John;

I have seen that same picture and it is much worse in San Francisco. In “The City” (as we call it) only the union will move and set up everything for a show! You are not allowed to touch anything. Perhaps some day that will change.

Another union to be watchful of is the Musicians Union. As I play flamenco guitar I have run into some interesting situations throughout the United States during the last 40 years.

A “note about the Musicians Union”.

Around 1942 the Musicians Union demanded 1 cent per union member involved for every record recorded and sold in the United States. There were 180,000 members and the money was said to go into the “retirement fund”. In case you do not know much of monies collected for union retirement funds goes into never-never land and is not seen again. Bing Crosby and a few others began recording without musicians and even this ran into trouble. Decca records relented and agreed to the union terms. Colombia and RCA held out for about 2 years.

Finally everyone signed up with the union’s demand around 1945 and the American Recording Industry was once again cutting shellac as it did before 1942.

Tom