Posted by A guy in TX on October 24, 2000 at 12:33:12:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Unions, Florida Phil, Seattle Audition posted by Dale on October 23, 2000 at 10:14:50:
Dale,
You say you've grown tired of union-talk. From your post I see that you don't have a clue what the union does. It is not the union's job to get you work. Never has been, never will be. The union's role is to ensure that it's members have proper wages and working conditions.
Unlike you, I am interested in these threads. I aspire to perform for a living. Part of that includes making a decent salary and benefits. Like it or not, this requires a strong union. I've heard of the effects of undercutting like we are seeing in Seattle. Dallas musicians had a booming recording industry in the 70's and 80's because the corrupt union negotiated their benefits away. When they elected new officials and remedied the problem, the recording work dried up. Seattle musicians should grab the $$$ now, because eventually the work will go somewhere cheaper. As I understand it, some film scores are currently recorded in Eastern Europe. Sure, the quality isn't as good, but you can get a 110 piece orchestra for less than $5000 a day! Do the math on that.
My greatest concern is that five years from now, I won't be playing full-time, but instead sitting at my desk at some government job, bitter that I don't "have a chair at one of the better gigs in town."