Musicians Jan - 01 - Nashville Musicians Association

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2 The Nashville Musician January-March 2009 Executive Board and other winners announced Dave Pomeroy and Craig Krampf Local 257’s new leaders Dave Pomeroy (Continued from page 1) and I am going to jump into this new adventure with the same passion and dedication that I have for playing music,” notes the Local’s new Secretary-Treasurer Krampf, adding, “I would like to thank Mr. Bradley for his years of service as our President. Harold is a true gentleman and, of course, a legendary figure in the music industry. I also want to thank Billy Linneman for his years of service as Secretary-Treasurer. “Because this election sparked so much interest and involvement from the membership, I am very hopelful that all of us can keep this spirit of enthusiasm and cooperation alive. Together, we can really work for and contribute to the betterment of Local 257, the AFM and Nashville. After all, we are Music City and we must do everything we can to continue to live up to that name.” Outgoing President Harold R. Bradley stated, “It has been a great honor to have represented the finest musicians in the world for the past 18 years. Even though I leave as the President locally, I will still be representing 80,000 AFM members (including 2,600 locally) as the International Vice President and Trustee to the AFM-EP Pension Fund. I wish Dave Pomeroy the best of luck as he assumes this important office.” Secretary-Treasurer Billy Linneman said, “I want to thank our members for the opportunity to have served you over the past five years as Secretary-Treasurer. It has been a great last five years that was the culmination of over 35 years of direct union involvement working for the ‘Home Of The Best Musicians In The World.’ Fortunately, as an International Board Member, I will still represent you along with the other 80,000 members of our great American Fed- New Trustee Watson is sworn in Biff Watson is sworn in as a Local 257 Trustee by President Dave Pomeroy. Photos (2) courtesy of Craig Krampf Guitar legend offers his congratulations Lifetime Member Reggie Young, accompanied by wife Jenny, stops by the union office to congratulate the Local’s newly-elected officers: Dave Pomeroy, president, and Craig Krampf, secretary-treasurer. eration Of Musicians in these uncertain times.” Serving on the 2008 Election Committee were Steven A. Sheehan, chairman; William Ellis, secretary; with Mark Jordan, Chris McDonald, John Rees and Vinnie Ciesielski. According to Sheehan, 1,165 votes were cast, more than twice the number counted in the previous election of 2005, in which the incumbent officers were unopposed. Newly-elected President Pomeroy and Secretary-Treasurer Krampf were sworn in on Jan. 2, 2009, beginning a three-year term. For more information, visit www.afm257.org Record vote sweeps in new 257 officers By MARK T. JORDAN Election Committee Member In an election of historic proportions, a record 46 per cent of Local 257 members recently cast their votes for a full-slate of officers, including President, Secretary-Treasurer, Executive and Hearing Board Members, Delegates, Trustees and Sergeant-At-Arms. The election concluded 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, and after 18 hours of deliberation by the Election Committee over two days, the results were confirmed at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. In what was widely viewed as an upset, Dave Pomeroy ousted longtime-President Harold Bradley for the top spot, and Craig Krampf narrowly defeated Billy Linneman for Secretary-Treasurer. The margin of victory was 226 votes (Pomeroy’s 675-to-449 for Bradley) and Krampf survived a recount requested by Linneman, to post a 31-vote win (570-to-539). Results of the other contests were, as follows: The gathering started at 9:15 a.m., Jan. 5. Present were President Dave Pomeroy, Secretary-Treasurer Craig Krampf and recentlyelected board members Bruce Bouton, Duncan Mullins, Bobby Ogdin, Andy Reis, Laura Ross and Denis Solee. Excused: Jimmy Capps. President Pomeroy welcomed everyone and proceeded to briefly relate the events of the fire at his house on Jan. 3rd that took the life of Duke, his beloved dog. Dave thanked everyone for their love and support. Then President Pomeroy explained the items on the new administration’s agenda. Dave said that by the end of January, he would like to have in place: 1) The Union’s offering for health care