Security Concerns

To All Members of Local 1 of the American Federation of Musicians;

 

Recently Local 1 experienced the theft of a laptop computer that contained membership files. A meeting of the Board was called as soon as the theft was reported. The National Office of the AFM was contacted and the Board was advised to secure protection against identity fraud for the members before informing those affected. The protection is retroactive to the date of the theft of the computer, as well as for one year from the date of the letter.

 

In accordance with Ohio law, once AllClear was engaged, a 45-day window (excluding days without mail) is provided to contact those affected. Because of heavy volume of mail this time of year, some letters may be delayed. Please read the letter carefully, and feel free to contact the toll-free AllClear call center if you have questions.   Please do not call Rhonda with questions – thank you.

 

The Trustees and Officers of the Cincinnati Musicians Association felt strongly that an orderly and safe sequence of events occur so that the members could be safely protected. AllClear Identity Protection is extremely precise in its requirements, and there were some delays in the preparations. Despite the six weeks it has taken to send out the notifications, the Trustees and Officers are confident that AllClear Identity Protection is the best choice of companies offering this service. AllClear has provided protection for many large retailers who have suffered breaches that were announced in the press. The terms of our contract do not permit us to name them, but one sells home improvement goods and another is a major package delivery service.

 

In closing, we are confident that AllClear will provide swift and effective service in the unlikely event that any of the personal information contained in the stolen device is used to create fraudulent accounts or access other personal data files. Where we regret that the car was vandalized and burglarized, the safety and security of our members past and present has been, and shall continue to be, our primary concern.

 

Paul R. Frankenfeld, President, for The Officers and Trustees of the Cincinnati Musicians Association

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Board Meeting December 1, 2014

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors’ of the Cincinnati Musicians’ Association was called to order on December 1, 2014 at 5:30PM.

Carol Dunevant was absent but will be present for the General Meeting.

The minutes of the November 24, 2014 were approved.

 

NEW MEMBERS: None

GOOD STANDING FROM OTHER LOCALS

NEW MEMBERS: None

REINSTATE: None

DECEASED: None

RESIGNED: None

ERASED: None

 

OLD/CURRENT BUSINESS:

I. President’s Report

  • Letters from AllClear should be mailed any day now. There was a slight holdup due to international addresses.

II. CCO

  • The contract is in the final stages of ratification.
  • The Committee sent orchestra members a copy of their old CBA with the newest changes marked in red, and are using Survey Monkey to evaluate members opinions of the revision.
  • Nat Chaiken is the one to collate the results and there will be someone to oversee Nat’s impartiality.
  • The agreement would last until December 2015.

 

III. CSO

  • The CSO is evaluating the use of Horan and Associates. H&A manage the musicians’ health care funds and investments. There are high front-load fees with H&N so the CSO is interested in looking for a no-load option.
  • Horan began serving the needs of the orchestra in 1987 when the CSO wanted a 3rd party to hold and care for the funds. The CSO has begun looking around at other companies, but they need a minimum amount to transfer and some members do not want to change. Some of the alternatives have no Vanguard option for investments. There will be a meeting with the orchestra to discuss the alternatives to change where their investments are kept.
  • The Principal Clarinet audition was held Monday-Tuesday. There were 17 semi-finalists. The field was narrowed to 8 finalists who were heard Tuesday night. The list was then narrowed to 3 for final-finals. Of the Conductor’s 3 names only one was the same as the committee’s, but Langreé compromised and they were able to arrive at 3 to hear in the last round. Jonathan Gunn was declared the winner, and played his trial week starting the next day; he passed unanimously by the end of Friday concert. This decision now opens Jonathan’s vacated associate-principal clarinet position for audition. It may not be a priority because Ben Freimuth has been satisfactorily filling this position.
  • The CSO is considering the possibility of having another violin audition but it must be decided soon so that an ad can be submitted to the IM.
  • The need for the 2nd trombone and tuba positions continues as both have been filled by one year renewing contracts for several years now.
  • Management is currently attempting to raise money to add two more fully funded weeks to the calendar. The question is whether the orchestra players would rather see that money go to fund more players.
  • The possibilities for the additional weeks could include expanding the piano competition to a full week; more ballet weeks (the orchestra is not enthusiastic about this).
  • One consideration, not yet made public, is that they are looking at the 2016-2017 season for the closing of the hall for renovations. There are concerns that they might lose subscribers with a change of venue. Many groups would be inconvenienced, not to mention the touring and special events that occur there, and it will also mean closing Memorial Hall.
  • The CSO is considering something like a Beethoven cycle that year, or using smaller sized orchestra events. The Cincinnati Opera would be held at the Aronoff.
  • Contract negotiations start in January (contract expires September 2015). Trey is hoping for a 5-year agreement, so renewal time doesn’t coincide with a year out of the hall. Paul anticipates challenges negotiating with the current committee. Some members are inexperienced and may be a little unreasonable.

