Hamilton Approves Guaranteed Fair Wage for City Event Performances
The City of Hamilton has passed a motion to guarantee musicians a fair wage when performing for a city-run event. Hamilton Musicians' Guild Local 293 gave a presentation to the city council las August, and the motion was finally passed this week, will all councillors approving except for 2 votes of dissent. Larry Feudo, president of Hamilton Musicians Guild, said they will be reaching out to the two dissenting councillors to talk about co-funding opportunities through the Musicians Performance Trust Fund. He said that would "mitigate any perceived hardships in paying professional musicians a fair wage."
Coun. Brad Clark (Ward 9, upper Stoney Creek), who previously worked as executive director for the Songwriters Association of Canada, said "many organizations want to exploit" artists for their time, and see their art as a charitable gift.
"The challenge really is that we have an awful lot of musicians who are struggling every day to make ends meet," he said.
You can read the full motion carried here.
Click here for article from CBC.
Read article in Hamilton Musician: here.
