By securing fair wages and better working conditions, American Federation of Musicians Local 427-721 is committed to improving the lives of all professional musicians in our community.

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has been active in the Tampa Bay area since June 13, 1919, with the establishment of Local 721 in Tampa. The current Local was created by a voluntary merger of Local 427, St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and Local 721, Tampa, on January 1, 1992. On January 1, 1998, Local 730, Ft. Myers, merged with Local 427-721 to become Florida Gulf Coast Musicians.

The AFM is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor union representing 70,000 professional musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, is led by President Tino Gagliardi.  Founded in 1896, the AFM is the largest organization in the world representing professional instrumental musicians playing in orchestras, bands, clubs, and theater—both on Broadway and on tour. AFM members make music for film, television, commercials, and sound recordings. The AFM negotiates fair agreements, protects ownership of recorded music, secures benefits such as health care and pension, and lobbies for musicians and the rights of workers. As the largest union of musicians in the world, we have the power to make the music industry work for musicians.

Local 427-721 Jurisdiction

Local 427-721 covers a large area of Southwest and West Central Florida:

Local Organizational Structure

Members:

• Regular Members
• Life Members
• Student Members
• Youth Members
• Contracting Members
• Inactive Life Members

Committees:

• Bylaws Committee
• Freelance Committee
• DEI Committee
• Finance Committee
• Wage Scale Committee

Executive Board:

• Officers
  • Elected President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer
  • Six (6) Elected Executive Board Members-At-Large

We are the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, professional musicians united through our Locals so that:

• We can live and work in dignity;
• Our work will be fulfilling and compensated fairly;
• We will have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect us;
• We will have the opportunity to develop our talents and skills;
• Our collective voice and power will be realized in a democratic and progressive union;
• We can oppose the forces of exploitation through our union solidarity.

To achieve these objectives, we must commit to:

• Treating each other with respect and dignity without regard to ethnicity, creed, sex, age, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or national origin;
• Honoring the standards and expectations we collectively set for ourselves in pursuit of that vision, supporting and following the Bylaws that we adopt for ourselves;
• Actively participating in the democratic institutions of our union.

With that unity and resolve, we must engage in direct action that demonstrates our power and determination to:

• Organize unorganized musicians, extending to them the gains of unionism while securing control over our industry sectors and labor markets;
• Bargain contracts and otherwise exercise collective power to improve wages and working conditions, expand the role of musicians in work place decision making, and build a stronger union;
• Build political power to ensure that musicians’ voices are heard at every level of government to create economic opportunity and foster social justice;
• Provide meaningful paths for member involvement and participation in strong, democratic unions;
• Develop highly trained and motivated leaders at every level of the union who reflect the membership in all its diversity;
• Build coalitions and act in solidarity with other organizations that share our concern for social and economic justice.
  

Resources

Get to Know AFL-CIO’s Affiliates: American Federation of Musicians

American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM):

• AFM is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor union representing 70,000 professional musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, is led by President Tino Gagliardi.  Founded in 1896, the AFM is the largest organization in the world representing professional instrumental musicians playing in orchestras, bands, clubs, and theater—both on Broadway and on tour. AFM members make music for film, television, commercials, and sound recordings. The AFM negotiates fair agreements, protects ownership of recorded music, secures benefits such as health care and pension, and lobbies for musicians and the rights of workers. As the largest union of musicians in the world, we have the power to make the music industry work for musicians.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

• West Central Florida Labor Council (WCFLC) – Comprised of 116,000 active and retired union members from more than 100 locals around West Central Florida, including AFM Local 427-721, the WCFLC is one of nearly 500 state and local labor councils of the AFL-CIO and are the heart of the labor movement. They are democratically elected bodies dedicated to representing the interests of working people at the state and local level. They mobilize the members and community partners to advocate for social and economic justice and we strive daily to vanquish oppression and make our communities better for all people—regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin.
  
  
• The AFL-CIO works tirelessly to improve the lives of working people. They are the democratic, voluntary federation of 60 national and international labor unions that represent more than 12.5 million working people. They strive to ensure all working people are treated fairly, with decent paychecks and benefits, safe jobs, dignity, and equal opportunities. The AFL-CIO helps people acquire valuable skills and job-readiness for the 21st century economy. In fact, they operate the largest training network outside the U.S. military. Our work is anchored in making sure everyone who works for a living has family-supporting wages and benefits and the ability to retire with dignity. They advance legislation to create good jobs by investing tax dollars in schools, roads, bridges, ports and airports, and improving the lives of workers through education, job training and a livable minimum wage. They advocate for strengthening Social Security and private pensions, ensuring fair tax policies, and making high-quality, affordable health care available to all. They fight for keeping good jobs at home by reforming trade rules, reindustrializing the U.S. economy and providing worker protections in the global economy. The AFL-CIO stands firm in holding corporations accountable for their actions. They help make safe, equitable workplaces and give working people a collective voice to address workplace injustices without the fear of retaliation. They fight for social and economic justice and strive to vanquish oppression in all its forms.