JOE HAYDEN's Page

NOW I AM 51 YEARS OLD AND PLAYING FOR THE 1st TIME PROFESSIONALLY. I KNOW TWO MUSICIANS AT THIS POINT. I FEEL I MUST EXPAND MY NETWORK, SO I JOINED THE MUSICIANS UNION. NOT THE MAJOR TWIN CITIES UNION THAT MOST MUSICIANS BELONG TO, BUT LOCAL 44O WHICH WAS MADE UP OF DISGRUNTLED EX 3073 UNION MEMBERS. I DON'T REMEMBER THE CHAIN OF EVENTS BUT SOMEHOW A YEAR LATER I WAS VOTED PRESIDENT OF THIS UNION OF 150 MEMBERS. NOW I REALLY HAD A NETWORK. I REMAINED PRESIDENT FOR 3 YEARS AND THEN DECLINED A NOMINATION FOR ANOTHER TERM. I FOUND THE UNION EXPERIENCE TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION. THERE WAS NO SENIORITY, JOB SECURITY, EQUAL PAY BENEFITS OR ANY OTHER NORMAL UNION BENEFITS. I FELT THERE WAS NOTHING MORE I COULD DO AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNION. AND I STRUGGLED WITH THE THOUGHT THAT THE MEMBERS WERE PAYING DUES AND RECEIVING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN RETURN. BUT AGAIN I ACHEIVED MY GOAL OF DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF MUSICIANS. I NOW BEGAN TO PLAY 3 TO 4 DAYS A WEEK.