of Musical 3. Belmont Opera Guild Artists, Inc., A F L, New York City, N. Y. 276 West 43rd Street (Belmont Community Society) HOWARD M. LARAMY, Editor 183rd Street and Arthur Avenue VOLUME V, No. 1 FEBRUARY, 1952 Bronx, New York 4. Cosmopolitan Opera Company OFFICERS 1332 Walnut Street LA WRENCE TIBBETT ABBA BOGIN Philadelphia 7, Pa. President Treasurer Theodore Feinman ASTRID VARNAY ELIZABETH HOEPPEL 1st Vice·President Recording Secretary 5. Boston Grand Opera Company J ASCHA HEIFETZ HYMAN R. FAINE 160 West 73rd Street 2nd Vice-President Executive Secretary New York, N. Y. MACK HARRELL HOWARD M. LARAMY 3rd Vice-President Asst. Exec. Secy. Stanford Erwin JAMES PEASE EUGENE 1. HAYMAN 6. London Opera Co., (Celebrity At 4th Vice· President Asst. Exec. Secy. tractions, Inc.) LEOPOLD SACHSE RITA NASSER Financial Secretary 150 West 46th Street, N. Y. C. 5th Vice·President JAFFE & JAFFE Vera Crenny Counsel 7. Manhattan Opera Co. OFFICES 119 West 57th Street, N.Y.C. 276 West 43rd Street Stanford Erwin Telephone: LOngacre 5-7508, 9, 10 8. Manhattan Opera Guild Los Angeles Philadelphia EDWARD A. ROSENBERG EDWARD DAVIS 1545 Broadway, N.Y.C. 6636 Hollywood Blvd. 215 S. Broad Street Benjamin F. Kutcher Hollywood 28, Calif. KIngsley 5·4310 HUdson 2-2334 9. Mascagni Opera Guild • 250 West 91st Street, N.Y.C. • Josephine La Puma San Franscisco Chicago THEODORE HALE IRVING MEYERS 10. New Brooklyn Opera Co. 216 Pine Street 188 W. Randolph Street 119 West 57th Street, N. Y. C. Sutter 0855 STate 2-0585 E. E. Stanford 2 Concert Artists In AGM,A SPECIAL MEETING CALLED BY OFFICERS A special meeting of all concert art of trouble with the A.F.M., some of our meeting with the solo concert artists, ists was called by AGMA President, instrumentalist members remained on stressing the need to secure not only Lawrence Tibbett and 2nd Vice-Pres the side of AGMA and helped win this the 90% membership provided for in ident, J ascha Heifetz at Steinway Hall, battle with A.F.M. Through the inter the agreement but to increase it to December 16th, 1951 at 3 :00 p.m. to vention of William Green, Pres. of the 100%. The arguments against the or which AGMA members and non-mem A.F.L., we made an agreement with ganization of AGMA in its formative bers were invited. The meeting was at Petrillo which required all instrumen years were based on the theory that tended by about one hundred concert talists to be members of A.F.M. but artists in the higher brackets would artists. Two reasons for the meeting for purposes of collective bargaining in never get together since they had nothing , were given by Mr. Tibbett: the concert field, recognized AGMA as to worry about. The history of AGMA's 1. Membership participation in the af· having exclusive jurisdiction. Follow formation was similar to that of the fairs of AGMA. ing this agreement, we tried to organize other entertainment unions; it was the the instrumentalists in the concert field top people in the field who were the 2. More membership coverage among and negotiated contracts with the con prime movers in setting up guilds to the concert soloists, both vocal and cert managements. Under these agree protect the rights of all members. The instrumental, to creat a stronger un ments, we were given the right to or strength of AGMA was based upon the IOn. ganize 90% of all artists under manage "box office" strength of the artists in the ment contracts. The 10% Was provided higher brackets. We still need such sup Early History for foreign artists who might be en port from the "higher bracket" concert Of AGMA gaged in the concert field of the U.S. artists in order to give AGMA the re Reference was made to the history of This percentage provision has created in quired strength to bring about the 100% the formative years of AGMA when the creasing difficulties for AGMA. The AGMA membership in the concert field. Metropolitan Opera had complete con A.F.M. claims that AGMA has no right In order to achieve solidarity in trol over all the professional activities to coerce instrumentalists into joining AGMA it may be necessary for the in of its artists under the provision of the AGMA. This claim is groundless, since dividual artist to sacrifice a few engage infamous Clause 12. Under these pro the A.F.M. in the above mentioned ments, since only through artist loyalty visions, the artist often had to pay to agreement has recognized and affirmed and support of the guild which has se the opera company commission fees AGMA's jurisdiction over instrumen cured so many benefits already and elim which were more than the salary paid talists in the concert field, and conse inated manv abuses to which all artists to the artists by the company.

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