plans; 2) Plans for a realistic scale for internet recording sessions and steps towards developing workable methods for conducting that business; 3) The introduction of “Think Tank Thursdays”… An open forum for musicians to discuss current and foreseeable future issues. Other agenda items included the establishing of two separate task forces to look into more opportunities for film work in Nashville; and pension plans for road and live musicians. Dave also stressed that our union needs to and will become involved with the community at various levels. Dave also expressed the desire to work hard at expanding our membership to Executive Board (seven members and three alternates, determined by number of votes): Bruce Bouton, Jimmy Capps, Denis Solee, Laura Ross, Andy Reiss, Duncan Mullins and Bobby Ogdin. Alternates will be Tom Wild, Tim Smith and Terry Duncan; Hearing Board (seven members): Kathy Shepard, Mike Douchette, Michele Voan Capps, Teresa Hargrove, John Terrence, William (Tiger) Fitzhugh and Jonathan Yudkin; Delegates (four members): Dave Pomeroy, Bruce Bouton, Laura Ross and Craig Krampf. Bobby Ogdin was voted first alternate. Trustees (two members): Biff Watson and Ron Keller. Sergeant At Arms: Otto Bash. All electees will serve a term of three years. Out of a total membership of 2,620, 1,205 ballots were returned, with 40 ballots disqualified, primarily for not affixing the required signature to the outer enevelope. With 1,165 votes counted, however, this figure represents the most vigorous turnout in years, and all Local 257 members who voted are to be congratulated on their participation and concern for our Local’s future. We also take this opportunity to commend both Harold Bradley and Billy Linneman for their many years of service and devotion to the Union’s business. Both men will, of course, continue in their current positions on the International Executive Board (IEB). To Dave Pomeroy, Craig Krampf and all the other electees we offer our congratulations for an open, hard-fought and spirited campaign. We look forward to working with all of you. I would also like to thank the members of the Election Committee for their compassion, camaraderie and hard work during the election. Ably led by Steven Sheehan as Chairman, the Committee included William Ellis as Secretary, and members Vinnie Ciesielski, Chris McDonald and John Rees, as well as this humble correspondent. All are commended for taking on their responsibility with sagacity, stamina and perseverance, especially at 4 a.m. Friday, when most had sessions booked at 10. Swearing-in of the Local 257 Executive Board 3,000 by the year’s end. Secretary-Treasurer Krampf addressed the board and said that he was very grateful for the opportunity to serve the members of AFM Local #257. He explained that he had a lot to learn about his new position and pledged to learn all he could about his job and then work with a total 100% effort. Craig went on to echo Dave’s thoughts and then gave some of his thoughts about the new agenda, especially focusing on the items concerning community involvement and muchneeded efforts to meet and work with other local unions and government officials. Craig also stressed that the union needed to embrace musicians of all genres of music, such as the rock, pop, singe-songwriter, rap, jazz, symphonic (players) and through various means and outreach programs. President Pomeroy then conducted the swearing-in ceremony of the Board members. The oath was administered by the President and taken by the Board as a group. Photos of the ceremony were taken for the archives and possible inclusion in the Local’s newspaper (see those on this page). The gathering and ceremony concluded at 10:05 a.m. Note: Jimmy Capps came to the office later that afternoon and took his oath of office that was administered by President Pomeroy. Trio of veteran artists selected as the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009 Charlie McCoy, Barbara Mandrell and Roy Clark are the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, as announced Feb. 4, at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Their Medallions will be officially presented in May 2009, and acknowledged during the CMA’s awards gala, telecast in the fall. See the next issue of The Nashville Musician for particulars on each of the honorees. McCoy was named in the musician’s category. Learn about our new leaders’ careeers and their plans for Local 257, in the next issue of The Nashville Musician!
