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:

  • Hernando County
  • Pasco Hounty
  • Citrus County
  • Pinellas County
  • Hillsborough County
  • Manatee County
  • Hardee County
  • Highlands County
  • Sarasota County
  • DeSoto County
  • Charlotte County
  • Lee County
  • Collier County
  • town of LaBelle in Hendry County
  • part of Polk County west of U.S. Route 27

Local Organizational Structure


Members:

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

Committees:

  • Bylaws Committee
  • Nominations Committee
  • Freelance Committee
  • Orchestra Committees
  • Wage Scale Committee

Executive Board:

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

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.