OFFER ENDS JANUARY 31. Save 10% off of your annual dues for 2012 by paying in full for the year before Jan. 31, 2012 for a total of $172.80.  Eliminate the hassle of quarterly dues and potential late fees.

Local 76-493 and the University of Washington Labor Archives are working together to catalogue, preserve, and store our historical records. We are asking help in locating the former Local 493’s minutes, ledgers and other documents. Local 493 amalgamated into Local 76 in 1954. Do you have a lead? Please contact the office. 206-441-7600

The Musicians' Association of Seattle has been working on a new CMS website for the last year and we hope you like the many changes and upgrades that have been implemented.  We are using state of the art "Search Engine Optimization" techniques to help members and our pages to show up in more prominent positions of the search engine pages.  Please take a look around.  If you have questions, comments, ideas etc. just send us an email.  It will help us if you include a link to the page(s) in question with the correction or idea.  Thanks!

Members who need to add a listing, change their photos or contact info need to do the following:

• Include a high quality photo of you or your all union ensemble (color looks the best).
• Tell us what pages and categories you want to be listed on (instructors and or performance acts).  Performance Act listings must include a link to a website, Myspace page or a Facebook Fan page.
• Include all current email, website & telephone info.
• Send this to Business Representative Kirsten James  Please allow 1-4 days for changes to be made.

"At one end of the 5th Avenue Theater's orchestra pit, Paul Hansen has set up a sort of cage, or magpie nest, of percussion instruments—surrounding himself, 360 degrees, with no fewer than 35 of them, each needed at some point in the exotic, Arabian-flavored score of Aladdin...There's only one way into this setup, and on a recent Sunday evening before showtime, Hansen opens a door at the lip of the stage and acrobatically snakes under a rack of gongs and perches on a stool. "If I can walk out standing upright," he says, "I've wasted space somewhere."  Read more on member Paul Hansen by Gavin Borchert of the Seattle Weekly.

As bigger and bigger examples of corporate malfeasance splash across the headlines every day, joining a labor union for my livelihood seems more and more important. I know that many readers will quickly point to examples of corruption in organized labor, but labor unions have historically served an important role in protecting workers from exploitation and more. As they grow weaker over time, the scales have tipped radically in favor of big corporations and against workers for many years in this country, and the impact has been felt by millions. Read more here.

The long-term success of AFM's legislative efforts depends on making sure that our allies in the House of Representatives and the Senate remain in office. Donating to their reelection campaigns is the best way to see that they remain in Congress. Therefore, it is necessary that we raise contributions to AFM's political action committee.

Members!  Plan ahead.  March is open enrollment month for Group Helth for all members.  Please check the healthcare page for the new rates.  Yes those rates are monthly premiums NOT annual.  New rates take effect on April 1, 2012