Membership Dues Reminder:
Membership dues are payable by the end of each quarter. Late payments will be assessed a $5 late charge. For dues rate info click here.

FIRST QUARTER: January 1st to March 31st

SECOND QUARTER: April 1st to June 30th

THIRD QUARTER: July 1st to September 30th

FOURTH QUARTER: October 1st to December 31st

The latest Local 6 Membership Directory (January 2007 - published every two years) is available at the office. Members can drop by to pick up a free copy, or send in $2.00 to receive one by mail.

2009 Local 6 Directory

A new Local 6 Directory will be published in January 2009. If you have not already done so, please check your listing in the 2007 directory for accuracy (including your email address, if applicable). In addition, please note that it is a requirement for all members listed in the new directory to be in good standing. This means that your dues must be paid through September 30, 2008. To verify your membership status, or to make any corrections or additions to your directory or instrument listings, please call the Local 6 office and ask for John Hunt.

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE US NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE ACT
(HR 676)

WHEREAS everyone deserves access to affordable quality health care; and
WHEREAS the number of Americans without health insurance now exceeds 47 million; and
WHEREAS many musicians, and others connected with the arts, are self-employed, with no access to employer paid healthcare; and
WHEREAS many of these same individuals cannot obtain healthcare, affordable or otherwise, on their own; and
WHEREAS millions with insurance have coverage so inadequate that a major illness would lead to financial ruin, and medical illness and bills contribute to one-half of all bankruptcies; and
WHEREAS proposals for “consumer directed health care” would worsen this situation by penalizing the sick, discouraging prevention and saddling many working families with huge medical bills; and
WHEREAS managed care and other market-based reforms have failed to contain health care costs; and
WHEREAS administrative waste stemming from our reliance on private insurers consumes one-third of health spending; and
WHEREAS U.S. hospitals spend 24.3% of their budgets on billing and administration while hospitals under Canada’s single payer system spend only 12.9%; and
WHEREAS American physicians are inundated with bureaucratic tasks and costs that Canadian physicians avoid; and
WHEREAS Harvard researchers estimated that more than $300 billion could be recovered by replacing private insurance companies with a single public payer, enough to cover the uninsured and to improve coverage for all those who now have only partial coverage; and
WHEREAS “consumer directed health care” adds yet another expensive layer of bureaucrats —
the financial firms that manage health savings accounts; and
WHEREAS entrusting care to profit-oriented firms diverts billions of dollars to outrageous incomes for CEOs and threatens the quality of care; and
WHEREAS The US National Health Insurance Act which would assure universal coverage of all medically necessary services, contain costs by slashing bureaucracy, protect the doctor patient relationship, assure patients a completely free choice of doctors, and allow physicians a free choice of practice settings;
NOW THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the Musicians Union Local 6, AFM, located in San Francisco, California, expresses its support for The US National Health Insurance Act (HR 676) and calls upon federal legislators to work towards its enactment within the current Congress.

(Adopted at Local 6 Board Meeting of 7/24/08)

For more information on single-payer health insurance, visit:
www.pnhp.org
www.singlepayernow.net
www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org/blog

2008 Local 6 Golf Tournament and Dinner Party

Monday, August 11, 2008
Alameda Golf Course

Tee-offs begin at 11:00 AM.
Cocktails and dinner will follow the tournament.
The tournament is limited to 52 applicants.
To obtain an application, please call Local 6.

Deadline for entry is July 30.

Fees are as follows:
Golf / Dinner - $95
Golf Only - $55
Dinner Only - $40

LOCAL 6 GENERAL ELECTION

The Board of Directors has established Thursday, October 30, 2008, as the date of the next General Election for Local 6.

ELIGIBILITY: to be eligible to vote, members must be paid through the second quarter, which ends June 30, 2008, and must have paid initiation fees in full. The deadline for paying second quarter dues is Friday, August 29, 2008.