IV. IMA

  • Ray Hair is advocating a media strike involving live recordings during concerts. This is a concern for the CSO as they have a media project planned for January. Drawing up a document with the lawyers to even consider this would cost a fortune and still may be construed as a wildcat action on the musicians’ behalf.
  • Most orchestra representatives are not for this action in any way. Managements belong to Electronic Media Association (EMA). Symphonic collective bargaining is now bargained as a national agreement. Cleveland wanted to make theirs only a local agreement and sued to withdraw, the ruling was for keeping it a national media agreement.

NEW BUSINESS:

I. Agenda for the General Meeting.

  • Winding down Accent Music. Dismantling it to save costs. We will keep the Accent number active, and we can still do referrals for requests.
  • Paul has activated and used the office debit card. We had to obtain a card in order to do on-line banking.

 

THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS WERE ORDERED PAID:

See attached B 24868 – 24885

Next meeting scheduled for December 15 at 3PM.

Meeting adjourned at 6:42PM.

Minutes taken and submitted by Barbara Lambert

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Board Meeting November 24, 2014

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors’ of the Cincinnati Musicians’ Association was called to order on November 24, 2014 at 12:35PM.

All members were present.

 

The minutes of the November 10, 2014 were approved with the following corrections: V. correction to the spelling of Barbara Jaccoma (incorrectly spelled Giacoma), and The one hour dinner break waived during the Pops tour pertains to a select group of players who are flying down separately from the rest of the musicians. The buffet mentioned will occur at the Ocean Beach performance.

 

NEW MEMBERS:

Megan Sullivan – violin – November 4, 2014

GOOD STANDING FROM OTHER LOCALS

NEW MEMBERS:  None

REINSTATE:  None

DECEASED: None

RESIGNED: None

ERASED: None

 

OLD/CURRENT BUSINESS:

I.  President’s Report

  • President Frankenfeld updated the Board regarding engaging All Clear for any issues resulting from the theft of the laptop. Everything has been completed and the information they have requested will be converted to a .csv file and uploaded via a private and secure portal.
  • Cards for the quarterly meeting have been mailed.
  • Touring shows of ‘The Three Tenors’ and ‘Mannheim Steamroller’ will be going through the Local.
  • The office received an email from the landlord regarding ‘Matrix’ training. This training would cost $30 for any interested individuals and is training about what to do if an armed assailant were to enter the building.

II. CSO

  • A representative from the Mellon Foundation met with Paul Frankenfeld, Stacey Woolley, and Ted Nelson. The Foundation is concerned with racial diversity in orchestras. The Foundation may be interested in an internship program similar to the one in Philadelphia. President Frankenfeld will keep the Board posted to any developments.
  • Trey Devey has raised $13.5 million toward the Endowment goal.
  • The Stanton’s funded the Andre Previn piece at the last concert.
  • Yang Liu has secured the position of Associate Principal Second Violin and Stephanie Collins accepted a position in the second violin section.
  • Nathan Lutz, CSO bass section, has been hired as Assistant Personnel Manager.
  • The semi-finals for the Principal Clarinet section will commence during this meeting.

