Local 433’s 2020 Year in Review
from The Secretary-Treasurer


2020 has been a unique year for us all. It has thrown so much into disarray, but the Local has been on the case. Check out some of what your Local has accomplished this year!


Conferences Attended by Officers and Executive Board Members- Southern Conference, Western Conference, Regional Orchestra Players Association Conference, Theatrical Musicians Association Conference

Committees-

Bylaws: In addition to many logistical improvements to our Local Bylaws, The Bylaws Committee was able to pass a new membership category: Inactive Life Member, and has petitioned the AFM International Executive Board for approval.

City Affairs: Attended Music Commission meetings, City Council meetings and following all Music Disaster Relief Fund information through City of Austin

Diversity: Updated the local website to show our diversity, dedicated to ensuring that the local is diverse through music genres and our members

Newsletter: Created a new format that is more helpful to the members, keeping members up to date with information from the office and the Federation as well as COVID resources

Organizing: working on recruiting new members, planning community outreach when safe

Unemployment Compensation Advisory: Created series Navigating Texas Workforce Commission on Local’s Youtube channel, assisting musicians to get unemployment funding through TWC, Covid Resources Page on website, contacting representatives to help musicians with TWC site, assisting HAAM with UCAC questions

Austin Opera Orchestra Committee: Ratified IMA and COVID Side Letter, created Re-Entry Workplace Safety Protocols

Austin Symphony Orchestra Committee: Ratified IMA Side-Letter, created Re-Entry Workplace Safety, virtual concerts, elected new Committee members & ROPA Delegate

Fair Trade Music Austin: Participated in AFM Organizing and Education training, mapped venues and workforce to create safe re-entry to the venues for freelance musicians, planning additional organizing to recruit more musicians

Financial (NEW!): Created to review all financials prior to being submitted to the membership at meetings and in newsletters

Concert Series Committee (NEW!): Created to begin a new, safe, Concert Series

Digital & Social Media Committee (NEW!) Created to keep the local’s social media platforms up to date as well as the website, preparing to bring lots of new content and exciting features

The Executive Board Participated in Blackout Tuesday Campaign in support of Black Lives Matter

Covid-19- Participated in #RedAlertRestart Campaign, created Committee to assist musicians called Unemployment Compensation Advisory Committee (UCAC), helped numerous musicians by contacting representatives, notified musicians that the AFM’s Lester Petrillo Fund was available to musicians affected by COVID-19, following all AFM protocol for workplace re-entry for any type of musician function

Electronic Media- Facilitated agreement and contract of the Texas AFL-CIO Virtual Benefit Concert that paid 30 musicians, helped Austin City Limits prepare reuse payments to musicians for previous episodes that were reused due to effects of COVID on taping new shows, assisted members in filing Joint Venture Agreements, assisted in negotiating an AFM Agreement for Austin Jazz Workshop Virtual Performances, employing musicians through MPTF- Musician Fest, helped musicians collect wages on an album recording when the employer (a major network) wanted to only pay royalties, helped musicians collect New Use money for a song that was picked up for tv

Executive Board- Continued meeting via Google Meets, waived additional fees that members incurred due to Covid, new Executive Board Member, petitioned the AFM IEB for a membership drive, assisting in local organizing and outreach, helping to create additional committees, creating new and improved ways to assist members and the music community

I.B.E.W. Building Office Space- negotiated a new lease agreement that will remain at the 2021 rental rate without the usual increases for 2021-2023

Music Performance Trust Fund- Local was granted 10 Musician Fest 2020 performances, gearing up for Live At The Union Hall series, Austin Jazz Workshop was granted 45 shows for spring semester of 2021

Working Remotely- updated software and systems to work remotely, working remotely has allowed our office to continue servicing the membership as well as save the Local money

By Secretary-Treasurer, Nicole Bogatz