To AFM Delegates From RMALA President Pete Anthony
June 15, 2010
Dear Joe,
Let's review what has happened.
First, you sent a letter to Convention Delegates of the AFM, which made very specific claims. Much of what you wrote was in response to a letter calling for peace and unity that I had nothing to do with, but several of your assertions about “the price of peace,” referred directly to me and my colleagues. You put words in my mouth, you revised history, and you said we made specific demands that in fact were never made. And by the way, I wasn't cc'd on your letter. This isn't an issue of differing interpretations, Joe, it's a problem of alternate realities. You know it, I know it, and everyone on your cc list needs to know it.Next, I responded to set the record straight, and requested that you not drag the good faith attempts we have made to craft real solutions with the IEB into the political fray of this convention.
Yesterday, you sent another public message to AFM Officers. You said, “The issues are much too important to be treated as a political football,” … in an email blast to Officers around the AFM precisely one week before the AFM Convention. You said you welcomed this “productive dialogue” - a public email exchange before an election - when you've had real opportunities to speak to me and others, in person, during any of your last 7 or 8 trips to L.A. over the past year a half. Really, Joe?
At one point you will recall I reached out to you personally in an effort to break the logjam. I called you at work and at home, I left voicemails, emails and sent text messages to your cell phone. You did not respond at all. When I asked you about this during a round of AMPTP bargaining, you said your “system was f'ed up.” Really, Joe? We could have had “productive dialogue” for years now - did someone tell you not to talk to us?
Joe, let's look at your words from the 2007 AFM Convention, the platform you ran on: “There'll be a column for the recording musicians in the IM. We will deal with that at the first IEB meeting…The bullshit has got to stop... There's not going to be a rift anymore between the Player Conferences and the Federation. We might not always agree, but there's not going to be a fight, and I'm here to guarantee you that.”
Given that virtually nothing you promised has actually happened, I wonder how serious you are now about a “productive dialogue” - a dialogue you've been avoiding - or been told to avoid. The fact is the rift between the Player Conferences and the Federation is worse now than in '07.
None of the difficult decisions confronting the Delegates, or the AFM for that matter, will be made easier by email blasts. Once again, I implore you and all of the candidates for office at this AFM Convention to discuss the issues in front of you without distorting legitimate and clearly articulated needs of my community. We need a union that can listen and respond honestly to its members. At this point we don't have that.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Pete Anthony
President, RMALA
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