In the Fall, Local 1000 was represented by Executive Board members at OCFF (Ken Whiteley), FARM (Sandy Andina, Deb Cowan), FARWEST (Steve Eulberg) regional gatherings of the Folk Alliance.

John McCutcheon and Dave Hawkins were also present at IBMA (International Bluegrass Musicians Assoc.).

The Executive Board met for its Fall Retreat at NERFA in Kerhonkson, NY and re-elected Steve Eulberg as Western Regional Board Rep, and Deb Cowan as Eastern Regional Board Rep.

We bid a grateful farewell to Dave Hawkins as the final At-Large Board position to end with the expiration of his term. (This was a decision was made by the Fall 2009 Membership Meeting as a cost-cutting strategy.)

The Board agreed to accept a proposal to offer an additional Health Insurance Plan to our members through Sound Health in Nashville. Look for more details.

The Board also decided to contact and check in with all of our membership before the Folk Alliance Gathering in February.

The Board also agreed that our Skype Board Check-ins every 6 weeks have helped us have a very productive year and agreed to continue them.

Once again, Local 1000 organized a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis while at the Folk Alliance. Don Shorock was able to capture some video of the sing-a-long in the atrium of the festival hotel, led by Guy and Candie Carawan of the Highlander Center in Tennessee, Lifetime Achievement honorees of the Folk Alliance for 2009.

A distant and diverse population are we, and we continue to utilize current technology and opportunities to get connected with each other in our non-geographical local.

Thanks to Debra Cowan, our new Eastern Regional Board Representative and Communications chairperson, we have a facebook group. To join go here.

Debra has also set up a myspace page for us, so cruise on by and become friends with your local.

In Memphis, at the February Meeting of the Executive Board, 2 resignations were accepted and a new member was appointed.

Alice Gerrard, formerly the Eastern Regional Representative resigned her term in deference to a university teaching position she accepted. (Congratulations, Alice!)

Debra Cowan, from Massachussetts, was appointed to fill the remainder of her term. Debra has also assumed the chair of the Communications Committee.

We also bid farewell to Joe Uehlein, formerly the Member-At-Large #2, who resigned his term, but not his commitment to the work of Local 1000.

Proposed By-Laws to shrink the size of the Executive Board were also adopted at the Membership Meeting on Saturday, February 21st. In accordance with these changes, the Member-At-Large #2 slot will not be filled because it has been eliminated by attrition.

You can view the current list of Executive Board members on the Executive Board page in the “About Us” link above.

(PLEASE NOTE CHANGE ANNOUNCED BY AFM at the end of this post)

President John McCutcheon’s lead article on the resiliency of the AFM Pension Plan in a time when 401K and IRA retirement plans have lost 30-40% of their investments has proved timely.

He quotes a financial advisor, “It is rare to find pensions plans that are still in place that are as rich as this one is. For anyone in the industry, contributions to this pension plan should be a core part of their retirement planning.”

Another AFM Local has requested permission to reprint it in their newsletter. Read it here: (NewDealWinter09pp1-3.pdf)

It’s still a great time to join Local 1000 and start contributing to YOUR AFM pension plan!

NOTE (3/08/09): The AFM has just announced a change in the multiplier for pension payouts that will begin with amounts collected after May 1, 2009. Read more about it here. While this change adjusts the multiplier down, the money that has been collected up until the change will still pay out at the current rate. This is the benefit of a “defined benefit” pension plan.

The Annual Membership Meeting of the Local 1000 AFM will be held on Saturday, February 21st 3:30-5:30 pm at a location To Be Determined in the Conference Hotel at the Folk Alliance Gathering in Memphis. Agenda items include Constitutional changes to reflect a move to a leaner Executive Board, adoption of the Budget and more.

The results from our on-line Membership and Pension Surveys were reported to the Executive Board and are being shared with our members here! Membership Survey Report 11/08 (This is a document created in Word)

The Fall Membership meeting was held in Kerhonkson, NY during the NERFA gathering on Saturday, Nov. 15. In addition to reports of the Board’s work, the Membership Survey and discussion about the AFM Pension, Executive Board Elections were also held.

Congratulations to John McCutcheon, who was re-elected to the President of the Local 1000 Executive Board and Ken Whiteley, who was re-elected to the position of Canadian Vice President. Sandy Andina, from Chicago, was elected to the MidWest Regional Board Representative position, filling the spot formerly held by retiring member Deborah Van Kleef. Her term will begin January 1st.

The By-Laws provide for election by acclamation at the Fall Membership when candidates run for office unopposed.

The Executive Board gave a gift of gratitude to Deborah Van Kleef who has served the Local Board for 10 years in various capacities.

Mark your calendars! The next Membership Meeting will take place in Memphis, TN at the Folk Alliance Gathering on Saturday, February 21st from 4-6 pm. Location To Be Announced.

Membership has its benefits! One of them is a discount on the registration fee for the North American Folk Alliance Gathering in Memphis next February 18-22, 2008. Local 1000 members can use a special code when registering to save $75.

Registering by the Early Bird Discount deadline of MONDAY, Nov. 24th can save you even more money in these tight financial times.

Register on-line at http://www.folkalliance.org. Contact Amy Fix in the Local 1000 office (tel: 212.843.8726 or office@local1000.com) or Steve Eulberg, Membership Services Chair (tel: 970-222-8358 or seulberg@local1000.com) to get the code to use.

In addition to workshops, showcase opportunities, the Local 1000 Booth and the chance to meet promoters, DJs, colleagues and contacts to help build and support your career as a traveling musician, you can meet in solidarity with your brothers and sisters at the Local 1000 Membership Meeting on Saturday.

See you in Memphis!

Calling all Local 1000 AFM Members-in-good-standing:

The Fall MEMBERSHIP Meeting of Local 1000 will take place in our “Showcase Free Zone” Room #1309 at the North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance in Kerhonkson, NY on Sat., November 15 at 3:30 pm. This will include DINNER FOOD!

Don’t forget to visit the Local 1000 booth in the Exhibit Hall and participate in the Showcase Free Zone. (The schedule is posted with the NERFA posting).