Despite their iconic status in the New York City music scene, jazz musicians are fighting for a different kind of status — equal benefits. Most symphony and Broadway performers who belong to the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 have employer-paid medical benefits and pensions, but jazz musicians in the union do not.
The Vulcan Society, which helps minority candidates apply to the FDNY, faced a ruckus over the highly regarded test prep classes they hold, which are intended for minority applicants.
In a victory for day laborers last month, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a California city that had tried to prohibit laborers from soliciting work on sidewalks or parking lots. That same week, La Tribuna Hispana reported from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s VI National Assembly.
Muslim students expressed shock at news that the NYPD has spied on their organizations; a proposed measure that would allow Irish immigrants special work visas causes controversy; and a domestic workers’ advocacy group takes advantage of Oscar buzz around “The Help.”
