Secretary-Treasurer
Hi, I’m Gary Lasley. You may remember me as a freelance bass player. I performed in every kind of work in the orchestra world throughout the Southern California area, in addition to touring, teaching, and recording.
For the last 10 years I’ve been your Secretary/Treasurer. During that time Local 47 has come a long way in joining the 21st Century. We created a new name and logo; transformed the Overture from folded newsprint to glossy color magazine; became the first AFM Local to offer a periodic online newsletter, The Local 47 Beat; and are the first and still only AFM Local to have an app for your smartphone or tablet, the Overture Online App, available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play. We even bought a new building here in beautiful, downtown Burbank! Previously I was a Director on the Executive Board, Chair of the Election Board, and served on many orchestra committees.
I’ve long been an activist in the AFM. I served as delegate at the last nine AFM Conventions, from Local 353 in Long Beach, the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA), and now Local 47. At the 2019 Convention I was Chair of the Measures & Benefits Committee. I also served on the ROPA Executive Board for 10 years. I have personal relationships with AFM officers and Local Union officers across the country. These relationships are vital to the functioning of the AFM, both on the local and national level.
I’ve also been an activist in the greater Labor community as a delegate to the LA County Federation of Labor. I currently serve on the COPE Board. That’s the Committee on Political Education. We interview candidates for Federal, State, and Local office and make recommendations for endorsements. I’m also a delegate to the California Labor Federation and the AFL-CIO Western Region. I’ve lobbied in Sacramento for motion picture tax credits and AB5, and lobbied the U.S. Congress for multi-employer pension fund relief, artists’ rights, and copyright reform. The continued interactions with other unions — and especially other entertainment unions, as well with our civic leaders — is beneficial to Local 47 as well as the labor movement as a whole.
2019 was a very good year for Local 47. We hosted the Western Conference of Locals, attended the 101st AFM Convention, had many successful negotiations, and ended the year with a $345,000 surplus…
But that was 2019. That seems like oh so long ago. 2020 has brought us the COVID-19 crisis that has devastated our business, financially ruined our membership, and challenged our survival. In March, unemployment among our members suddenly skyrocketed to nearly 100%. And conversely, our revenue has plummeted by approximately 75% so far. Last year’s surplus is gone. By implementing an austerity program that includes severe budget cuts, officer pay cuts, staff reductions, deferred payment of some bills, and securing a $600,000 line of credit, we have kept the Local functioning at a nearly normal level. But the situation is not going to improve for an unknown period of time and many more challenging and painful decisions lie ahead. That’s why steady, experienced leadership is required at this uncertain moment to guide Local 47 through this financial crisis and into the next decade.
Along with the responsibility of guiding a forward-moving union comes the responsibility of serving as a leader for the community at large. We must put an end to social injustice and police brutality. We must address head-on the causes and solutions for systemic racism in our society, and in our union. Local 47 leadership should look like our membership, and our workplaces should look like our communities. It’s a time for introspection. It’s a time for having uncomfortable conversations. It’s a time for honoring the legacies our predecessors from Local 767 and for dedicating ourselves to righting the wrongs that they had to endure, and for assuring a future where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
So…thanks for listening. Please support Marc Sazer, Mike Merritt and the entire Musicians47United team. And I hope I’ve made the case that it’s crucially important to have strong leadership, integrity, and stability in the Local 47 Secretary/Treasurer’s office. Nothing less than the survival of Local 47 is at stake. When it’s time to mark your ballot, I’m confident that you will conclude, for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, that I am the right person to steer Local 47 through this financial Hurricane COVID.