FACING THE MUSIC / THE OPPOSED / NEW BUILDING COMMENTS / CLUB 47 / EVENTS

I. FACING THE MUSIC
II.THE OPPOSED SPEAK OUT – 10 MILLION FOR A STRIP MALL?
III. THE POTENTIAL NEW BUILDING COMMENTS
IV. RECAP: A LITTLE CLUB 47 HISTORY
V. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer
…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician
…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

Name Withheld

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I. FACING THE MUSIC
 
A few quick facts.
 
-The local has less than a million dollars left in the bank.
-They could have gotten the membership on their side with the sale
if they’d not chosen to be secretive and underhanded.

For example:
The membership should have been told IN JULY that the building was
going to be listed to get a sense of it’s worth.

-The board created suspicion by taking down the main listing a couple
of days after a member asked about why it was there.

-The board created major distrust by purposefully pulling a bait and
switch of the meeting on October 5th, taking what was definitely billed as
a Local 47 meeting and changing it to a “club 47 meeting”, restricting the
member input. The only evidence was the inside cover of the overture
which was conveniently sent out one day before the 5th. A really
underhanded, calculated and conniving move.

-Misdirection again and again and frankly, abhorrent conduct on the part
of the board and their mistreatment of the rights of the members to
know what is being done in their name.

NO CUT-OFF DATE
 
Additionally, they conveniently leave off any sort of cut-off date to
the balloting to sell the building, another ethically questionable
move further alienating the membership.
 
Only the board is responsible for the distain in which they are currently
held by a majority of the membership because of their underhanded
tactics. Their conduct will lead many to say, “If it’s what they want I’m
against it even if it IS good, because they cannot be trusted”.

And we frankly can’t blame them for feeling that way.

THE ROOT
 
 But what got us in this situation? The 80-85% loss of work? The
shambles of our relations with Video Game and other producers?
The tanking of work dues? The loss of work to every corner of
the world?

Technology has played a role to be sure, but the major reason we all
know. If you don’t know by now, you simply have not been paying
attention.

PAY ATTENTION!

Selling the building and buying another one without wholesale
changes to the contracts, power structure and personnel will simply
delay the inevitable collapse of the viability of Local 47.

THE COMMITTEE

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II. THE OPPOSED SPEAK OUT – 10 MILLION FOR A STRIP MALL?

Well, the membership attending the ‘informational meeting’ of October 5,
was overwhelmingly opposed to a ballot being sent in four days from the
meeting…because too many members expressed there was little in-depth
information on which to base a vote. The president’s presentation didn’t
help.

The Board says there is an offer for 24 Million. The Local 47/Club 47 has
located a new location in Burbank for 10 Million. The main property has
been vacant for years and we will have restaurants for tenants. REALLY!?
Also, they informed us of arrangements for some free rent and lease-back
after the sale.

The proposed new location is a strip-mall. Even if properly renovated,
it cannot compare with what we have. Why would a union of professional
musicians choose to become less visible and lose their historically
significant home on Vine Street in the heart of Hollywood?

We were told, after expenses of the sale, purchase, and renovations,
Club 47 can give 11 Million to Local 47 to avoid Capital Gains Taxes.
This is just a bandaid on a systemic problem.

Our property taxes will reflect an increase based on the purchase price.
Do the math…we now pay less than $44,000. per year for our Vine Street
home. Under Prop. 13, what is that 1%  even without added tax levies
(schools, yada, yada) on 10 Million? Why would we guarantee an increase
in our overhead without a clear plan to increase our income?!

The presentation was about “Securing Our Future.” Without embracing
change in the global business model, the only future we will be securing
is the salaries of our elected officers. We have had to adjust our lives to
the new reality of professional music. We have had to learn to live within
our means. The membership has the power to see to it our union does
the same.

Perhaps the best observation of the evening was… “OMG you have got
to stop the sale of the building…in 10 years there will be no music
business, but the property will be worth 50 Million!”

The voting process was also an issue. We were told members will have
a barcode attached. If a member has not returned their ballot, the
Union will (by phone tree) urge you to vote. No cut off date was
determined. However, the spokesperson for the Election Board
said, that when 50% +1 was  achieved…the vote would close.

Does this seem right? What if the majority of the membership say
no, but are not the first 50% +1 to return their ballots?

Frankly there was a significant number that
1) Did not know they were members of the Musician’s Club or
2) Did not know that the Local 47 Board of Directors are the same
as the Board of Directors of the Club 47.

Kudos to Greg Huckins….the meeting of October 5 was not clearly
identified as a Club 47 meeting. The membership expecting to participate
as members of Local 47 (under the Local 47 by-laws) were disenfranchised
in violation of the Union Member Bill of Rights under Title 1 of the LMRDA.  

Enjoy your lunch. 
Sent from my iPad

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III. THE POTENTIAL NEW BUILDING

Not sure if you are aware but the sale of 47 realtor is not just Hilton & Hyland
but Darius Campo of Rhodes Realty (apparently is a team of 3 realtors) who
is a Violinist at Local 47 and RMA member.

This I have confirmed from multiple colleagues that he has told and seems
like he stands to make a 6 figure commission from the sale. Seems a little
bit of a conflict of interest, but perhaps they have been transparent about it,
I am not completely up to date. 

I am a recently retired member, don’t have a horse in the race, but would
nonetheless like to be kept anonymous.

——————————

I was distressed but not surprised to see that the new “building”
is nothing but a tacky strip mall! A building made to house five or
six businesses. As ugly and characterless as any mini-mall I’ve
ever seen.

