The Pit and The Pen

Hello again from the Southern California Theatre Musicians’ Association. There has been quite an hiatus since our last column, and we would like to reacquaint Local 47 members with this worthwhile players’ organization.

TMA was formed to support and serve theatre musicians around the country. TMA informs members of upcoming shows and traveling schedules through a newsletter, carries a voice at the AFM National convention, and assists in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements.

The focus of this column is to share how the local chapter of TMA participates in local theatre negotiaions. For years TMA has been helpful in local collective bargaining agreements through the graciousness of Local 47 officers. The current Local 47 administration has been very open to allowing TMA to have input and provide support during CBA negotiations. While not directly negotiating, TMA has helped with the language used in contracts and given a broader perspective to the individual bargaining units. Toward the goal of helping local negotiations, the SoCal TMA officers and board are embarking on an ambitious project to create a reference document. This document will contain the pertinent information from the current contracts of theatres in the Los Angeles area. This document will allow each committee to readily know how all the aspects of their contract compare with similar local theatres. With the help of Local 47 resources, we hope to have this completed in the near future.

The current officers of the local chapter of TMA are Paul Castillo, president, Stephen Green, vice president, and Larry Lippold, secretary. Board members include Paul Dallas, Phil Feather, Tom Griep, Greg Huckins, Bonnie Janofsky, and Robert Sanders.

If you are a musician that already plays regularly in the theatre, or just occasionally, TMA needs you! At fifty dollars per year membership, it is a great bargain. TMA, like every other player organization, can only be as strong and effective as its membership.
 

c/o Local 47  *  3220 Winona Ave  *  Burbank, CA 91504  * info@tmasocal.org