Carol Panofsky, Oboe: Making Music Her Way Musical News pg 4 July - August 2017 | Vol. 89, No. 4 The Evolution Of A Committee Member Revisited by David Schoenbrun, President I don’t often enough publicly rain praise While I am sure there are those noble with their tunnel-vision attitudes, on the many orchestra committee members folks among us, I’ve concluded that but rather the modeling that they are who work tirelessly on behalf of their they are the rare exception. Self- exposed to – sometimes for hours at colleagues. The Union and its CBA service, by and large, is the initial a time – during which they see and groups depend upon their efforts to ensure draw for musicians to serve on absorb how colleagues are able to good the negotiation of good contracts and committees, especially negotiating put aside propensities to “take care In This Issue. their day-to-day administration. Hence committees. But almost invariably of #1” in favor of communal thought my reprise of this article first published the self-serving motivations of new and action. The long-term benefits David Schoenbrun Article in July 2009… have a wonderful, restful committee members loosens and of winning the war versus the battle Beth Zare Article summer! broadens over time into something become apparent. The pressures Election Notice much greater. subtly exerted by the group to have Picnic Announcement The Evolution of a Committee each member join in concerted Member collective action – the definition of New & Reinstated Members Unionism – eventually becomes Address Changes One of the things I enjoy most irresistible. Members Suspended about working with orchestra Members To Be Dropped and negotiating committees is the From time to time you will encounter Resignations musicians I meet. We often get to those, fortunately a small minority, Carol Panofsky Article know each other fairly well, given who appear to be on a personal the lengthy course of so many quest and will simply not relent. TEMPO Newsletter / Application negotiations. Our musicians enter For them the committee process will Golf Tournament Application into this process knowing that it will More seasoned committee become unsatisfying and intolerable. Advertisements likely be an arduous, time-consuming members and local officers become They will come to resent how their Auditions and sometimes emotionally draining understandably exasperated by other intransigence causes them to be journey – one that will strain their committee members who appear to marginalized within the committee primary relationships and severely cut be engaged in advancing their own and will eventually leave of their own into their practice and leisure times. agendas, to the exclusion of survey accord. And they won’t be paid for their results and the dictates of common troubles. It is therefore reasonable to sense. They might have difficulty But for the vast majority who make ask, “Why would anyone volunteer seeing the bigger picture, reject the transition successfully, look for such an ordeal?” necessary acts of compromise, and out! They can become your most In Memoriam fail to understand that the Union’s powerful and passionate advocates To answer this question, I look to my aim by and large (and, by extension, for the orchestra and the Union, Terry Russell own experiences when I began to the committee’s goal) should be to and those who are at first the most Birchall Smith serve on orchestra committees more provide the most good for the greatest vocal in their unabashed self-serving years ago than I care to admit. I had a number. postures may very well become your Wally Steele personal axe to grind. Filling out the most energetic and effective leaders. pre-negotiations questionnaire was I have come to trust in the process, Committee chairs and officers should not enough to ensure that my issue – I and believe that musicians – like take the time to help facilitate their Life Members think it was bass cartage at the time me – who first become involved in growth, through active listening and – would be addressed adequately. I committee work for personal reasons careful explanations of the goals of Tom Hemphill was determined to advocate for my eventually come to understand negotiations. It will be well worth the personal agenda, though no doubt I and adopt a more collective spirit. effort. portrayed my intentions to colleagues This evolution is not the result of in more altruistic terms. attempts by others to confront them File a contract -- it is your best form of protection by Beth Zare, Secretary-Treasurer The gig was The Temptations & The first tried to reach an out of court Four Tops hired by Terry Summa for settlement, but ultimately went concerts at the Paramount Theater to court and subsequently won a and Bob Hope Theatre in October judgement against Litman. We found of 2008. Then, 2 days prior to the 1st out that there is a difference between show, the producer canceled both winning and collecting, and