One thing that many of us tend to forget about musicians, as well as artists, is that their work is not simply a hobby or a pastime–it is their job. Before reading this NY Times article, it had never occurred to me that professional musicians had a union.
The Musicians Union has thousands of members, though most of the beneficiaries of its minimum wage and pension standards are classical musicians and Broadway performers. Jazz musicians, on the other hand, do not have these benefits.
Last week, several jazz musicians stood outside Blue Note, a major jazz club in Greenwich Village, handing out leaflets campaigning for a pension push. The musicians want the clubs that they work for to give them pension plans. However, the club owners are claiming that this idea is far too complicated, given the nature of the business. Jazz clubs usually hire a bandleader, who in turn hires individual musicians. Many club owners are suggesting that the bandleaders be the ones to provide pension plans to the musicians, as the process will be a lot simpler that way.
This issue seems to be causing a lot of tension between the musicians and the clubs that they work for. Only time will tell whether the professional jazz musicians succeed in their campaign for pensions.
Yes sirree, there is a musician’s union! My dad is a musician and we get mail from them all the time. I didn’t know that jazz musicians don’t get these benefits, however, which definitely is a concern for me, for I am an aspiring jazz musician. It definitely feeds the stereotype that jazz musicians are all horribly paid, and it makes me wonder why these musicians in particular are the ones who are always skimped on benefits. Do they think musicians like to starve? This is something that has to be rectified immediately- first jazz clubs disappear, and now pensions for jazz musicians?