Florida's Unions
See below for pass/fail overview of the major working family issues we followed during the 2018 Legislative Session. Click here for a downloadable version of the brief.
Stay tuned this weekend to our Facebook and Youtube pages for your union legislative update video finale, “Sine Die” edition. 
UPDATE 6:30PM: In a prime example of how HB 7055 was rushed through the process, after passing the Senate earlier this afternoon the Florida House completed the final passage of this bill this evening. The bill now goes to Governor Scott’s desk to be signed into law.
As we have seen over the last week with the teachers strike in West Virginia, there is power in numbers. HB 7055 is another attempt to chip away at that collective power.
The Florida AFL-CIO has and will always fight for the rights of workers to have a voice in their workplace. There’s a reason why corporate special interests and the legislators they own constantly try to undermine unions. That’s because they know that the last line of defense in protecting our most fundamental democratic institutions like public education, workplace safety, and good jobs with fair wages is a united and organized work force.
Today was a sad day in Florida. Today’s vote pours salt in the wound of last year’s HB 7069 battle but we are confident that the people are waking up to this threat to our most cherished institution and are ready to escalate the fight.
Thank you to the thousands that called, emailed, and visited your legislators over the last nine weeks of legislative session. Your voices were heard, but our legislators still voted against public education and our teachers, and for wealthy school privatization interests in our state.
The struggle to protect our schools is far from over and we must increase our collective efforts in the months to come. Stay active, stay focused and stay tuned for updates in the coming days by signing up for legislative alerts on our website at www.flaflcio.org
UPDATE 5:00PM EST: The people of Florida learned a cruel truth today about the Florida Legislature. They learned that the corrupt forces of school privatization are controlling both chambers of the legislature and members of both parties. They also learned that those looking to profit by destroying education will do anything, especially destroying one of the most effective forces against them, our teachers and their unions.
HB 7055 will shift millions, eventually billions of tax payer dollars from traditional public schools to for-profit interests including private schools and charter schools and silence the teachers and their union who stand in opposition. Four brave Republicans, Senators Hukill, Grimsley, Lee and Young, stood up to these forces and stood strong with public education. That would have been enough.
Unfortunately one Democrat stood with school privatization. Senator Bill Montford voted for the bill. If he would have stood with our public schools and honored the principles of their party, this travesty would not have happened.
Since the bill was amended in the Senate, HB 7055 now goes back to the House for final passage before it goes to Governor Scott to be signed into law.
Before the House attempts to pass this bill again, make sure they hear from you. Use Florida Education Association (FEA) online tool to be connected with your local House member NOW!
Heroes! Start off your penultimate legislative update in action by dialing (855) 235-2469 and telling your Senator to vote NO on HB 7055 that is up for a final vote this Monday.
In this update we cover how our villainous Speaker of the Florida House has completely hijacked the legislative process by forcing his hand to push the Senate to pass HB 7001, legislation that would make it almost impossible to close corporate tax loopholes and HB 7055, legislation that would siphon millions of taxpayer dollars to for profit schools and decertify teachers unions.
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” – Batman
On Monday, March 5th, the massive attack on our states students, teachers, and public schools will be up for a FINAL VOTE in the Florida Senate.
After removing the language from HB 7055 last week, Senators backed by Koch brothers funded corporate special interest organizations like Americans for Prosperity once again added language that would decertify our state’s teacher’s unions to this already terrible education bill.
It’s now or never as this is our last chance to stop this devastating attack on public education in Florida!
Call (855) 235-2469 and enter your zip code NOW to be connected with or leave a voicemail for your state Senator. Urge them to stand up for our public schools, our students, and our teachers by voting NO on HB 7055.
At nearly 200 pages, this massive bill makes almost 60 changes to Florida’s education laws. Many of these changes will divert hundreds of millions of tax dollars to private, for-profit schools, reduces accountability for student performance, and hurts programs for struggling students.
HB 7055 also creates a process that deceptively claims to help victims of bullying in our schools. Rather than focusing on programs that directly combat the problem of bullying in Florida schools, HB 7055 uses this issue as another means to please their donors and expand the unaccountable for-profit private school industry in our state.
Call (855) 235-2469 NOW and leave your state Senator with a message to vote NO on HB 7055. This bill would spell disaster for the future of public education in our state. We need the Florida Senate to say NO to this massive scheme to bully our students, our schools, and our teachers.
