Steelers -- Are You In the Musician's Union??

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

Hi all,

Who here is a member of their local musicians union?

If you are in the union, has it landed you any session or gig work? If not, are there other benefits that I may be overlooking that should prompt me to join my local?

Thanks!

Joe

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

Back East, I joined the Musicians Union in 1959. A waste. Ego driven maniacs.
All BS.

In Calif. I probably made $700 in Union gigs in 30 years.

Your results may differ

Barry Blackwood · Posted 29 Jul 2005 6:58 pm

I was in the Union once, but not long enough to hurt my playing ....

Charles Dempsey · From: Shongaloo, LA

No.

Charlie

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

I've been in and out of the union for my whole career when it was called for. Right now I'm in local 581 because of the gigs,recording and movie stuff I'm currently involved in. Back in Cleveland,Philly,Detroit,and New York in the 6os you had to be in the union or you'd get your legs broken. There's some benefits like the credit union,group health insurance,etc. -MJ-

Ernest Cawby · From: Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

When I went to the Hayride in 1949 you had to belong in the union to play on the program. I had the job when I arrived, so it never helped me.
Red sovine asked me to go to work for him when I left sammy barnhart, but I left country for a while and played in church for the next many years. Then when we moved to Lake city played Trombone in the church band for 15 yrs. We had a 50 peice band.
2 1/2 years ago went back to pedal steel full time.

ernie

Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

No. Jp

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Local 47, like 'em or hate 'em ( I was "blacklisted" out of IATSE 695 two decades ago) they do provide important services. Credit Union, I wanted to re-fi my house, self-employed, no continuity of income...the only people that would talk to me was the union.

The minute I hear session, non-union, I expect to not be paid. Years ago I did a series of sessions on a Disney film score, non-union. Disney and non-union are 2 "red flags". It took 6 months to get paid and only because I worked on a union score for them with a different, more "influential" composer. If they don't have to pay you.....what are you going to do?

Recently, I played on a non-union, big-budget pop album, when I finally got a check, it bounced and it's pinned on the door as a reminder.

And if you are fortunate enough to get a call for a union film score, the union is there to collect the back end for you, for that I will gladly pay them a pimp fee.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

I was in the union long enough to be just short of free lifetime membership only for them to change the game on me and no I never got a thing from the union but a bill. I only had one claim for them to go after for me and they never did a darn thing about it but when a member filed a grievance against me for letting him go without his two weeks written notice they suspended me. It all worked out in the end and didn't cost me anything but the only real benefit I ever got from the local in Louisville was to use the rehearsal room on about two occasions and they had a newletter that was sent out every month for the available musicians and I did use that quite a bit to find players for local or road gigs. If you're looking for work you've got to get out there a "network" as they say here. Sit in, go to jam sessions, get a cell phone, a beeper, a website, all of that and be consistent and you'll see something come in. I never had a cell phone or any of that stuff when I was playing for a living and did fine but I grew up there and knew everybody in town so I never was out of work. If you don't have to join for any reason I wouldn't waste my money on them. If you've doing TV stuff or a major session to do you may have to belong then but short of that, I wouldn't think about. I wish I had the money back I sent them. Good luck!

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

I was in the musicians union in Santa Rosa, California in the mid-late '70's. Everyone I've ever heard talk about the union says the same: "didn't do a d*** thing for me, just took my money". I guess my experience must be pretty rare. They were great, even helped me get non-union gigs to get the money together to join the union. After I joined, they sent several gigs my way including playing steel with Hank Williams Jr., which I didn't do because I was already booked that night. I wouldn't cancel them for Hank Jr., then their gig cancelled, too late for me to play with Hank. Grrrr. Well that's the breaks. But the Santa Rosa local was great. Anyone remember the girl there, Cindy? A doll.

I dropped out after I moved to Las Vegas in '81.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

My first full-time steel playing job out of highschool in 1949 REQUIRED me to AUDITION and PAY $175 to join the local union before I could work in their jurisdiction.

That was a lot of money for an 18 year old musician in 1949, but I was told later that it was intended to discourage the applications of new members because there was not enough work available for the long-time established members. That was the era when the clubs with big orchestras were going down the toilet; and the reason that western-swing bands had such fine musicians.

I dropped out while in military service, then HAD to join again when I took a "road job" because reps from locals in every major venue we played were there for "road tax" for working in their jurisdiction. (I was even billed by mail for "road tax" after I left that group because my name was still on some of the contracts that were pre-booked.)

I was "in and out" through the years when union membership was "required" to work. I did get a few of those jobs the union sponsored at VA hospitals, etc, and it paid my dues for some of those years.

But as for benefits, the best analogy I can think of is that usually a union card was like a drivers license....you had to have one before you were ALLOWED to drive (or work as a professional musician)!

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www.genejones.com

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 01 August 2005 at 09:36 AM.]

Howard Tate · From: Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.

I spent many years in the union out of Fresno Cal, until I finally realized that if there was a dispute between a member and a union club, the union would rather lose a members dues then the clubs account. In the Bay Area you had to belong to work back then, I don't know how it is now.