III. CCO

  • Survey Monkey will be used as the mechanism to ratify the CBA. The agreement expires December 2015.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

I.  Web presence

  • Vice President Barb Lambert is seeking input on potentially linking businesses and services that could be useful to members. An example would be someone who specializes in photographing headshots for press kits. There was some discussion about whether this would mean endorsement for these businesses or individuals. A disclaimer could be included. Barb Lambert and Carol Dunevant will put together a possible list of services/businesses that might be linked and bring a more formal presentation after the first of the New Year. It is important to increase a web presence.

 

 

THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS WERE ORDERED PAID:

 

See attached B 24856 – 24867

 

Next meeting scheduled for Monday, December 1 at 5:30PM followed by the Quarterly Membership meeting at 7PM.

 

Meeting adjourned at 2:47PM.

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Board Meeting November 10, 2014

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors’ of the Cincinnati Musicians’ Association was called to order on November 10, 2014 at 3:39PM.

All members were present.

The minutes of the October 31, 2014 meeting were approved.

 

NEW MEMBERS: None

GOOD STANDING FROM OTHER LOCALS

NEW MEMBERS:  None

REINSTATE:  None

DECEASED: None

RESIGNED: None

ERASED: None

OLD/CURRENT BUSINESS:

I.  President’s Report

  • President Frankenfeld read the cover letter that will be sent to members regarding the loss of the laptop. It had been emailed to the Trustees for their perusal prior to the meeting. It was agreed to add a statement noting that no financial information of members was on the computer. President Frankenfeld was charged with working with the company providing assistance with the situation.

II. CCO

  • President Frankenfeld gave an update on the CCO. Kelly Kuo has been named interim Director. It has been offered to let the $7 transportation remain the same for now. This will give time to assemble information from other area locals regarding transportation cost comparison.
  • Labor Council
  • It was reported that the Labor Council has been through an audit. They are also looking new office space as a way to cut cost. President Frankenfeld has urged them to look at the building where the CMA is currently located.

II. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

  • The ASO has settled. They will be opening their 70th season on Thursday evening with Beethoven’s 9th Both sides had agreed to Federal mediation. The core number of players was down to 70 and it was agreed to increase the number to 88 in four years. There will also be a 6% increase in salary by the end of the contract.

III. CSO

  • All performances for Peter Pan were played by the CSO. Carmen DeLeone reported to President Frankenfeld that he felt that services for free-lance musicians would continue for at least 3 or 4 more years. Rehearsal scale is lagging behind and should be addressed soon.
  • Contract negotiations are coming soon for the CSO and President Frankenfeld suggests that we engage Barb Giacoma. There will be a meeting soon with Trey Devey, Robert McGrath, Ted Nelson and Paul Frankenfeld.
  • There will be no patch sessions for this weekends concert recording. Three performances should provide enough material.
  • A one-hour dinner break scheduled during the Pops tour has been waived so that players can get to the hotel sooner. The players will be served a buffet from a restaurant.

IV. Member loan

  • The Board had granted a short-term loan to a member. The member had moved but Lynne Scott now has an updated address and the member is committed to repayment.

NEW BUSINESS:  None

 

THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS WERE ORDERED PAID:

 

See attached B 24838-24855

 

Next meeting scheduled for November 24, 2014 at 12:30PM.

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:35PM.

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Board Meeting October 31, 2014

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors’ of the Cincinnati Musicians’ Association was called to order on October 31, 2014 at 12:34PM.

All members were present.

The minutes of the October 13,2014 meeting were approved.

NEW MEMBERS: None

GOOD STANDING FROM OTHER LOCALS

NEW MEMBERS: None

REINSTATE:  None

DECEASED:  None

RESIGNED:  None

ERASED:  None

OLD/CURRENT BUSINESS:

I.  Laptop

  • The MacBook Air was stolen from Lynne Scott’s vehicle. The Board was notified immediately and there has been considerable email communication prior to todays meeting. The case was recovered near the break-in location. The AFM was notified immediately because membership records were on the computer. The laptop is registered and has a location device. As soon as the computer is connected to the Internet the location will be sent directly to the office. President Frankenfeld has investigated various identity theft/security options and he presented two potential plans to the Board. Following 90-minutes of discussion and questions the Board of Trustees charged President Frankenfeld with engaging one of the companies to provide security for the membership in the event that information is compromised. It appears that the theft was probably an individual looking to resell for quick money but the welfare of the members is the utmost concern of the Board. The decision was to be as pro-active as possible and provide protection as quickly as possible. Membership will be notified as soon as an agreement has been signed.

