President's Report

…it’s been an incredibly productive time since our last newsletter…we have finished negotiations with the Boca Pops Orchestra and believe we have a very favorable contract. The Orchestra Negotiating Committee (Rupert Ziawinski, Holly Ballard, Margaret Butler, Stu Brenner, & Neal Bonsanti), Chris Durham (our negotiator), and myself have spent an enormous amount of time on this and now it goes for ratification on September 26th…

…the Tom Moore grievance has also been tentatively settled; language is being finalized prior to signing…

…simultaneously, the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra has been in negotiations for a new contract, now with Lenny Liebowitz as our advocate…we haven’t been as successful yet, but we are hopeful that as we continue to talk with management we will come to a mutually beneficial solution to the existing problems…

…dues… (& why we love to hate them)...

…I wish I could make them go away…actually I can, just by closing the Local (no cheering please...) resulting in no more pension (one of the best run private funds anywhere), no more new use or re-use on electronic media (found money), no more cba’s and the benefits contained therein…simple enough…

…actually it doesn’t work that way, and I would hope that you’ve realized that…the scales and benefits that are set by your efforts and the efforts of the union benefit everyone by setting a baseline from which you are free to negotiate…

…but these efforts on your behalf don’t come cheap…bringing top-notch attorneys and negotiators in on your behalf costs $$$, and lots of it (if you want it done right)…when one of our members is treated unfairly, I feel it’s incumbent upon us to defend that member to the fullest, sometimes spending more money defending one member than we might collect from an entire group or organization, but it’s important to do that, and I hope you believe that it is…

…which brings us back to those nasty little dues…as we update our computer system so that we actually track your dues (what a concept!), I will continue to plead with you to help us collect these fees in a timely and uncomplicated manner…it does none of us any good if we have to bill you for some small amount, say a $5 late fee or a $4.32 work dues bill, if we end up spending 65% of the money (hourly wages spent, cost of materials, postage, your time and ours) just to collect it !!!…you’re still out the $4.32, and we get about $1.50 to work with…WE ALL LOSE !!!

…in the symphonic and theater organizations, I’m begging you to please use the work dues check-off; this allows us to collect the entire amount without wasting YOUR dollars in the collection process…

…there’s so much to be corrected and improved upon. I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it is to spend half of our time collecting what you’ve already agreed to pay, when there’s so many worthwhile things to be accomplished, never mind the waste of time and energy…

…please help us to help you…we welcome your feedback. From the responses we’re receiving, I have to believe that we’re on the right track. Are we there yet? Absolutely not! But, we absolutely need your help…

…it sounds corny, but I’ll keep reminding you of the fact that YOU ARE THE UNION! Your staff here at the Local is only part of the answer…"tag," you’re it!…as the old homely says…"if you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem" …

…I’ll stay in touch…you do the same…
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