Concerning Union and extra dues?

Tony Farr · Post by **Tony Farr** » 6 Dec 2002 6:34 am

I have been told that our union will be adding and extra $30 or so to union dues to pay for the remodeling that was done to union hall. How many of you guys think this is right? I don't remember voting on anything like this. Is the union broke? If so, how could that be with all the members there are, and the amount of dues each one pays each year.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 6 Dec 2002 8:04 am

Workers of the world unite!
Cast off the yoke of capitalist oppression!
Death to the fascist insect that preys on the life of the people!

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 6 Dec 2002 8:57 am

.....The Union ALWAYS knows what's best for you and doesn't want to concern you with minor details.....

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 6 Dec 2002 9:51 am

I understand it's a "No Smoking" Union Hall now also.
Did they tell ya that?!?!

B.Jenkins · Post by **B.Jenkins** » 6 Dec 2002 10:11 am

And they have decided it's about time they have wall to wall floors also..

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 6 Dec 2002 11:47 am

I don't know about unions anywhere else but, the NashVILE musicians' union is TOTALLY WORTHLESS. I was a member for 32 yrs.,& got very little or nothing from them! In 32 yrs., MPTF jobs averaged out to 2 jobs every 5 yrs!
You call that 'help"?? All they want is MONEY,MONEY,MONEY!! Nothing in return. All they care about is the "A Team" musicians. They don't give a damn about the club,or road pickers,& they are the majority of the membership!

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Mark Herrick · Post by **Mark Herrick** » 6 Dec 2002 2:54 pm

In the words of a classic Frank Zappa song:

Hi and howdy doody
I'm the Union man
You can call me Rudy
Any you boys not paid up on your cards?
Huh?

You know I'm pleased to greet ya
Been tryin' all day to meet ya
The Union's here
to help every one of you rock and roll stars

I hope the bulge
Don't bum you out
Wanna get a good look?
Let me pull it right out
Let me whip it right out...

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 6 Dec 2002 3:10 pm

The only time I've been stiffed by a venue, we had a Union Contract.
They were no help at all.

That was in 1980. I haven't renewed since.

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 6 Dec 2002 3:15 pm

Who says the union doesn't do anything for us? Years ago in Louisville the secretary of our Local showed up at a club where I was playing and noticed our trumpet man wearing the loud "argyle" socks that were popular at that time. A couple of weeks later the Local passed a new regulation prohibiting argyle socks on the bandstand. Glory be! I had waited for years for that! I'm sure the world is now a better place.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 6 Dec 2002 3:33 pm

...Roy, everything works for the good...

www.genejones.com

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 6 Dec 2002 3:37 pm

Gene:

I simply can't believe it. That's the greatest (and quickest) response I've ever seen.

Roy

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 6 Dec 2002 3:45 pm

Smiley ranted:

NashVILE musicians' union ...All they care about is the "A Team" musicians.

What do they do for the A Team musicians?
[This message was edited by Earnest Bovine on 06 December 2002 at 03:46 PM.]

Richard Bass · Post by **Richard Bass** » 6 Dec 2002 4:11 pm

I have to agree with Smiley, the union does next to nothing for the road and club pickers other than collect dues, and hassle you in the clubs. I was a member for 31 yrs. Took my VERY SMALL pension and left the union. Richard

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 6 Dec 2002 4:20 pm

Some of you younger steelers probably don't know about the "Petrillo" fund of years ago. Petrillo (sp?) was president of the national musicians union. He set up a fund to produce jobs for musicians. We were assessed a pecentage of our income, which went into the fund. Then, the locals would book jobs at hospitals, jails, etc. and "draft" musicians to play the gigs. They would pay us $9.00 per gig out of the fund. I suppose we wouldn't have survived financially without that wonderful assistance. I was making a good salary with Pee Wee King at the time, and it cost me a few hundred each year -- for an average yearly take of about $18.00. Most of the union's income went for "administrative expenses."

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 6 Dec 2002 7:28 pm

Roy I hear you....fortunately, I made just about enough from those "state hospital" jobs to break even on my dues! www.genejones.com

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 6 Dec 2002 7:46 pm

Iwas a member of the American Federation of Moochers (local 134) for 30+ years. I finally realized my contribution was better served going to charity rather than an institute for the brain dead.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 6 Dec 2002 8:13 pm

Wobble 'um!!

Mike Sweeney · Post by **Mike Sweeney** » 7 Dec 2002 2:34 pm

Pension? Not for guys and gals in the clubs here. Every club gig [sit-down] I've had in Nashville had a union contract but, nothing went in to my pension.
I asked why at the union one day and they said it was voluntary for the employer. So I asked them about non-union recording sessions and they said that was because union sessions paid into the pension and that's the main reason they wanted us to do union sessions. I said I thought the pension was voluntary. They had no answer.
Mike Sweeney

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 7 Dec 2002 3:06 pm

Paying the Local dues to the Union where I was a member wasn't too bad.........what I resented were those "road taxes" from all the other Locals where we just passed through on tour. Sometimes they were already camped out waiting for us when we got there...and at other times they just dunned us by mail after we got back home.

