Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 8/20. This week we finally wrap up the Florida Primaries! Rejoice as your mailboxes and televisions receive a temporary reprieve from the onslaught of campaign materials. It won’t last for long though, as now it’s time to head into the general! For this special edition, let’s get into some of this week’s primary results and what they mean for Florida’s working families as we get on the road to November!

🗳️Florida Primary Recap🍊

Florida Voters Show Out

This week, over 1.3 million Floridians turned out to vote on Tuesday, bringing the sunshine state’s total participation in the FL Primary to 3.38 million voters, or just over 25% of the electorate. This beats the 22% that came out in 2024, but falls just shy of the 26% who came out for 2022’s mid-term primaries! How’s that? For the fellow data lovers, here’s a helpful chart of how that broke down courtesy Fresh Take Florida:

Solidified Leads and Surprising Upsets!

Soon after the polls closed this Tuesday, Floridians didn’t have to wait very long to see the fruits (oranges?) of their labor in the results. Within the hour, news outlets across the nation were quick to cover results in Florida that came as expected for some, and shockers for others!

In the Governor’s race, the FL AFL-CIO’s endorsed candidate David Jolly took home the Democratic nomination with 61% of the vote, solidifying his place as the presumed party front runner. Opposite him, Republican Byron Donalds brought the much covered and contentious Republican gubernatorial primary to a close, taking home 47.8% of the vote, with Florida Lt. Governor Jay Collins behind him securing 25% of the vote. The Florida GOP primary was noteworthy for its wide spread of candidates and as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ choice to not endorse any candidate to succeed him as he approaches his term limits.

The headlines of the night though weren’t just focused on the Governor’s mansion though, as the surprise victory of Democratic candidate and former state lawmaker Angie Nixon over retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman took both parties by surprise in the race for Florida’s open U.S Senate seat. Vindman’s campaign had significantly out-raised both Nixon and incumbent GOP Senator Ashley Moody (who secured her own primary victory on Tuesday as well.), raising more than $16 million dollars to Nixon’s $975,000. Money doesn’t vote however, and Nixon’s surprise victory was decisive, taking home 56.1% of the democratic voting electorate to Vindman’s 43.9% (an over 150,000 vote difference.)

Nixon’s victory continues a trend we’ve observed all year long across the nation’s primaries, with election day results resulting in vastly different outcomes than what many polls have been predicting. While we will leave the larger political implications of these results and polls to the pundits, we highlight these stories to re-iterate that ultimate truth we’ve harped on all year (and will continue to): at the end of the day it’s you the voters, not the dollars nor the polls, that decide elections, and until then no victory (or loss) is set in stone.

Victories for Labor 2026 Candidates!

The primaries weren’t just newsworthy for the parties either, but also for our Labor 2026 candidates! Alongside a massive host of CLC and locally endorsed candidates for offices like seats like mayor, county commissioners, and school board candidates, a number of candidates formally endorsed by the Florida AFL-CIO have secured a primary victory and now proceed onto the general election, (or in some cases, straight to office) including but not limited to:

• David Jolly, Governor
• Annette Taddeo, Chief Financial Officer
• Amanda Green, CD 3
• Rachel Grage, CD 5
• Leela Gray, CD 13
• Kelly Kirschner, CD 16
• Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, CD 20
• Pia Dandidya, CD 22
• Lois Frankel, CD 23
• Oliver Gilbert, CD 24
• John Lowndes SD 10
• Fentrice Driskell, SD 16
• Ashley Gantt, SD 34
• Audrey Gibson, HD 13
• Samuel Vilchez Santiago, HD 43
• Jose Alvarez, HD 46
• Kyandra Darling, HD 62
• Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks HD 63
• Luis Salazar, HD 64
• Mitchell Rosenwald, HD 98
• Lucia Baez-Geller, HD 106
• Gloria Romero Roses, HD 113

These candidates will join the host of other FL AFL-CIO endorsed candidates on the ballot in November as we work to elect a slate of lawmakers ready to fight for a brighter Florida for all of our working families! Thank you to all of our members who have put in the work for these victories so far. We’re excited to solidify them later this year!

✊The Union Contribution!

The victories at both local and statewide levels were made possible of course by the efforts of not just voters, but organizers like you! As Labor 2026 gets underway, many of our brothers and sisters have already began the hard work of canvassing their members and labor community to ensure we are registered and have a plan to get out there and vote! We are proud to see so many of you ramping up the excitement among your labor siblings, and applaud the hard work of so many of you so far. As we get closer to November, you are showing true the maxim that when we fight, we win!

Fundraising for the General!

