[Dixielandjazz] :What is a Professional?>>Who Needs a Union?

[Russ Guarino]

My experience has been that the guy at the Union office that answers the
phone is the guy that gets the gigs.  The rest of us and just names in a
roster.

Russ Guarino

BudTuba at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 3/6/03 10:35:27 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> charliehooks at earthlink.net writes:
>
>
>> Aside from symphony players, opera players, theatre players and
>> what's left
>> of the studio guys now that synthesizers have taken their jobs, who
>> the hell
>> does?
>
>
> The main influence the union seems to have on OKOM bands today is
> preventing them from playing in venues where they have influence with
> other employees.  I could paint a picture that unions could provide a
> useful function of steering jobs to members...ie. a prepaid agent of
> sorts.  However, the easiest thing is to sit back and wait for a
> member to complain about a non-union band playing at location -X- and
> then try to disrupt the contract.  Generally speaking, the idea of a
> scale pay structure does not work with venues anymore.  That's why the
> NY s
>
> It might be interesting to hear from DJML'ers who are members of the
> musician's union and can attribute the union as to helping them
> actually land gigs.  That is what is needed in today's environment.
>
>
>
>                              Bud Taylor
>                           Smugtown Stompers
>                             Rochester, NY
>                      Traditional Jazz since 1958
>
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