Should you join the musician's union?

Bart Kuebler is a pianist and music director, and he is currently finishing up his twenty years of service as an Army musician.

When I learned that he was also the president of the local musician's union in Norfolk, VA, I could not pass the opportunity to interview him, and have him teach me jazz.

You are president of the local musician’s union. What exactly is the musician’s union and what does it do?
The musician's union ideally is an association for musicians where they find a way to help each other. That’s what it should be, that’s not how it always is.

As an example, we come together as we did here with Virginia Symphony. We just negotiated a collective bargaining agreement. We’ve gotten 60 or so musicians to be able to negotiate their contract all at once, instead of all the musicians doing it individually, so we get a better deal for all of them.

"The union provides a pension benefit"

Also, it's a professional association for musicians. People join and think that they’ll get gigs but the union isn’t about that. There are booking agents for that. But a lot of the booking agents will only hire musicians from the union, because if you’re in there it indicates that you care about the professional issues that face musicians.

For example, it provides a pension benefit. The union lobbies congress for legislation that helps musicians. In the last few years, they’ve been able to get the FAA to loosen their restrictions on carry-on for instruments on airplanes.

They also got royalty for recording musicians which had never existed before (it was for the composers and publishers). So if Michael Jackson hadn’t written his songs he wouldn’t get royalty from the broadcast, just from the recording royalty. “American Pie” is one of the most played songs, but the guitar player made only $60 from the recording. From now on, he can get royalty from the song being played.

"Most musicians belong to two or more 

local chapters of the AFM"

How different is the musician’s union in comparison to other unions?
When it comes to artists unions, they give access to union-only auditions, by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) doesn’t do that. The trade off is that our due is much less. To join, you just go join. For Equity, or SAG, there are very specific work requirements.

We're different in that way but it's also a strength, because our union focuses on local market, while the other unions are more national. Its easier for musicians to make money locally, while an actor needs to go all over to work.

Most musicians belong to two or more local chapters of the AFM. Once you join the national union, you join the local chapter. Even though we provide the same kind of union benefits, we don’t provide the same kind of exclusive contracts that other unions give.

What's your role as the president of the local?
I set up new programs for membership, advise members on the best way to employ themselves as musicians and attend monthly executive board meetings (right now the union owns a building in downtown Norfolk, so we manage that asset for our members).

We work with local arts organization to establish a living wage scale for musicians that is beneficial to all (to ensure that they get the best players and that our players can make a living out of it).

I see myself as a representative and facilitator for our members for ensuring the best possible working conditions for our members. With the symphony, we discussed the length of services, health care and leave policy. We also have smaller agreements. However with a smaller employer we don’t have pension or health care coming from them.

"Gigs that might have previously come in, 
ethically, I need to differ to someone else"

What are the pluses and minuses for you as the president?
Some of the pros are that I get to meet a lot of people, I get to provide input on decisions that will affect a lot of musicians lives, and I get to represent a lot of my friends in matters that are very important to them.

Some of the minuses are that I spend more time doing the job than really getting paid for it (about $3,000 annually). Officers of the union have to take an oath that we won't use our position for personal gain. That means that gigs that might have previously come in, ethically, I need to differ to someone else. Occasionally someone will call the secretary and people would have referred to me, but now they can’t do that.

What changes would you like to see happen within the union?
I want to see our local provide more membership benefits. For example, one of the first things I try to do is have an accountant teach a tax class for our musicians, because musicians face unique tax situations.

I want to see if we can get studios available for our members to teach there for free. Part of their dues would pay for private lessons so you don’t have to use your home.

"I want to see our local provide 

more membership benefits"

I’m interested in making the pension benefit more easily available to all our union members. Right now it’s a  little harder for everybody to participate in. I want us to be more active in the Cultural Alliance of Hampton Roads, which is an art advocacy organization.

Who should join?
Any musician who considers themselves a professional or aspires to be a professional musician should join the union. I would really recommend that students who are in the last year of school join because another benefit of the union is the monthly publication “International Musicians” that lists auditions and job openings all over the country and abroad.

Different states have different labor laws. For example, Virginia is a right-to-work state, which means that union membership has no impact on you being hired for the job. All applicants to the job compete equally. Some states, you have to be a member of the union to be considered for a job. In Virginia you don’t have to be a member of the union to work.

"A bigger employer can hire non members, but will 
have to follow the benefits even for them"

When we have a contract with a bigger employer, they can hire non members, but the employer will have to follow the benefits even for those non-members, and it's frustrating. Because we wish those musicians would join the union and acknowledge what we do for them.

What are the requirements to join?
Every local sets its one requirements. For us, it's pay the initiation fee and you’re a member. Some locals I have heard of will have an audition requirement, but I've never encountered that. Fees are usually around $150 annually. And then you pay 2.5% work dues, on the minimum wage pays. So if you get a gig that pays $300 but the minimum wage scale is $100, then you pay 2.5% of $100. Anything above scale, you keep.

When you move, you remain a member of the national union. You resign from your local and you join your new local.