Archives: January 2007
01/12/07 Jazz Scholarships Available
Gold Coast Jazz Society announces that the application deadline for the annual Jeanette M. Russell Jazz Scholarship Fund and Competition, awarded in memory of Lady Jazz and “St.Louie” Ray, is February 1, 2007.01/02/07 Scholarships Available for Graduating Seniors
South Florida Musicians Association and the Music Performance Fund are offering two $750 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who will be majoring in Instrumental Music, Music Education, Composition, or Sound Recording / Industry Studies at an accredited college or university.01/01/07 Official Business
Annual Dues Are Now Payable
Regular Member Dues are $146 per year. Life Member Dues are $96 and Inactive Life Member Dues are $66. You may pay half by January 31 and the balance by July 31. Payments received after January 31 may be subject to late fees. Please check your newsletter for your current balance and contact us if you have questions. Thank you!
Membership Drive Announced
From now through March 31, new members can join without having to pay Initiation Fees, a savings of $115! Please spread the word. Call us if you need promotional materials or applications for your nonmember friends, and remember, you get a $20 discount off your Annual Dues for every member you recruit!
Statements of Dues Paid
Statements of Annual Dues and Work Dues paid in 2006 will be available in February. If you have requested a statement in the past, you will automatically be sent one again this year. If you have not requested a copy in the past and would like one this year, please contact the Local.
01/01/07 Member Benefits
Make Your Taxes Less Taxing
Feeling taxed? As a union member, you don’t have to worry about the high cost of preparing taxes online. The Union Plus Online Tax Service costs less than half of similar services from H&R Block® and Quicken® —andit’s just as easy to use. Simply answer some questions, fill in your numbers, and the program does the rest.
Log on to make tax preparation a snap:
http://www.unionplus.org/taxes
01/01/07 Double Times
Musicians Ratify New 3-Year Agreement
Musicians of the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra have ratified a new 3-year collective bargaining agreement. Highlights of the new agreement include:
- increase in wages of 4%/5%/5% (immediate increase to $136.22 per service for section performance, rising to $150.19 in year 3)
- Increase in pension contributions of 1/2% per year (9% in year 1, rising to 10% in year 3)
- Increases in the size of the core orchestra by adding 2-first violin, 2-second violin, 1-viola, 1-cello, and 1-assistant/utility horn position, and tenuring those who have been consistently filling those positions
- Changes to the audition language to facilitate holding auditions in the spring
01/01/07 That Union Thing
Miami-Dade teachers approved a new contract by a nearly 4-to-1 margin. The new 3-year agreement immediately raised base starting salaries by $2000 to $36,250, retroactive to July 1. Salaries will reach $40,000 by the end of the 2008-9 school year. The agreement affects 21,000 union and nonunion teachers.
A new study released by Paul Wolfson of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College shows that raising the minimum wage does not cause job loss. The District of Columbia and 29 states, including Florida, now have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage of $5.15.
01/01/07 Industry News
Local/Club Date
Nicole Yarling's Future of Jazz Youth Orchestra featured 30 college, high school, and middle school students at the Harriet Himmel Theater in West Palm Beach in November. Yarling was assisted by instructors and Local 655 members James Gasior and Ed Maina.