Of course the worst offense was those occasions after I had already left a band and they had hired someone else who didn't have a Union card, so they just put "my union number" on the contract....guess who got billed for the road tax?

www.genejones.com

Richard Bass · Post by **Richard Bass** » 7 Dec 2002 4:22 pm

Voluntary by the employer. Ha! what a joke. 98% of the work I did for over 30 yrs no one voluntered to pay extra money into my pension fund. Some sessions, TV shows, and the Opry were the only contributers to the fund. To all you young players, start a retirement fund, IRA,KEOGH,etc,the union will not take care of you. Believe me, if we are lucky, we all will get old. Start planning now. I wish I had.
Richard

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 7 Dec 2002 6:28 pm

In addition to my union dues each year, I pay 3% of everything I earn that goes through the union. I would complain except that without the union, it's unlikely I would have been paid at all. I took a call a few years ago that the music editor warned me was "non-union Disney". What I learned afterwards was, if Disney doesn't feel like paying or doesn't have to, they won't and what am I/you going to do. They have a phalanx of lawyers whose job it is to protect the company's money. I got paid about 4 months later because I got another call to play on a union gig.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 7 Dec 2002 6:48 pm

is the Union responsible for that popular Xpression so often used among Musicians:
"i've paid my Dues " ???
Does a Musician who plays in Church have to pay Dues too ?

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 8 Dec 2002 3:43 am

To "Earnest Bovine"
"What do they do for the "A Team" musicians??"
They make sure they get all of the "cream of the crop" jobs. Then,if the player demands "double scale",they "okay" it. But then,half of that,most likely,gets "kicked-back" to the "producer",to "insure" that they get on their next session! But,I'll guarantee you,you'll find more of the "executive board" doing "scab" sessions than anyone. It's nothing but favoritism & politics. If you don't "kiss-ass" in this town,you don't get anywhere!! It's not what you know,it's WHO you know!! I'm a far cry from a Emmons, Hughey,or Green,etc.,but I've heard guys on tv shows,& sessions,that couldn't even carry my guitar case,EMPTY!! They continued to get the "jobs",for obvious reasons,stated above.
I would check out the MPTF jobs listing in our local paper. Some GUYS got more jobs in ONE MONTH than I would ALL YEAR. The bottom line is FAVORITISM!!

Now,if you wanna call that,"ranting",I'll "rant" all day long! The NashVILE musician's union is BIG JOKE!!

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 8 Dec 2002 6:54 am

I cannot print here what I told the Union to do.....

We were playing a small benefit for a dude that had a very bad accident. The total take of the gig was less than $500.00. Our part of the gig was less than 30 minutes. Almost not even worth setting up for.

At one point,as we were takin' a break so the announcer could say something,this dude comes up and ask me if we were union and had we cleared this contract with the local officials??

What I did could have landed me in jail had not the whole band backed me up !!

The "Nashville" union hall dosen't care about anything but it's own self-preservation and keeping it's own pockets full at your expence.

All thoughts here are strickly my own, I do NOT speak for everyone in the Nashville area. If I paid Union dues, I would not even begin to break even on my yearly expences. Even as a "Non-Pro" player, I have cost related with this "Hobby" of mine. Why should I have to pay some a$$-hole a percentage of monies earned which often dosen't even meet the the break-even point of playing the gig??

Unions,in the beginning,were very helpful in protecting the rights and etc,etc of the un-educated workers who were being taken advantage of by the the fat-cats. It worked very well for a while untill some-one decided that "Hey, I can make a really good living off of these dumb suckers". After that,it went to hell.

The Union is NOT your friend !!
The Union will NOT protect you !!
The Union Will screw you !!

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 8 Dec 2002 12:02 pm

Smiley,
Nice rant!
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>"What do they do for the "A Team" musicians??"
They make sure they get all of the "cream of the crop" jobs.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I didn't know that the Nashville Union tells the employers which musicians to hire. That practice (the "hiring hall") is common in many other labor unions, but I've never heard of a musicians' or actors' local doing that. They certainly don't do it here in Los Angeles.

half of that,most likely,gets "kicked-back" to the "producer",to "insure" that they get on their next session!

Kickbacks can occur when the union (or gov't)minimum wage is higher than the market wage. We used to hear about them here in LA once in a while, but now most of the wage scales are more realistic. You would never see kickbacks where a player is getting over scale. Producers have smarter ways to steal the record company budget.

I'll guarantee you,you'll find more of the "executive board" doing "scab" sessions than anyone.

If you want to work scab dates, your best bet is to work them with union officers.