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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum S12U, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3, DD-3, Sierra Session D-10
http://www.Charmedmusic.com

George Kimery · From: Limestone, TN, USA

There has only been one time in my life that it would have been nice to be a union member. Our band was backing Bun Wilson, (who was Earnest Tubb's comedy side kick on Earnest's TV show) for several fund raising events for Cerebral Palsy in different cities in East TN. Our band would open, then take a break, then Bun would come out for the 2nd half. Because we weren't union, Bun wouldn't let us play a single note, but wanted us to sit there behind our instruments and laugh at his jokes. He sang and played a flat top guitar by himself. I don't remember if he explained to the audience what was going on or not. We felt sort of foolish, but we got paid for not playing. These were just small towns and the venue was usually a school gym and it was for a good cause, so it seemed that it shouldn't matter, but Bun was a union man all the way. We were a pickup band for many well known artists, including Bill Phillips, Claude Gray, Norma Jean, Ray Pillow, and Archie Campbell. They never mentioned the word "union." Maybe they learned that the best thing to do was just don't ask and assume that the band is union.

Barry Blackwood · Posted 30 Jul 2005 5:27 am

Hey Jim (Phelps), I did a gig with Hank Jr. and believe me, you didn't miss a DAMN thing!

Webb Kline · From: Orangeville, PA

It's a farce. A band I was in in the 70s had a claim once and when we had an attorney look at the by-laws, it was on big contradiction. Every benefit cancelled itself out somewhere else in the book.

The union was useless in recovering our claim or in repremanding the club owner. We exposed thier folly and the union in our area soon fell apart never to be re-organized. And that's a good thing.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Unions? Unions? I don't need no stinkin" unions! What a waste of money. Joined the Warren, Ohio union in 1965. Dropped out a couple of years later. Moved to Milwaukee. We were called for some union jobs, so I figured I better get back into it. Called Ohio, they said that I best pay up. So I did. It was a few hundred bucks. Then called the Miltown union, and said that I'd like to transfer my membership from Ohio. They told me that they don't do that, and I'd have to join the Miltown union. Another few hundred bucks. Band got billed to play the college in Iowa City. They stiffed us a grand. Called the union to see what they were going to do about it. They said, "Nothing. It's not like we're actually afiliated nationally. But we'll tell our other members not to play there." Some help. I hate 'em!

[This message was edited by John Billings on 30 July 2005 at 07:25 AM.]

JW Day · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

I paid union dues for over 30 years.I believe that when they were first organized, there was a lot of good intentions.but now it is all talk.after all those 30 years of dues I got stiffed because I wasn't in the click.We now have laws to protect the blue collars,so why pay some fat slob to sit on his but and brag about how tough they are when we all know it's a lie.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

No. Musician's unions are for real musicians! You know, those guys who can sight-read Prokofiev's Andante in C minor, transpose and play anything "cold", and instantly recognize an F#13dim7th+9b5th chord, while looking down their noses at all us dumb hillbillies who can't. :)

"C" chord, uhhh, that's a C-note, an E-note, and a G-note (though not necessarily in that order). Yup, that's about as far as I've got...so far.

Roger Edgington · From: San Antonio, Texas USA

I was a member at Newark,Ohio in the 60s but I can't say they really did much for me. I had to join to do the jobs I was playing. When I was in the Air Force I had to leave a good band because I was "taking a job away from a civilian". Then they couldn't find a "union civilian" to replace me. They finally found Roger Blythe and made him join. It's not very strong here anymore.

Chick Donner · From: North Ridgeville, OH USA

I have been a member of 257 since 1969 or 70.
While I left Nashville and full time music in the late seventies, I have stayed in, mainly for the instrument insurance.

The union dues plus the premium STILL only add up to about 20 to 30 percent of what the same insurance (14K or so, commercial use) woulde cost from an insurance agent.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I am a union Executive Board rep for the Atlanta Federation of Musicians.

I can't even begin to tell the number of times we have helped our members in matters ranging from legal to financial.

Pro players, recording artists and session players, symphonic players, Broadway pit players are represented in the musicians union. They participate in one of the finest pension plans in the United States funded by over a BILLION dollars and paying benifits to hundreds of retired and medically injured players. The benefit is capped at about $125,000 a year for members who have contributions to qualify for that amount. Just ask Lloyd Green what the Musicians Union did for him when he was diagnosed with a career/session ending hearing impairment.

You can moan and gripe all you want about why you don't want to be a member of a group of your fellow musicians who organize together for common interests and benefits. I have found that these types of people are mostly VERY ill informed as to the true workings of the Federation and generally are of no benefit as members anyway. If you ARE a member and your not happy with the performance of your local and the folks representing you then instead of just bad mouthing why not attend a membership meeting and propose some changes or heaven forbid actually run for a union position and actually do something YOURSELF!

I am looking at the last half of my pro playing career right now and things still look good for me. I can't even imagine not being a part of the Musicians Union and being at the financially and musically good situation I am in.

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

Bill.

Another "ET" tuner I take it..

Best wishes.

EJL

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Grettings EW.

Just trying to spread some hard earned wisdom among the tired and huddled masses of pickers.

Ditto.

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

Well Bill....

I applaud you.

Agreeing or not.

Better than sitting around the day room watching re-runs and waiting for nap time and meds..

EJL

Webb Kline · From: Orangeville, PA

I am sure that there are some good active unions, but ours was nothing more than a monthly pizza and beer party for the guys who were always a part of it and heaven forbid if you were a new-comer.

They did put the club who stiffed us on the defaulter's list. Oh wow...now that really accomplished some...er nothing.

I never played a gig for less than 6 times their union wage figure. We were never offered any kind of pension, insurance or anything like that, yet they used to show up at gigs for their dues. What a joke.

Yeah Bill, I'm sure it is easier to organize something like that successfully in the big city, but it don't work for us country bumpkins.

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