January-March 2009 The Nashville Musician 3 Greetings and Happy New Year to all of you! It has certainly been quite an adventure so far. First, let me say that being elected your President is an honor, and I am humbled to be carrying on a tradition of Local 257 leadership that goes back over 100 years. I'm excited to be here and I am ready to serve ALL of you to the best of my ability. With your help, we can bring this Local to a new level of responsiveness and innovation and your participation will be the "X factor" that can make or break our efforts. Consider this your personal invite to contribute to our collective future. Come by and see us anytime, we are always glad to get to know you better. Since being sworn in as on Jan. 2, 2009, a lot has happened, mostly great stuff with one notable exception. On Jan. 3, my house caught on fire, killing my beloved dog Duke, and destroying a lot of my "stuff." Thankfully, some of my most invaluable instruments and studio gear survived, though much is damaged to various degrees. I would like to sincerely thank all of you who have called, stopped by or e-mailed to express your condolences. I do feel very blessed to have so many wonderful friends, and I appreciate all of you who kept me in your thoughts and prayers. This experience has taught me a lot and shown me that we are a community in the best sense of the word. Meanwhile, things are buzzing here at the Local. We have cleaned up and painted the President and Secretary-Treasurers' offices and are working on getting the building in top shape. We have had very productive meetings with the staff and there is good energy flowing throughout the office as we all get to know one another. Every day is a learning experience on many levels and we are wrapping up loose ends and moving forward with our plans for the future. The rehearsal hall obviously has a long way to go to be as functional as we would like, but Craig and I are determined to make that happen, and turn it into the studio it was meant to be. We have already talked to some companies about donating gear, and we have three days in March set aside for the whole staff to help sort out the huge pile of stuff that has accumulated over the years. Our first "Thursday Night Think Tank" was very successful in opening up the doors of communication among members on a variety of pertinent topics, including our Single Song Overdub Scale. This type of single player home studio work has been growing steadily for years and with no scale to fit it. We should have it up and running or be very close by the time you read this. It will be great for us to capture this work, and even better to help you build up contributions to your AFM Pension, and protect your work after its release. The first Thursday of every month will be "Think Tank Thursday" at 7 p.m. unless circumstances dictate otherwise. It is also open to non-members, and our hope is that they will want to join, so bring a friend if you like. I have set a goal of getting our mem- Support SSupport u p p o r t oour our u r Advertisers! AAdvertisers! d v e r t i s e r s ! President’s Report By Dave Pomeroy bership up to 3,000 members by the end of the year. We can achieve this with your help. We will be holding a membership drive later in the year, and have already begun reaching out to local schools and universities to find future members. In late January, I went to Los Angeles for two days to meet with the AFM's International Executive Board for a number of reasons. One meeting was a continuation of the inconclusive RMA/IEB meetings of last October, intended to determine the fate of the RMA's Player Conference status. Although I am no longer RMA Nashville President, as a member of the threeperson subcommittee created at that first meeting, I was committed to following through on this important AFM issue. Unfortunately, the long-anticipated meeting did not take place due to the IEB's refusal to allow RMA International President Phil Ayling to fill in for Mark Graham, who had to travel to Australia to be with his ailing father. I saw this as a great opportunity to directly resolve the communication problems that have plagued us for some time but, sadly, it was not to be. The next morning I spoke in front of the IEB as Local 257 President for the first time. I gave a Nashville-oriented overview of recent AFM history and current events that are causing us concern about our Union's future. I ended with a plea for peace within the AFM, as I fear that our internal conflicts are making it increasingly difficult to move forward in a unified fashion. Time will tell how things will turn out, and I hope the upcoming Film negotiations will be a triumph of AFM communication and cooperation. You can rest assured that I will do all I can to promote positive solutions to any and all AFM problems that arise in the future, while keeping Nashville musicians' issues at the forefront. Speaking of current issues, we support the Performance Rights bill now in Congress, and hope you will contact your representatives in Washington to express your views. Locally, we also need your help to save WMOT, our local jazz station, from a funding shortfall. Let your voice be heard! I would like to take a moment to express my admiration and enthusiasm for our new Secretary-Treasurer Craig Krampf. I have known Craig for 20 years, and had very