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| The Musician’s Union The subject of whether to join the musician’s union seems to be a heated debate, no matter where I travel. I’ve experienced both sides of this dilemma so I thought an article discussing the pros and cons might be helpful. These are just opinions. If your experience is different, I’d love to hear your input. I should begin by saying that, although I have been a member in the past, I am not currently, although, I would join again, if the right circumstances presented themselves. The first myth is that the union is a good way to find fast work. It simply isn’t. The best you can say about this aspect is that there are meetings where you can find networking opportunities with agents, and other players. There are “trust fund” gigs but they generally go to the old timers. The union doesn’t want to prevent you from working, but you are on shaky ground if you are a union member who never plays any union gigs. It is frowned upon to work non-union jobs, and really defeats the purpose of joining. There are some workarounds, but you should join if you are getting or going after that type of work. The union is usually strong in orchestral settings, recording studios, pit bands, festivals, and theme parks. Weak in nightclubs and conventions. A lot of crossing over occurs in convention work. They are usually pick up gigs and it’s not unusual to find a mixture of union and non-union cats. How the leader deals with this varies, depending on the job, and the exact balance of players. I benefited from being a union member when I worked for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The union negotiated the collective bargaining agreement that governs the theme parks in that area, and every musician who has worked that scene has benefited from the hard work they did. The nightclubs are so cutthroat that a union band really doesn’t stand a chance. The club owner won’t sign a union contract nine times out of ten, so you are left with two choices. Either work the gig under the table, or file a contract without the club owner’s signature. Basically, if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own. On top of that the non-union locsals will undercut you to get your gig, and there is nothing you can do. The only advantage to filing on a non-union gig are that the leader can pay into the pension fund on behalf of the cats, and your actions are known and accepted by the union. The pension fund is probably the strongest argument for joining that I have heard. As independent contractors, we rarely save for retirement. To be able to collect a pension is a good deal, but you’ve got to pay in to collect. Many of the union cats I know still don’t have a substantial pension accrued because they dropped out often, or played a lot of non-union jobs. I presently have zero in my pension fund, after thirty years in the business. Sad isn’t it. But all too typical. Joining the union, and working legit gigs is the only way to pay into your pension fund, other than saving it yourself, which isn’t a bad idea regardless of your union status. I was recently told on a record date that it was my choice, but to remain non-union would prevent me from getting album credit. On the other hand, I’ve played other record dates where only the non-union players got credit. Again, its relative to the ratio of union to non-union players on the date. A good rule of thumb is to look around yourself and count the union members in your band. If you are surrounded, you should probably join. If not, you might want to think about a few things. Is this a good job? Do plan on staying for a long time? If the answer is yes, you might want to join up, and file your own contract. You could pay into your pension, even though you’re not working a union job. If you end up losing that job, and want to pursue sessions or pit work, you could be in a better position when the time comes. The social aspects of joining up and attending meetings can lead you to better things down the road. Union or not, most of us get gigs from referrals. Other musicians we know recommend us. By joining up, you just may meet the kind of cats who could help get you out of the club scene. These are just some thoughts that come to mind. Its not meant as an endorsement or a slam. The union has a place in our business, but it doesn’t work the way most non-union members think it should. Whatever is wrong with the union would probably be fixed if more musicians joined up, and stuck together. In the areas where its weak, its generally because the local musicians have worked hard to weaken it, by undercutting each other and putting up with a lot of crap from the people that employ them. Quick story: After working a casino market for five years, on a non-union basis, I had built the band’s pay up to $175.00 per man per night, with the leader making double. My own band members panicked about a perceived lull coming up in our schedule, and went behind my back to a competing club, offering their services for $100.00 per man. Had they waited for me to book the gig, the club owner would have easily paid our fee. When he saw what they were willing to work for, all my negotiating power disappeared. After five years, to get kicked back down to the pay level we had started at was just infuriating. To know that my own bandmates had done this just to get one week of work was so frustrating. A union setting wouldn’t have prevented this, but would have given the musicians pause before embarking on such a foolhardy expedition. My point here is that we are our own worst enemies. These musicians destroyed what was a mini dynasty for us in that market. I had no desire to ever hire them again, and moved my own operation out of that area. All my contracts in the future have to be that much more strict to protect myself from this kind of thing, and a more up tight workplace is established. They screwed up their own situation, and made the gig harder for everyone who comes after them. I think the union has a valuable place in the business, but whether to join or not is a very personal thing. In any case, the concept is good. Whether you join or not, try to get the players you work with to do the right thing. Stand up to unreasonable employers, and be prepared to walk if you are being taken advantage of. Protect yourselves and don’t put each other out of business! There is room for everyone in a healthy workplace, and nobody has to get screwed! Don’t get me wrong. The club owner has rights too. Don’t go too far in the other direction and become a complainer. This can really make you unpopular. Draw your own line in the sand, and hold on to your integrity. A great musician once told me never to accept a job if I wasn’t willing to say”Fuck you” to the owner. His point is that there is always another job. To covet one to the point of prostituting yourself isn’t necessary to survive. Just be right when you make your stand. |
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