802 Notes
Show Fires Orchestra!   Bad Law Progresses July 28, 2008
Press Conference 11am Wed. 7/30
 
Children's Show Fires Musicians
 

While engaged in contract negotiations with the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AFM, Little Airplane Productions, Inc. illegally and unilaterally replaced, without notice, its musicians for its children's program The Wonder Pets! The show is one of Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. offerings and won an Emmy for music this year.  

 
The tactics employed by Little Airplane represent the lowest level of bad faith negotiating, worker intimidation and anti worker business practices, damaging its integrity and that of the corporations that broadcast their programs.  


At Little Airplane's request, a negotiation session was held on May 14 at Local 802 headquarters on West 48th Street to clarify a number of economic proposals currently on the table.  An attorney for Little Airplane indicated that the company wanted to keep the whole team in place and engage its musicians under a collective bargaining agreement with Local 802. Then without notice or discussion the company replaced all members of the American Federation of Musicians working on the show.   


Faced with potential public protest, the employer promised to stop recording in order to return to the bargaining table and met with the union on July 10, 2008 at Local 802 headquarters to exchange economic proposals.  The employer indicated that the parties' respective positions appeared to be apart by less than 1% of payroll for the season.  According to Little Airplane, it is now a $10 million dollar a year company. 


As of July 23, Little Airplane says that it will employ the New York musicians only if there is no union agreement. Furthermore, the company claims that if the musicians and their union persist in seeking a union contract, one that both sides had been negotiating for a year, it will record the music in the Czech Republic, without the New York musicians, eliminating its "union problems".   


It is tragic that a media company specializing in quality children's programming emphasizing character development openly embraces such hypocritical business dealings. Further charges will be filed with the National Labor Relations Board. 


Local 802 AFM will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. in front of Little Airplane Productions at 207 Front Street in the South Street seaport - across from The Body Show.  Please come and help fight back!

 

There will be more actions as we fight back. For updates and more information check the 802 website or call the 802 Organizing Department. 

 
 
Should you have questions or comments about 802 NOTES please don't hesitate to call Joel LeFevre at 212 245-4802 x197 or send an e-mail to 802notes@local802afm.org
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A group of New Yorkers concerned about the freedom to test the environment has just released a new four minute music video to help people understand the harm of Intro 650, a bill in the New York City Council that purports to regulate chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons detectors.


 The bill goes far beyond its stated intent and gives the New York City Police Department (NYPD) expansive powers that could limit the freedom of individuals or organizations to engage in environmental monitor-ing without undue interference. If passed into law, See Allegro coverage here. Intro 650 will have a chilling effect on all environmental testing, making it harder for us to obtain reliable air testing results.

 

 We know from 9/11 the importance of indepen-dent testing to get an accurate evaluation of the safety of the air we breathe. And the passage of Intro 650 would be a major blow to our civil liberties, and would ultimately make New Yorkers less safe rather than more.