was a transformative experience. Those who had been told their whole lives they could not sing suddenly found they could. Those who believed they had no power suddenly knew they did. Those who thought they were all alone suddenly found a community. All because of a tall, skinny guy with his bobbing by John McCutcheon Adam’s apple and a banjo. ete Seeger was not only a proud, charter member of I spoke with Pete shortly before he and his grandson, Tao “ Local 1000, he was the person that introduced so many Rodriguez, sang at President Obama’s inauguration concert. I of us to unionism. It was not with speeches, but with said, “Pete, you’re singing at the invitation of a President.” “Yes,” songs.P It was not with agitation, but with action. There he was, he replied, “impossible, isn’t it?” I remember thinking at the whenever he was needed, lending a hand and a voice to workers’ time, “Well, old man, if I’ve learned anything from you, it’s that struggles. He didn’t do it because of the headlines or because it the impossible is just going to take a little time.” was a “good career move” (actually, usually the opposite!), but There is a great hole in our family, in America, in the world because he believed in the power of song and what that power today. Let us “take up the old guitar,” as Pete sang, and fill that could do for ordinary people. Whether it was singing “Erie hole, that family, this country, this world with song. It’s what he Canal” or “Solidarity Forever” being in a crowd with Pete taught us. Now let’s get busy.” INSIDE: page 2–Welcome Scott, Birth of Local AFM • page 3–Work Dues, Dual Membership • page 4–Bylaw Changes, Membership News page 5–Recording Contract • page 6–Highlander Membership Retreat • page 7–What’s In It for “We?”, Health Care page 9 –I’m Gonna’ Join The Union • page 10 –Faith Petric New Deal is the official organ of Local 1000. Please read it carefully. Upcoming Meetings... Welcome, Highlander Retreat May 12-14 New Market, TN Scott! L1K Membership Meeting May 13, 2014, 4 pm in the Farewell, Highlander Center, New Market, Tennessee Steve. www.local1000.org by Tret Fure Find Local 1000 t our October on Facebook & Twitter Steve Eulberg membership 212-843-8726 meeting, E-mail: [email protected] Amember Scott Berwick was hopes for a better Co-Office Managers: elected to the position of world. Of course, he Secretary-Treasurer. Our sings some songs just Colin Dean current Secretary-Treasurer, for the joy and fun [email protected] Steve Eulberg will be stepping of it. He is especially Richard Coombs down when his term ends on Scott Berwick fond of songs about [email protected] December 31, 2013. the Hudson River and the Catskill I had the pleasure of serving Mountains of his New York home. LOCAL 1000 OFFICERS: closely with Steve on the Executive He is also an occasional song writer. President: Board. His past experiences as a small Scott performs as a solo act and also as TRET FURE business owner, church pastor and part of the Kingston Sea Chantey Singers 608-469-4007 • [email protected] (Saugerties, NY). Canadian Vice-President: involvement in non-profit organizations KEN WHITELEY were an asset to Local 1000 in many 416-533-9988 • [email protected] ways. Through Steve’s leadership, we were Vice President: able to navigate through a number of DEBRA COWAN Birth of complex situations that arose and we also 508-662-9746 • [email protected] Secretary-Treasurer: established firm policies and procedures SCOTT BERWICK in our organization that will move us Local 1000 518-734-3224 • [email protected] forward toward the future. Midwestern Regional Rep Scott Berwick brings 10 years AARON FOWLER experience to the treasurer’s post having AFM 316-207-4715 • [email protected] filled this role for three not-for-profit Western Regional Rep From the Archives: DANIEL BOLING organizations over the years including 8 505-228-2530 • [email protected] years as treasurer with the Hudson River ete Seeger’s Appleseeds column in Eastern Regional Rep Sloop Clearwater. He has vast experience SingOut magazine was written by CHARLIE PILZER in the day-to-day operations with large John McCutcheon in Vol. 37, No.3, 301-891-9035 • [email protected] organizations and non-profits and we PNov/Dec ‘92/Jan ‘93 New Deal Editor: welcome his experience and leadership to “The New Deal Committee is a group of Steve Eulberg & Scott Berwick Local 1000. musicians that for the last six years has been Scott has been collecting songs since Contributing Editors: working for reforms in the musician’s union Tret Fure, Debra Cowan, Joe Jencks, 1960 when he first picked up a guitar that would benefit the traveling performer. John McCutcheon and started singing. Nowadays he We’ve just cleared the last hurdle toward accompanies his singing