Heroes! Get dangerously informed with our recap for week seven of the 2018 Legislative Session.
In our newest update we cover the continued attack on public education, legislators scrambling to protect corporate tax loopholes, students from Parkland to Tallahassee descending on the old Florida Capitol in protest and much more.
After the update, take action by dialing 855-235-2469 to tell your Florida Senator to vote NO on HB 7055.
“When you decide not to be afraid, you can find friends in super unexpected places.” – Ms. Marvel
Tomorrow, February 27th, the massive attack on our states students, teachers, and public schools is up for a vote in its last Senate committee stop.
Last week, the language that would threaten the rights of our teachers to have a voice on the job was removed from the bill. BUT DON’T BE FOOLED, they will try to add union decertification language back to HB 7055, so we must keep up the pressure.
Your calls have flooded the Capitol switchboards, and we must keep them coming during these critical last two weeks of legislative session if we want to defeat this attempt to defund public schools.
Call (855) 235-2469 and enter your zip code NOW to be connected with your state Senator. Leave them with the message that they need to stand up for our public schools, our students, and our teachers by voting NO on HB 7055.
At nearly 200 pages, this massive bill makes almost 60 changes to Florida’s education laws. Many of these changes will divert hundreds of millions of tax dollars to private, for-profit schools, reduces accountability for student performance, and hurts programs for struggling students.
HB 7055 also creates a process that deceptively claims to help victims of bullying in our schools. Rather than focusing on programs that directly combat the problem of bullying in Florida schools, HB 7055 uses this issue as another means to please their donors and expand the unaccountable for-profit private school industry in our state.
Call (855) 235-2469 NOW and leave your state Senator with a message to vote NO on HB 7055. This bill would spell disaster for the future of public education in our state. We need the Florida Senate to say NO to this massive scheme to bully our students, our schools, and our teachers.
Heroes! Fly into action with our union update for week six of Florida’s Legislative Session. In this episode we cover yet another attempt to dismantle public education in the Florida House, the Senate bill that would ban fracking, and union members from across the state storming the halls of the Capitol.
After the update, pick up the phone and call 855-235-2469 to tell your Florida Senator to vote NO on HB 7055. This bill is a disaster for our states students, teachers and public schools, and this our chance to stop it.
“If you cage the beast, the beast will get angry.” – Wolverine
Tomorrow, February 20th, the massive attack on our states students, teachers, and public schools is up for a vote in its first Florida Senate committee stop.
After being rushed through the process with little to no public input in the Florida House, now is our chance to stop this poorly vetted bill aimed at defunding public education in our state and silencing our teachers’ voice on the job.
Call (855) 235-2469 and enter your zip code NOW to be connected with your state Senator. Leave them with the message that they need to stand up for our public schools, our students, and our teachers by voting NO on HB 7055.
Hidden in this legislation is the same public union-busting language that House leadership rammed through the process. HB 7055 specifically strips our state’s educators and staff from having a voice on the job.
The bill also creates a process that deceptively claims to help victims of bullying in our schools. Rather than focusing on programs that directly combat the problem of bullying in Florida schools, HB 7055 uses this issue as another means to please their donors and expand the unaccountable for-profit private school industry in our state.
At nearly 200 pages, this massive bill makes almost 60 changes to Florida’s education laws. Many of these changes will divert hundreds of millions of tax dollars to private, for-profit schools, reduces accountability for student performance, and hurts programs for struggling students.
Call (855) 235-2469 NOW and leave your state Senator with a message to vote NO on HB 7055. This bill would spell disaster for the future of public education in our state. We need the Florida Senate to say NO to this massive scheme to bully our students, our schools, and our teachers.
Heroes! Special interest villains abound in our update for week five of Florida’s Legislative Session.
Watch as we cover working families taking to the halls of the capitol in opposition to the massive education “train” bill HB 7055, the Constitution Revision Commissions “Terrible 10” anti-worker proposals, and legislation that would ban fracking in Florida.
“I hope justice is found here today… before justice finds you.” – Daredevil
Heroes! Union-busting villains are back in our week four legislative update.
In this update we, cover legislators restricting revenue for public programs, the HB 1 “Bully Bill,” anti-immigrant legislation, and HB 7055 the massive new attack to defund public education and bust up teachers’ unions.
“This isn’t freedom. We’re holding a gun to every citizen’s head and calling it security.” – Captain America