II. President’s Report

  • President Frankenfeld gave the Board an update on the recent CSO auditions. Yang Liu was named the new Associate Principal Second Violin. Stephanie Collins was runner up and was offered the section position. Rachel Frankenfeld was named alternate. Percussion auditions will be in 2 weeks and auditions for the Principal Clarinet position will be on November 28.
  • Monies raised for the endowment is now around $11.5 million.

NEW BUSINESS:

I.  CCO

  • President Frankenfeld and Becky Andres went through the entire agreement with CCO legal advisor Mike Cioffi. The new festival format will run the four weeks of August and the first week of September and performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Mr. Cioffi argued that the agreement cost too much and have been balking at an increase in the transportation from $7 to $10. However, the CCO Board has not shared their budget with the Local as requested. Mr. Cioffi also asked President Frankenfeld for some assistance. Paul will gather information from other Locals in the region to show a comparison to the Board. If the festival format does not work they will have to reconfigure their format again.
  • The CCO will be announcing their interim conductor soon. It is between Kelly Kuo and Michael Chertock.
  • The CCO is moving their offices to Northside as part of their effort to reduce overhead.

THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS WERE ORDERED PAID:

 

See attached B 24816-24837

 

Next meeting scheduled for November 10 at 3:30PM. There will also be a meeting on November 24 at 12:30PM. The Quarterly General Meeting was scheduled for December 1 at 7PM with a Board meeting to precede it at 5:30PM/

 

Meeting adjourned at 2:20PM.

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Board Meeting October 13, 2014

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors’ of the Cincinnati Musicians’ Association was called to order on October 13, 2014 at 3:44PM.

All members were present.

The minutes of the September 22,2014 were approved.

 

NEW MEMBERS:

George Carpten       Trumpet              10/10/14

Jennifer Miller Flute/Piccolo        10/10/14

Amy McCann     Clarinet             10/10/14

Joe Madrigal         Guitar/Voice         10/10/14

Caitlin Stokes       Violin               10/10/14

Taylor Ann Fleshman  Harp/Flute/Piano     10/10/14

GOOD STANDING FROM OTHER LOCALS

NEW MEMBERS:

 

REINSTATE: None

DECEASED: None

RESIGNED:  None

ERASED:  None

OLD/CURRENT BUSINESS:

I. President’s Report

  • Talks with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra are being revived. LeeAnn Anklan has sent a new proposal for the contract. There is one aspect that does not meet with approval. It appears that the Board is balking at raising the transportation price to $10. Paul will break down the costs in relationship to their budget.
  • Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is still locked out. Performances for November have been cancelled.
  • There will be auditions October 27 for Associate Principal second violin and second violin section player.
  • Trey Devey has raised about $10 million towards the CSO endowment and is looking ahead to negotiations for the new contract with the CSO.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS:

I. Concerns/Questions from the Board

  • Joe Gaudio asked President Frankenfeld if he had any ideas about how the Local can connect with younger players and encourage them to join. There was quite a bit of discussion. It was suggested that members of the Board speak with younger musicians, both members and nonmembers, and seek input about what would help with pinpointing specific thoughts.

II. Bravo Music

  • Don Hurd reported news from the latest Bravo Board meeting. They have looked at material provided from the MAC conference. They have asked Carol Dunevant to attend a meeting to discuss options for the Musicians Ball.
  • Anne Cushing-Reid has joined the Board and Joe Gaudio suggested the name Hank Mautner for a possible Board member.

THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS WERE ORDERED PAID:

 

See attached B 24780 – 24815

 

Next meeting scheduled for October 31 at 12:30PM

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:37PM.

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