NOMINATIONS FOR OFFICE: any member who meets the following qualifications may be nominated and become a candidate for any office or delegation of this union and thereby be entitled to have his/her name placed upon the ballot:

1) nominees must be, and have been, full members in good standing of Local 6 for a period of two (2) years preceding August 29, 2008;

2) nominees must be U.S. citizens;

3) nominees must not have been found guilty of any malfeasance in office or theft of union property.

Nomination petitions, available at Local 6, containing ten (10) or more signatures of members in good standing must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29, 2008.

RESOLUTIONS & AMENDMENTS: proposed amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws of Local 6 must be submitted in writing on the proper form (available at Local 6), accompanied by signatures of 25 or more members in good standing, to the Secretary-Treasurer’s office no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2008, so that they may be transmitted to the Law & Legislative Committee by July 15, 2008, as required by the Bylaws.

For any additional information regarding election procedures, please refer to Article IV of the Local 6 Constitution and Bylaws in the January 2007 Directory or contact the office of the Secretary-Treasurer.

'Save My Home' Hotline Helps
Union Families Avoid Foreclosures

According to a new national survey, nearly half of homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages admit that they do not know how their mortgages adjust or reset, and nearly three- quarters do not know how much their monthly mortgage payments will increase when they do. Additionally, 40 percent of those polled say they wouldn't know where to go for help if they had difficulty paying their mortgage.

To help conquer this problem, the National AFL-CIO has partnered with Union Privilege to launch the 'Save My Home' Hotline. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides union members and their families with expert advice from the counselors at Money Management International, a nonprofit, HUD-certified housing counseling agency.

For free, confidential advice or to set up a face-to-face appointment, call the 'Save My Home' Hotline at 1-866-490-5361.

MENTORING OPPORTUNITY

The Association of Instructors of Music (AIM), a service organization of music teachers employed by the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), in conjunction with Local 6 has developed a program for seasoned musicians who wish to volunteer to be mentors in the San Francisco Public Schools. These woodwind, brass, percussion, or string players would attend band or orchestra classes, get to know the students, and play along as a member of the ensemble. No specialized teaching skills are required. The students in SFUSD orchestras and jazz ensembles would benefit by having your positive example of playing to emulate. Mentors can contribute as much or as little time to the mentorship program as they wish, but, times being what they are, everyone who volunteers in the SFUSD schools is required to be fingerprinted by the school district at no charge to the volunteer. If you would like to get in touch with what is happening musically in our elementary, middle, or high schools in this way, please contact:

Richard Frazier (Local 6 member)
415.334.2787
frazier7747@comcast.net

Get The Musical News in PDF!

If you are a Local 6 member and would like to receive the newsletter by email (in PDF file format), please contact the Local 6 office. The Musical News, published bi-monthly, is the official newsletter of the Musicians Union Local 6. Any notice appearing in the newsletter shall be considered to be an official notice to the membership.

Musicians Wanted for SF Community Concert Band

As reported in the Musical News, Local 6 member Hank Niebolt is looking for musicians to play in his SF Community Concert Band. The group, which does not perform, rehearses on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 699 Serramonte Blvd. (2 blocks west of Serramonte Shopping Center) in Daly City. Hank provides an extensive library of challenging and interesting concert band music, but he needs more players--especially clarinets, flutes, French horns, tubas, and percussion. If you have a student who is interested, or if you would like an opportunity to gain experience on a second instrument, give Hank a call at (650) 992-3911.

For your information and convenience, here is a list of websites which offer insights and opportunities to effect change in our state's arts-related legislation:

California Legislative Information Official Site
Find the status of a bill. Find the name and contact information for your legislator.
www.leginfo.ca.gov

California Arts Advocates
Legislation watch page to check on bills of interest to arts organizations.
www.californiaartsadvocates.org

CAPWIZ
Manage information, communications, and contacts with elected officials in one online system and translate that knowledge into results Communicate with legislators about issues related to the arts.
www.capwiz.com

The National Anthem Project
Restoring America's voice...through music education!
Information about the MENC's National Anthem Project.
www.thenationalanthemproject.org

American Arts Alliance
Support increased federal funding for the arts.
www.americanartsalliance.org

Americans For The Arts
Support increased federal funding for the arts.
www.americansforthearts.org