07/01 SFM Announces Club Date Assistance Program

South Florida Musicians Association is pleased to offer a new service to members looking to promote their services. The Club Date Assistance Program is designed to assist members in creating or improving their promo pack, both in print and online. We can also help you create a web presence if you do not already have one.

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07/01 Local Requests FGO Be Placed on AFM Unfair List

Local 655 has requested that the Florida Grand Opera be placed on the American Federation of Musicians International Unfair List. Members of the AFM would be prohibited from rendering musical services to the Opera in accordance with AFM Bylaws, Article 8, Section 3. The Local expects that the request will be approved by the AFM when a petition for an election is filed with the National Labor Relations Board in the fall.

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07/01 That Union Thing

A bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Robert Andrews (D-NJ) would toughen penalties against employers who missclassify employees as independent contractors. The bill would also require employers to give workers the right to challenge independent contractor classification and require the Department of Labor to conduct targeted audits in industries that frequently misclassify employees.

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07/01 Local and Industry News

Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) have proposed an increase to the Qualified Performing Arts deduction. The deduction, which allows performing artists to deduct performance-related business expenses directly from their income, rather than as itemized deductions, currently applies only to artists with a maximum income of $16,000 per year, a level that has remained unchanged since it was established in 1986. The proposed bill would increase the income cap to $30,000 per year and index it to inflation.

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