South Florida Musicians Association...

A Community of Musicians

Working together to

preserve the Culture of Music and

Promote Dignity, Fairness, and Democracy in the Workplace.

Birthdate: September 24, 1913, Miami Florida.

Current Home: jurisdiction is southeast Florida from Key West to Vero Beach; office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Who we are: 400 professional musicians in the south Florida area, including recording musicians, freelance musicians performing at the Kravis Center, Broward Center, Jackie Gleason Theater, and local clubs, as well as members of the Palm Beach Opera orchestra.  We are also part of the 80,000-member American Federation of Musicians and the 14-million-member AFL-CIO.

What we do: provide services for musicians and act collectively to protect musicians' mutual interests and enforce fair dealings in the music profession.

Occupation: Labor Organization.  Our job is to promote live music and unite the professional musicians in our jurisdiction and secure better wages and working conditions for them.

Working On: negotiating and enforcing contracts; providing services such as MPF cofunding for casual gigs and a musicians referral program.

What we offer: Pension plans, contract assistance (including Electronic Media guarantees), computer forms to assist in preparing gig payrolls,  job referrals, etc.

Our Dream: to see all musicians working under contracts that guarantee that they will be treated fairly and compensated equitably. There are serious problems facing today's musicians. The only way that musicians will achieve equality and gain respect from others in the entertainment industry is through communication, cooperation and collective action.

The American Federation of Musicians has been serving professional musicians since its founding in 1896. It is made up of nearly 80,000 members belonging to approximately 300 Locals throughout the US and Canada. The American Federation of Musicians is an international governing body of Locals representing musicians within specific geographic areas. Locals negotiate minimum wage scales for Local engagements, and deal with most matters within their own regions. The Federation bargains collectively for all members involved in network radio and TV, videotape, educational TV, music videos, theatrical motion pictures, TV films and other electronic recording.