Political Action in Music

Welcome to the Musicians' Association of Seattle's Political Action & Education page. This page serves as a place for our members to educated themselves about important political issues and how we may achieve our goals.

Part of the process is electing the right people into office, but beyond that we need to hold the people we elect accountable to stand by their word and produce results. Political issues affect not only our jobs and working conditions, but every aspect of our lives. The political process goes well beyond November 4th and major dates on the calendar. It is in the spirit and hope for a better tomorrow that your brothers and sisters practice a true democracy.

As communities, counties, states and a nation we posses that same great power to also inspire change. Unions are communities - Union means everyone.

Together we can create the pro-union and positive working conditions we wish to see!

AFM TEMPO

AFM has many allies in Congress. We work with them to advocate on issues that affect musicians everyday, from copyright protection to pension reform. 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 achieve this. Therefore, it is necessary that we raise contributions to AFM’s political action committee, the AFM TEMPO Fund.

AFM donates to Members of Congress who help:

  • • Fight for a full performance right on all sound recordings. This performance right guarantees that musicians are fairly compensated when their work is played on AM/FM terrestrial radio.
  • • Fight for stricter copyright enforcement measures, therefore ensuring that musicians’ hard work is protected from theft and misuse.
  • • Work to maintain and strengthen the pension system, so that musicians can afford to live comfortably in retirement.
  • • Advocate for more funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts in Education programs, so that the next generation of musicians can have all the tools necessary to learning their craft.

AFM cannot use general treasury funds for political donations, so we need member donations to the AFM TEMPO Fund. In order to make your contribution, just click here or send a check to:

The AFM TEMPO Fund
1501 Broadway, Suite 600
New York, NY 10036

CURRENT POLITICAL ACTIONS

Reauthorize the "Lodging Tax" in the Washington State's Budget for 2011-2012

Senate Bill 5843 and House Bill 1997, if passed, will extend the "Lodging Tax" which is a critical source of funding for presenting art, cultural, and musical organizations. It is a consumer tax on lodging charges for periods of less than 30 consecutive days for hotels, motels, rooming houses, private campgrounds, RV parks, and similar facilities. The tax is collected from the customer and reported by the lodging business on the excise tax return. The funds are distributed by the State Treasurer to the levying cities and counties. They may be used for promotion of tourism or construction and operation of tourism-related facilities.

The following letter was sent to Senator Ed Murray.

House Speaker Frank Chopp received a similar letter.

June 6, 2011

Senator Ed Murray Murray.edward@leg.wa.gov

PO Box 40443

Olympia, Wa 98504

RE: SB 5834

Dear Senator Murray,

The Musicians Association of Seattle respectfully requests your support for extending the Lodging Tax to fund the arts and culture in Washington State. These funds are critical to our presenting organizations. We need healthy employers, so we have jobs. The community is enriched creatively, educated and entertained when the arts thrive.

We support both the House Bill 1997 and Senate Bill 5834, and we believe that using a portion of the funds for worker housing is a good idea. Musicians, dancers, writers, artists, stage hands, actors, and other workers will benefit.

We understand that a difference of opinion about priorities may kill the bills.

We sincerely request that our legislators work toward a collaborative solution that maintains the Lodging Tax for a strong arts climate in Seattle, and King County.

Ms. Motter Forman Snell
President, Musicians Association of Seattle, Local 76-493, AFM
3209 Eastlake Ave E.
Seattle, WA 98102
motter@local76-493.org

Resolution supporting the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

The Executive Board passed the following resolution in support of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the rights of workers across the country. We also support the National Labor Relations Board’s efforts to protect workers’ rights as guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act. We ask our membership to write a letter to their elected officials in solidarity with the Machinists and preserve the National Labor Relations Board in its current configuration.

Click here for the full PDF version

Resources

America for the Arts: See How Our State Representatives Vote

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/votes/

State

Addresses for elected officials in WA state (2011)

National

Americans for the Arts

Other Websites