The AAA building next door had a full parking lot when I went by
on Friday and the overflow obviously went to “our” proposed lot.

With “our” building empty and three eating places: Subway,
Japanese food and Little Caesar’s, the parking lot was 3/4’s
full, so where’s all this parking they’re talking about?

This building is a joke and I cannot help but wonder who stands
to profit from this deal. It certainly isn’t the membership.

Drive by and take a look for yourself:
1011 Alameda in Burbank.

————————————

If you go to colliers.com/p-usa100948 you will see a good pic of the building
they propose to buy, and stats.  Needless to say, we didn’t think the building
looked that good. It states 125 parking spaces (which need to be shared with
the three restaurants). If the building is upgraded in the front façade then the
restaurants will also need to be upgraded. NOTE THE PRICE $9,985,500 –
couldn’t this have been bargained down instead of up?

The following is the letter:

We drove past 1011 W Alameda following the meeting this evening. We were
surprised to say the least. This building is not suited to be presented as an
AFM Local 47 building. It does not meet the criteria and class for such a
building representing the musicians of Los Angeles. I could see the likes of 
all the past famous musicians, singers, composers and arrangers rolling
in their graves. This building has no character and even if character were
added to the façade I doubt if a few feet away, sharing the 125 parking
spaces in front, Little Ceasars Pizza, a Japanese restaurant and a Subway
add any decorum.

The building is listed at $9,985,500.00. Couldn’t our union have bargained?
Even if could obtained it for less monies, it would still be a shame to call this
our union. What is the board thinking of? What is in it for them that they
would stoop so low. This is an embarrassment to all union members.

—————————–

The quote of $130 sq ft to renovate this former CVS pharmacy strip
mall is laughable. We need to see that broken down and in writing
before moving an inch forward on this.

My sense is that the board is looking at this unrealistically, with
over expectations on the sale price, under expectations on the purchase
price (that building is listed at $10m, not “5-8million”) and grossly
underestimated refurbishment costs.

—————————–
“You must stop this sale.  In 10 years there won’t be any more
business but the building will be worth 50 million!”

——————————

The sale of the building, given the disastrously-run state of our
union, makes sense to me. What DOESN’T make sense to me is
the way they’ve gone about it. All done in secret, not allowing
comments, and not giving information other than a sales and
marketing pitch.

They just aren’t trustworthy.

Are they also running their own secret email server in the
basement?

—————————————–

Makes no sense at all.
we can only hope things get better. . .

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IV. RECAP: A LITTLE CLUB 47 HISTORY

It was always a rumor we heard since moving here that if the building were sold the
monies were supposed to be divided up between all the members of club 47, i.e.
members of Local 47.

In truth, according to our sources at the local, that is only true if the Local itself
is dissolved, not if the building is sold.

1972 CLUB 47 BYLAWS

Here is everything that is mentioned in the 1972 bylaws of Club 47 concerning
liquidation of Club Property:

—–

ARTICLE XI – DISSOLUTION

Section 1
This corporation cannot be dissolved as long as it has sixteen (16) members
or more, and then only by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of existing members.

Section 2
In case of Dissolution, any property or funds of this corporation (Club 47)
shall be given unconditionally to the Musicians’ Union, Local 47, American Federation
of Musicians, of Los Angeles, California.

—–

We do not know if the bylaws were adjusted between 1972 and 1992, but there are many
more details in the Bylaws amended in 1992.

According to our sources, the bylaws were amended in 1992 because of a conflict
between the bylaws and Franchise Tax Board rules.

—–

1992 CLUB 47 BYLAWS

ARTICLE IV

SECTION 2: Subject to Section 1, of Article IV, above, only the membership of this
corporation (Club 47) shall have the authority to authorize or approve the sale,
transfer or hypothecation of that real property, located at 817 North Vine St.,
Hollywood, California (Hereinafter “the property”), to which the Musician’s Club
currently holds title. Such authorization shall be obtained or granted only through
a mail referendum vote in which all members in good standing of the corporation
shall be entitled to vote.

Provided, however, that any such referendum to authorize the sale, transfer or
hypothecation of the property shall only be effective and binding upon the Corporation
should (1) 50% + 1 of the members on good standing of this corporation vote and (2)
of those 50% + 1 voting, a majority thereof vote in favor of approving, authorizing
or affirming any such proposed sale, transfer or hypothecation of the real property.

Provided, further, that only the Board of Directors of the Corporation, upon a duly
adopted resolution, may call for any such referendum through which the members
of this Corporation will be requested to approve and/or authorize the sale, transfer
or hypothecation o the real property.

Provided, further that notwithstanding Article XIV, Section 1, this Article IV, Section 2,
may only be amended if (1) 50% + 1 of the members in this Corporation cast a ballot
on the question of amending this Article IV, Section 2, and ; (2) of those 50% + 1
members who cast a ballot, a majority thereof vote to amend this Article IV, Section 2.

—–

That is the sum and total of the verbiage concerning the sale of the property in
the Club 47 bylaws, amended in 1992.

—–

Whatever comment you send to us, please make sure you send it to the Overture as
well, and specifically demand it’s printing in the next edition.

We deserve a much more far reaching and balanced discussion before our building goes
up for sale.

THE COMMITTEE

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V. EVENTS

DEAN AND RICHARD

DEAN AND RICHARD are now playing every third Friday
at Culver City Elks 7:30pm-10;30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891

————————————-

LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584

NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way they
should be.

We are in the back room called the Trailside Room.

Come on down. Guaranteed to swing.

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You can read all previous offerings at:http://www.responsible47.com
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

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