high expectations about his ability to handle the job, yet he has already exceeded them with his intuitive feel for this new endeavor. He is articulate, full of great ideas and positive energy, and has a very personable touch with everyone from the office staff to potential new members. His attention to detail is most welcome and I think you will find him to be accessible and a great listener. Welcome aboard, Craig! One last thing I would like to mention ... During the election campaign it became obvious that our database of members has a LOT of wrong information. We have many bad addresses and phone numbers, not to mention the fact that we only have e-mail addresses for about 1/3 of you. Perhaps in the past there was concern about giving the Local your e-mail information. If you do not want us to publish your e-mail publicly, you have my word we will not, but in this day and age, it is essential that we are able to communicate with you quickly and efficiently, and e-mail is the best way for us to do that. So, PLEASE make sure we have your correct info on file so we can help you. And while you are doing that, PLEASE update your beneficiary information. THIS IS ABSO- LUTELY ESSENTIAL. We recently lost a member who had not updated his beneficiary card since 1990, and his well-earned Funeral Benefit check went to an estranged family member rather than his wife and child. Don't let this happen to you! Once again, thanks to all of you for your trust in me as your new President. I am open to any and all ideas you have for the future of OUR Union. We work for you, so come see us and let us prove it! In Unity, Harmony and Diversity, Dave Pomeroy Walter Hartman helps Gene (Pappy) Merritts mark his 80th birthday in this shot. Marty Stuart signs accord By WALT TROTT We caught Marty Stuart on a rare Monday when he wasn’t shooting his new RFD-TV cable program, appropriately enough called The Marty Stuart Show. Does this commitment take up a lot of time? “Actually, it doesn’t. Once I get everybody’s songs down, and we kinda figure out what the band’s gonna wear and that sort of stuff, it kind of has a life of it’s own now. But I feel like I’ve spent 30 years preparing for this show, but once I got there it kind of flipped into its own groove.” Being both a member of AFM Local 257 and AFTRA, how did he hope to headline a show on a cable network that hadn’t yet sat at the table to work out an agreement with the union? That could have put him, his bandmembers, as well as prospective guests, at risk of being fined and/or expelled from the union. “Well the one thing I realized was that RFD had some difficulties when they first came to town,” Stuart replies. “I think basically it was a misunderstanding and miscommunication on how people in Omaha, Nebr., do business, and about the rules of the American Federation of Musicians. “It wasn’t really any problem for me to go to Harold Bradley and say, ‘Well, listen, we (Continued on page 24) Marty Stuart supports Union. Correcting a photo caption In the last issue of The Nashville Musician newspaper, John Hughey was misidentified as Don Helms. The editor regrets the error. Volume MMIX, No. 1 January-March 2009 The Nashville Musician Non-Profit Authorization: 490741 Official Quarterly Journal of The Nashville Association of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians Local 257 (c) 2009 The Nashville Association of Musicians P.O. Box 120399, Nashville, TN 37212 NEWSPAPER STAFF Dave Pomeroy, Publisher Craig J. Krampf, Editor-in-Chief. Walt Trott, Editor Sherri Olson, Advertising Kathy Shepard, Chief Photographer LOCAL 257 Dave Pomeroy, President Craig J. Krampf, Secretary-Treasurer Otto Bash, Sergeant-at-Arms Assistant to Secretary-Treasurer & Office Manager Sherri Olson Executive Board Bruce Bouton Jimmy Capps Duncan Mullins Bobby Ogdin Andy Reiss Laura Ross Denis Solee Hearing Board Wm. (Tiger) Fitzhugh Kathy Shepard Mike Douchette Michele Voan Capps Teresa Hargrove John Terrence Jonathan Yudkin Hearing Board Clerk Anita Winstead Trustees Ron Keller Biff Watson Shop Steward Laura Ross, Nashville Symphony Live Engagement Services Division Kathy Shepard, Supervisor Laura Ross, Assistant Anita Winstead, Assistant Electronic Media Services Division Melissa Hamby Meyer, Director Teri Barnett, Assistant Shana Allen Mandy Arostegui Christie Allen MPF Coordinators Kathy Shepard Anita Winstead Business Agent Kathy Shepard Front Office Arleigh Barnett Janet Butler www.afm257.org All material intended for publication should be directed to The Nashville Musician, P.O. Box 120399, Nashville TN 37212 (office location: 11 Music Circle North, Nashville TN 37203) Telephone [615] 244-9514; Fax [615] 259-9140. The Nashville Musician assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicitated articles, photographs or artwork. Readers who submit editorial materials should enclose a self-addressed return envelope with proper postage. All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced or copied in any form, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopies, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Publisher, EIC or Editor. Support WMOT-FM, see page 27.
Page 1: AFM Local 257 election ’08 result
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Musicians Jan - 01 - Nashville Musicians Association

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