No Further Continuances in Parmeter v. AFM

In the AFM's ongoing legal battle with three recording musicians, U.S. District Judge Margaret Morrow has approved a final trial schedule, and ordered that there be no further continuances.

In a filing explaining their request for an extension, the AFM's two law firms cited reasons ranging from an AFM attorney's unexpected family emergency to AFM lead counsel's concentration on the seniority rights of pilots in the merger of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

AFM attorneys also cited "substantial urgent business that cannot be postponed, including the conduct of a significant hearing on an urgent intra-union matter that will take place during the second week of November."

Counsel for recording musicians David Parmeter, Anatoly Rosinsky, and Andrew Shulman agreed to the extension.

The jury trial is set for June 9, 2009 at 8:30 AM, or the next jury trial date available thereafter.

D.C. Musicians Overcharged on Per Capita?

The 2007 AFM Convention approved a one-time $2 increase in per capita dues.

But Local 161-710 in Washington, D.C. is charging $2 per year from 2007 through 2010 — a total of $6.

Is this merely an error? Or is Tom Lee's hometown local attempting to twist the Convention's action to extract $4 more per member from our ailing locals and musicians?

The President on the Next President

Unions throughout the United States have spoken, and unequivocally endorsed Obama.

But in October's International Musician, President Tom Lee says that our "International Executive Board has chosen to not make an endorsement for President this year" citing "surveys" showing that "union members do not wish to be told for whom to vote."

No American would answer "yes" to the question, "Do you wish to be told for whom to vote?" These "surveys" are a red herring presented by Tom Lee to justify the AFM's continuing policy of avoidance. Why are we refusing to show support and unity? No show of support for Obama, nor any other major candidate, and no show of support for the Writers Guild during its November 2007 strike, add up to a don't-get-involved AFM.

The realistic answer is that there are probably a few die-hard Republicans within Tom Lee's administration or on the IEB, who might remain in denial even in this most obvious of elections. However, the fact remains that the Democratic Party is the party that stands with unions and musicians on all the relevant issues. The Republicans are the party that brought you Mrs. Dick Cheney as the head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Credit Sam Folio, who personally endorses Obama. But official silence from the AFM is a disservice to our members, and to unionism in general, which developed out of democratic principles, has been constantly threatened by Republicans for more than two decades, and which is supported by only one of the two candidates for President today: Barack Obama.

Detente in Los Angeles

We now hear that Tom Lee, the IEB, and Phil Ayling will meet in Los Angeles on October 22-23. Let's hope for normalized relations.

No Action on "Nuclear Option" Resolution

We have heard that the IEB took no action on the resolution to decertify the RMA at its September 2008 meeting.

Whether this means the resolution is "tabled," or even "withdrawn," the door is now open for negotiations to begin to heal the rift between the RMA and the AFM.