Tucson Federation of Musicians

Dear Musicians,

The Cares Act that was passed in March changes the rules for unemployment compensation, making many more people eligible for benefits! If you think you are not eligible, it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with its provisions! Although there is a new law, the application process in Arizona is mired in an old technological system that has not caught up with that law and is not designed to handle the huge numbers of new claims being filed in this crisis.

To help Musicians and others receive the benefits that they deserve, we are sharing a guide that outlines steps that may help you succeed when you file your unemployment insurance claim. We encourage everyone who has lost work and pay due to this crisis to apply! Please do not give up even if you have been turned down once, or could not receive benefits in the past until you review the Cares Act info provided here and determine your eligibility on that basis! The link that follows below opens a document that takes you through your rights to unemployment compensation under the Cares Act. It also contains steps to navigate a particular path through the application process that could give you a higher chance of a successful outcome. > AZ Unemployment Insurance Application Guide

We are also sharing a link to an app that has emerged as a problem solver in the UI application process for many people. > https://donotpay.com/

Here is a link to a review of the donotpay app. > https://www.today.com/money/free-app-donotpay-can-help-you-quickly-file-unemployment-t178657

Please be safe and well as we move forward through this crisis together.

In Solidarity,

TFM President and Executive board.

Open to all TFM members.

The AZ AFL CIO will be providing buses for the ride to Phoenix. Buses will be leaving the IBEW 570 Hall 750 S Tucson Blvd at 7 AM and will return at 5 PM. There will also be a bus pick at the McDonald’s on Cortaro Farm Road at 7:30 AM. For bus reservations RSVP to pimaalf@yahoo.com. Below is the information. Please RSVP to jmurphy@azaflcio.org for the event.
The 2019 session of the Arizona legislature is in full swing and it is time for us as union members to remind our elected officials of the importance of organized labor, the union contract, and solidarity.
We are proud to announce the 2019 Day of Action at the Arizona legislature, which will be held on Tuesday, April 16th, 2019, starting at 9 am.

This year, topics will include:
Common Sense Economics
Path to Power
How to Talk to Legislators
Arizona Voters’ Bill of Rights
Lunch will be served and transportation for union members outside of Maricopa County is being organized.

RSVP to jmurphy@azaflcio.org
For bus reservations RSVP to pimaalf@yahoo.com

For all Tucson Federation of Musicians Members.

Local 33 is holding a special election for an Alternate Delegate who will represent the TFM at the 2019 AFM Convention. Read about the 2019 AFM Convention HERE. Nominations must be submitted by March 11, 2019. If you would like to serve in this capacity, or if you know someone who you feel would be a good candidate, please submit a nomination petition with three members’ signatures! The petition can be downloaded from the Members’ Resources Page.

A complete description of the Alternate Delegate’s role and responsibilities, as well as complete election procedures, are detailed in the Local 33 Bylaws . These can also be found on the Members’ Resources Page.

https://tucson.com/entertainment/music/tso-horn-player-johanna-lundy-is-featured-in-arizona-friends/article_51265ed3-6f32-5c3e-a266-8081800b90c7.html

TFM is joining the Western Conference in approving a resolution of response to the so-called “Powell Memo”. A coordinated Labor response to the memo has never happened. The resolution is intended to build awareness within the AFL-CIO, and create a movement to reverse the negative impacts the memo has had on the Labor Movement in the US.  The memo was drafted by Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. on August 23, 1971 and sent to the chair of the US Chamber of Commerce as a blueprint for future pro-corporate and anti-labor initiatives. Here are links to the Memo and the Resolution

The following is from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell_Jr.#Powell_Memorandum:

“…The memo called for corporate America to become more aggressive in molding society’s thinking about business, government, politics and law in the US. It sparked wealthy heirs of earlier American Industrialists like Richard Mellon Scaife; the Earhart Foundation, money which came from an oil fortune; and the Smith Richardson Foundation, from the cough medicine dynasty^[13] to use their private charitable foundations, which did not have to report their political activities to join the Carthage Foundation, founded by Scaife in 1964^[13] to fund Powell’s vision of a pro-business, anti-socialist, minimalist government-regulated America as it had been in the heyday of early American industrialism, before the Great Depression and the rise of Franklin Roosevelt‘s New Deal.

The Powell Memorandum thus became the blueprint of the rise of the American conservative movement and the formation of a network of influential right-wing think tanks and lobbying organizations, such as The Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) as well as inspiring the US Chamber of Commerce to become far more politically active.^[15][16]