with either his establishing our own “national local” Graphic Editor: Jan Hammond banjo or his guitar. He sings old songs, (oxymorons never bothered us!) and are Member News Editor: newer songs and new songs in the folk now organizing members. What this means Joe Jencks tradition that carry themes of social is that a musician can join a local populated NEW DEAL is the official organ of the justice, environmental justice, and North American Traveling Musicians Union, Local 1000, AFM 2 NEW DEAL • Winter 2014 are consistently generous with supporting our Emergency Relief Fund. Therefore, we are inviting these members to support our local by providing 2.5% Work Dues Equivalency Donations for the equivalent of at least one gig (regular venue) each month. For example: The regular venue scale is $230. At 2.5% this is a contribution of $5.75 a month or $69 a year. – Adopted 10/24/2014 by the Executive Board. solely by folks doing the same kind of work they do…a first in the musician’s union. It also means Dual they can contribute to the pension fund for seeking your stories about the beginnings of every gig; good good affordable instrument Local 1000, about the benefits and support insurance; get free legal representation in you’ve received as we continue to celebrate Membership enforcing contracts; lobby for reform of the Local that supports traveling musicians unfair immigration practices; customize in the United States and Canada. Please Clarified our own work rules and scales; all this and send your remembrances and stories to [email protected]. more! For applications and information By Steve Eulberg, write: New Deal Committee, 1025 Locust Secretary-Treasurer Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22901. In the same issue, John was also Work Dues rom time to time it is necessary to interviewed by Ellen Senisi & Nancy make clarification of some things Boericke in their article entitled: Equivalency that we take for granted. Local F1000 (Non-Geographic) was granted “Traditional Roots to Contemporary Issues” its charter to serve the needs of traveling Could you talk a bit about your work Payment musicians, specifically those who travel in and out of the jurisdiction of geographical efforts to organize with the American he following Policy was adopted Federation of Musicians? locals of the AFM (American Federation by the Executive Board at its Fall of Musicians). JM: “It’s been exciting. About 5 years Board Retreat in St. Louis: According to the AFM Bylaws, a ago, we started a dialogue with the union TWork Dues are the primary funding for musician who lives and works (plays) in to address more concretely the needs of the work of the Local as we support our his or her jurisdiction is required also to traveling musicians. It was incongruous that membership. The members who are filing join his or her geographical local. Because we were taking active roles in the concerns contracts for pension contributions from this applies to me, I have been a dual of every other union but our own. We had LS-1s, LPCCs or CBA’s are already being member of Local 1000 and the Denver no illusions, but at least we could try. billed for their work dues contribution. Musicians Association (Local 20-623) We were pleasantly surprised when we Yet, some of our members are not for many years. In contrast, our Vice got positive feedback. We’ve had ongoing actively filing contracts and don’t have the President, Debra Cowan, does no work discussions for the past 5-6 years. Major opportunity to support the usual work of in her geographical local’s jurisdiction, so policies have been changed, and new serv- our local. she is only a member of Local 1000. ices have been created. There was an open- Our members are generous in It is and has always been the policy of ing for us to create our own “national supporting specific needs and causes. our Local to inform those who wish to local,” determined not by geographical loc- Some examples are: When we needed a join with us of their responsibilities in ation but by the kind of work the members new office computer, donations covered this regard. Therefore, we are unable to did. Thanks to the commitment of about the cost. Our Local was the largest ratify the Membership Applications of 200 fellow musicians, just a few weeks ago supporter of the Deportees Memorial anyone who has been expelled from his or we fulfilled all the requirements that the Monument in Fresno. We provided her geographical local for non-payment international gave us for chartering our our long-time Office Manager with a of dues, until they have satisfied that own local.” generous and useful parting gift when she obligation, and certify that they are not In our 20th Anniversary year, we are left to pursue her studies.