The new contract will cover professional singers performing at concerts at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles and will be effective immediately.
Los Angeles, CA (September 18, 2019) – The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announced today that the union has ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement for the principal singers of Music at Westwood of the Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, California. The Church presents to the public four concerts a year of both secular and liturgical music (see https://www.westwoodpres.org/worship-music/music-at-westwood).
The new three-year agreement, the first of its kind for AGMA-covered artists, establishes market rates for concert work with significant raises over the three years of the agreement. Rehearsal rates are also set with mandatory breaks and overtime requirements. The agreement provides, among other benefits, an additional 8% payment on gross wages in lieu of health insurance contributions; reimbursement for dry cleaning and clothing related expenses; an arbitration provision; and a prohibition on concert work during church service work.
Nandani Maria Sinha, principle singer and member of the AGMA negotiating committee stated: “We are so pleased to have a done deal and look forward to presenting an exciting concert series beginning around the holidays and continuing next year.”
“All professional artists deserve to receive fair compensation and union protections wherever they perform. We welcome and congratulate our new member Soloists from Music at Westwood,” said Raymond Menard, President of AGMA.
“Covering concert groups performing at religious organizations is critically important to the union. Many of our current members sing in these groups which have been largely unrepresented to date. This first contract is the start of an important expansion of AGMA representation” stated Leonard Egert, AGMA’s National Executive Director.
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