The Truth About Fi-core: Facing Fi-core Coercion (part 2)

Part 2 of an informational series about financial core

questions answers arrows

You’ve been hearing some chatter about fi-core. Maybe you’ve felt pressure from a colleague — or perhaps even an employer — to quit your Union and go fi-core. While it is your right to take financial-core status, it is also your right to know the truth and the long-term consequences of this decision.

The Fi-core Coercer says it’s perfectly within your legal right to go fi-core, so what’s the harm?

Financial-core status is indeed perfectly within a worker’s legal rights, but it’s important to remember its roots stem from a lawsuit that was designed to break a union. Communications Workers vs. Harry Beck, an AT&T worker, didn’t end up breaking that union, but it did weaken all unions by allowing members to disavow their allegiance while still reaping the benefits of the wages and working conditions their union and members historically had fought for, and won, on their behalf. It’s now perfectly legal for employers to break up union members among themselves, and break up their unions, without breaking the law. Fi-core is your legal right, but is it right?

 

REPORT DARK DATES
Please report the date, time and location of non-union recording sessions to the Local 47 EMD Department. If you know the contractor’s name, include it as well. All reports are, of course, strictly anonymous.

Phone: (323) 993-3130
Anonymous online form: bit.ly/darkdate

It’s your livelihood. Help protect it.

Interview with composer Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino is photographed on April 6, 2011 in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar

Summer’s hottest composer shares his love of Los Angeles musicians, balancing work and family, and how he maintained his sanity scoring three summer blockbusters back to back (to back)

From film and TV to video games, composer Michael Giacchino’s colorful and energetic music can be heard nearly everywhere. This is especially true this summer; in just a few short weeks, he scored three of the summer’s widest box-office releases — “Jurassic World,” “Inside Out” and “Tomorrowland” — without so much as a break. But hard work doesn’t seem to faze the prolific composer, whose obsession with music and movies began early. At 10, Giacchino would sneak tape recorders into movie theaters so he could listen to them each night as he fell asleep, and it wasn’t long before he started making stop-motion animation with homemade soundtracks in his parents’ basement. Continue reading →

Strike sanctions filed against Cinema Scoring, CMG, Peter Rotter Music Services

la county fed banner

Dear Members:

On June 9, 2015, the AFM Local 47 Executive Board requested strike sanction approval from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor against Cinema Scoring, CMG Music Recording, and Peter Rotter Music Services. This request came as the result of these employers’ actual and/or potential non-union engagements that would undermine area standards and harm the livelihoods of musicians who depend on fair employment for their survival.

On June 24, the strike sanctions were approved by the LA County Federation of Labor, which represents over 300 unions and hundreds of thousands of working women and men throughout Los Angeles County. These strike sanctions mean that if and when any of the aforementioned parties calls a non-union engagement, other labor unions have agreed to stand in solidarity with us and not cross our line. Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rusty Hicks sent letters to all parties informing them of the strike sanction authorizations, which can be read here. Continue reading →

The Truth About Fi-core: Facing Fi-core Coercion (part 1)

Part 1 of an informational series about financial core

questions paper sharpie

You’ve been hearing some chatter about fi-core. Maybe you’ve felt pressure from a colleague — or perhaps even an employer — to quit your Union and go fi-core. While it is your right to take financial-core status, it is also your right to know the truth and the long-term consequences of this decision.

The Fi-core Coercer says, You want to work as m­uch as possible, don’t you? By going fi-core, you’ll be able to freely accept both union and non-union work — why not enjoy the best of both worlds?

This really depends what you consider “best” to mean, and for how long you expect this scenario to last. It’s no secret that workers and employers sit on opposite sides of the fence. While it’s entirely possible for the two sides to be cordial, even friendly, at the end of the day it comes down to a basic truth: Workers want to earn as much as possible; employers want to pay as little as possible.

Business exists for the sole purpose of making money and increasing shareholder value. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with that; who doesn’t enjoy a nice return on their mutual funds? But paying the worker as little as possible has always been a goal of business, and there is something wrong with that. By accepting non-union work, you are helping the employer achieve that goal.

By caving in to the economic pressure of an anti-union effort, rather than fighting for fairness in wages and working conditions and working toward organizing and increasing AFM work opportunities, you are giving aid and comfort to those who would bring down your Union. Ultimately, accepting non-union work ends up costing a very high price. Is this really the best thing for you?

 

REPORT DARK DATES
Please report the date, time and location of non-union recording sessions to the Local 47 EMD Department. If you know the contractor’s name, include it as well. All reports are, of course, strictly anonymous.

Phone: (323) 993-3130
Anonymous online form: bit.ly/darkdate

It’s your livelihood. Help protect it.

KPCC reports on California film scoring work and Local 47’s efforts with AB 1199

On June 18, KPCC’s John Horn and Rabert Garrova spoke with entertainment lawyer and Hollywood Reporter journalist Jonathan Handel on Southern California Public Radio program “The Frame” about the current state of film scoring work in California. Handel discusses AFM Local 47’s efforts to amend the Film & TV Tax Credit Program to bring more music jobs to the state with AB 1199:

listen to this story

Interview Highlights

What is runaway composing?

“What the musicians union has been hearing — or feeling the pinch of — is that a lot of scoring of movies, and some TV shows as well, I think, has moved overseas. And that means a loss of jobs here in Los Angeles.”

So what are the musicians trying to do?

“Well the musicians are trying to bring work back to the U.S., and they’re doing it in two ways. One is that the parent union, the American Federation of Musicians, has filed lawsuits against multiple studios alleging that they are in breach of contract on the collective bargaining agreements, the union agreements. Because of the fact that they’ve been scoring overseas, and also they say that they’ve been reusing existing music excessively in violation of contract.

“The other prong is that Local 47, the Los Angeles local of that union, has introduced a bill in the Assembly — and it passed the Assembly, it’s moved to the Senate — that would increase tax incentives for producers if they score in California.”

This bill (AB 1199) was authored by a Democratic assemblyman from Van Nuys, Adrin Nazarian. What is the status of the bill, and what are its chances?

“Well it passed the Assembly, and now it moves to the Senate, where my understanding is that it’s going to face a somewhat tougher row perhaps. But the bill is revenue neutral — it does not increase the total amount of California tax incentives. So given that fact, it doesn’t affect the overall budget, and there may be a shot at passage.”

Show your support – sign our petition!
moveonab1199

 

Learn more about AB 1199 here, and sign up for Local 47 Action Alerts to stay posted to future developments on this and other news that affects California musicians.

AFSCME Stands in Support of AB 1199

AFSCMESolidarity continues to grow for improvement of CA Film/Tax Program for musicians!

This week, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees became the latest organization to join musicians in supporting AB 1199, a bill aimed at strengthening the Film/TV Tax Credit Program as it relates to music scoring work done in California.

We thank AFSCME for joining our growing list of AB 1199 supporters, which now includes UTLA, UFCW Local 770, The Recording Academy Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters, Society of Composers & Lyricists, American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, Professional Musicians of California (AFM Locals CA Conference), and over 365 petition signers.

Show your support – sign our petition!
moveonab1199

 

Learn more about AB 1199 here, and sign up for Local 47 Action Alerts to stay posted to future developments on this and other news that affects California musicians.