had to be shows, citing poor advance ticket satisfied, for the time being, with a sales. The contractor was informed by lien placed against real estate holdings the producer that since the musicians in St. Louis, Missouri. didn’t actually perform, they were not going to be paid. Fortunately, Terry After more than 9 years of silence Summa had previously filed a union we finally received good news last contract, and so, per our Local Bylaws, month. “I had almost forgotten about musicians in good standing were paid this pending case,” said President out of our Contract Guarantee Fund. David Schoenbrun. An agent from PERMIT NO. 454 PERMIT The Union then sought legal recourse a St. Louis title company handling a NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID U.S. POSTAGE SAN FRANCISCO, CA to recoup musician wages and pending real estate transaction for Mr. pension, since no “casual” contracts Litman called to ask for a settlement contain provisions that allow for amount, since title on the property cancellation of services. could not be cleared until the lien was lifted. Since he had to sell, he HAD to “As the contractor, I was delighted pay. that no one got stiffed,” says Summa. “Having a signed contract was the With the interest accrued Local 6 saving grace. All the union musicians received a check for over $17,000, doing a union gig got their payments process began of trying to get substantially more than the in a timely fashion thanks to the payment from producer Steve Litman. engagement’s original total wages Contract Guarantee Fund.” Local 6 incurred significant legal fees and pension. “Check one off for the and spent years pursuing the case, good guys,” says Schoenbrun. “This After all the musicians in good aided by Lisl Duncan, an attorney example makes it clear why it pays to standing at the time of the with our general counsel’s firm of file a union contract.” Musicians Union Local 6 - 9th Street 116 94103 San Francisco, CA engagement were paid, the slow Weinberg, Rosenfeld and Roger. We Your Trusted Servants... Official Bulletin of Local 6 General Election Local 6 Officers Musicians Union Local 6 The Board of Directors has established Thursday, October 26, 2017, as David Schoenbrun, President American Federation of Musicians the date of the next General Election for Local 6. Kale Cumings, Vice-President Beth Zare, Secretary-Treasurer Beth Zare, Editor ELIGIBILITY: to be eligible to vote, members must be paid through the Alex Walsh, Managing Editor second quarter, which ends Friday, June 30, 2017, and must have paid Board Of Directors any required initiation fees in full. The deadline for paying second Gretchen Elliott, Trustee The Musical News is published bi-monthly by quarter dues is Monday, September 1, 2017. Hall Goff, Trustee Musicians Union Local 6, AFM. Any notice Steve Hanson, Trustee appearing herein shall be considered to be NOMINATIONS FOR OFFICE: any member who meets the Josephine Gray, Director an official notice to the membership. The qualifications stated in this notice may be nominated and become a Forrest Byram, Director appearance herein of an article or an candidate for any office or delegation of this union, and thereby be advertisement does not imply an endorsement entitled to have his/her name placed upon the ballot, as follows: by the editors. President Emeritus President (and delegate to the 2019 AFM Convention) Melinda Wagner Vice President Contact Us Secretary-Treasurer (and delegate to the 2019 AFM Convention) Staff Board of Directors – five positions Tony Orbasido - Recording, Reception (x301) Musicians Union Local 6 Delegates to the 2019 AFM Convention – two positions Lori Ponton Rodriguez - Treasury (x304) 116 - 9th Street Diversity Delegate to the 2019 AFM Convention – one position. Joe Rodriguez - Casuals (x306) San Francisco, CA 94103 Cheryl Fippen - MPTF, Death Benefits (x307) phone (415) 575-0777 All officer and board positions are for 3-year terms, commencing on the Alex Walsh - Member Services (x308) fax (415) 863-6173 first Monday following the January General Meeting at which they are [email protected] administered the oath of office. Area-Wide Casual Wage Scale www.afm6.org Committee 1) nominees must be, and have been, full members in good standing Lisa Sanchez, Chair of Local 6 for a period of two (2) years preceding Monday, August 28, Ray Buyco Office Hours 2017, which is the deadline for filing nomination petitions; Monday - Friday Gigi Dang Michael Hatfield 10:00 am - 4:00 pm 2) nominees must be U.S. citizens; Jeanette Isenberg Rob Gibson 3) nominees must not have been found guilty of any malfeasance in Jim Zimmerman Schedule office or theft of union property. Nomination petitions (available at Local 6) containing ten (10) or more Finance Committee Holiday Schedule Melinda Wagner, Chair Office Will Be Closed: signatures of members in good standing must be submitted to the Steven D’Amico New Year’s Day Secretary-Treasurer no later than 4:00 p.m.