A history lesson from the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208

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BJ Levy

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BJ Levy, President of the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his Local’s unique history and how it was impacted by segregation. He also spoke about the 1942-44 Recording Strike and the union's efforts to organize hip-hop artists and electric dance music (EDM) disc jockeys (DJs).

CFM Local 10-208 has a unique history and Local number. Levy explained what led two formerly segregated Locals -- Local 10 and Local 208 -- to merge in 1967 and hyphenate their Local number. Each Local has a storied past, and several historical events occurred before and after becoming a united union, Levy said.

One such event was the 1942-44 Recording Strike, which started due to disputes over royalty payments. The strike began at midnight on July 31, 1942, as union musicians could not perform for any commercial recording company. Levy explained that union musicians could still perform on radio programs, as at that time radio was not recorded media. He added that this strike remains the longest in the history of the entertainment industry.

Finally, Levy discussed the CFM's efforts to bring equity and representation to hip-hop artists and house DJs. He explained the need to give these artists and DJs the ability to make enough money to support their families. Levy said that the history of both groups ties into Chicago’s rich history with both the black and LGBTQ communities. He outlined the rich history of both groups of musicians and the impact they have made on Chicago communities.

Please listen to the show above to learn about CFM Local 10-208.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

A history lesson from the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208

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