Solidarity
Members often ask, "what has the Union done for me lately?"...so let us ask you, "what have you done for yourself lately?"
The real strength of the Union lies in collective action. When musicians band together, management must listen. Locally, we’ve seen what can happen by the example of the Florida Philharmonic musicians: they went on strike for four weeks, refusing to work until management came back with a better contract offer. They went from an initial offer of a 2% raise for one year to a 27% raise over five years (7% in the first year) because they stood together.
Recently, the MTV Video Music Awards were done under a Union contract because the contractors approached refused to work without one. In New York last year, both the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the American Opera Musical Theatre Company tried to bypass the strength of Union musicians by hiring students. In New Jersey this year, Opera at Floram tried to do the same thing. When students learned that they were being used to replace professionals, and were being paid less to boot, they refused to play.
Why did they do this? Because they understood that by honoring the Union, they are helping other musicians and ultimately even themselves. They may have lost a gig in the short term, but they ensured a better gig in the future.
Do Your Part
Work only for Scale! The Bylaws require it, and every time you work for less, you make it harder for anyone to get scale at future gigs.
Support your fellow musicians in labor disputes! Every battle we win as a group makes it possible for us to achieve more in the next battle-and it may be yours next time!
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