Now we meant it when we said that dollars don’t vote, but it is also true that no matter who leads an election, one thing is for certain, elections cost money! Whether it’s paying for staff, travel, mail, or even the small things like balloons and stickers, campaigns of every kind rely on money to stay alive and succeed. That includes our Labor 2026 campaign! As the general approaches, every day and donation counts towards turning out our working families this November.

If you are willing and able, please consider a donation to the COPE Action Fund. This fund is 100% dedicated towards executing member to member programming for Labor 2026. Every single dollar spent by this fund is used to turn out the votes of our workers, whether that be through the production of materials for your CLCs, educational information on the candidates running, voter registration initiatives for locals, and more.

🗓️On the Horizon

As Labor 2026 gets underway, make sure you are not just making a plan to vote, but staying tuned to our FL AFL-CIO Mobilize to see the latest ways you can get involved in local actions, canvassing efforts, and more! See below for some important dates and visit Mobilize for the full breakdown!

• Statewide
  • Important GENERAL Election Dates!
    • The primaries are over! On to the general! Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important election dates from the Florida Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: September 19, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters:  September 24 2026 – October 1, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote:  October 5, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: October 22, 2026
      • Early voting period (mandatory period):  October 24 – 31, 2026
      • Election Day:  November 3, 2026
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Tampa
      • Monday, September 7th: West Central Florida Labor Day Picnic!
  • Palm Beach/Treasure Coast
    • West Palm Beach
      • Sunday, September 6th: Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Labor Day Picnic!
  • South Florida
    • Hollywood
      • Saturday, August 29th: Broward County 2026 Labor Ball
        • South Florida siblings should mark their calendars for the arrival of the 2026 Labor Ball! Taking place in Hollywood Florida, join fellow union members and community leaders for a night of celebration, solidarity, and more!
        • This is a ticketed event, with dress code and registration required. You can register at this link or email browardaflcio@gmail.com for more information.
    • Fort Myers
      • Sunday, September 6th: Southwest Chapter Labor Day Picnic

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

Labor Day Approaches!

Though this special edition has been heavily election focused, the approach of September means that there is another big day on the horizon for our working families: Labor Day! In the battle for a better way of life, this important day is meant to highlight and honor the contributions of all of our working families both who came before, and those who continue to show up today. This joyous day of solidarity and celebration is one we look forward to spending with you, so make sure to mark those calendars for September 7th! We look forward to sharing more news of our Labor Day celebrations soon!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 8/14. It’s been early voting week across the state of Florida, with national primaries continuing to reinforce the old reminder of never celebrating too early, and that ultimately the fate of any given campaign is decided on election day, by the voters that turn out for it. As Florida prepares to contribute to the national conversation next Tuesday, here are some stories to get you motivated and informed as to Florida labor’s role in the discussion!

🏛️Legislative News

A Week of Early Voting Previews The Florida Primary August 18th!

This week, in person early voting has been in full swing all across the Sunshine State! Per the Division of Elections, so far over 1 million Florida voters have already filled out or sent in their ballots this year. For comparison, in 2022, the number of early votes were only just over 613,000 for an election that ended up turning out 3.7 million, showing Florida on track to shatter the bar set in the last mid-term election.

We applaud the many working families that have taken the time out of their busy schedules this week to either mail in or head to their local polling place to make their voice heard. Remember, primaries are the best opportunity for voters ahead of November to directly impact the direction of everything from party nominations for U.S Senate and Governor, to nonpartisan local offices such as city commissioners and school board members!

In case you haven’t had the time, or you prefer the tradition of voting in-person the day of, you still have the option until tomorrow, August 15th, to early vote before the arrival of Primary Election Day, next Tuesday, August 18th! Visit myfloridaelections.com to figure out where you can vote and make a plan!

Now we don’t usually talk national news when it comes to elections, but it feels noteworthy to mention this last few weeks of primaries in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin have led to intense coverage on the competitiveness between candidates this year and the disparity between what odds a race looks like it has versus what it ends up having come election day. Though polling continues to be a sore/confusing subject for many (we’ve even written about it), the fact remains that even in races predicted to be blowouts, many primary elections are coming down to thousands or even hundreds of votes! That could be a neighborhood or school’s worth of working families making all the difference in the world!

We cite these recent elections to emphasize one point: no candidate has truly won or lost until election day, because ultimately it’s the voter—not the polls or news coverage—that decide elections! This rule is true here in Florida as much as anywhere else, so no matter where you fall on the political spectrum or no matter how solid a lead may seem, you’re still encouraged to get out there and vote to drive the change you wish to see in our politics past the point of theory and across the finish line!

🍊Florida Labor News

FL AFL-CIO Releases Second Batch of Endorsements; Central Location for All Endorsed Races.

This week, the Florida AFL-CIO was proud to announce it’s second round of Labor 2026 endorsements, headed by the announcement of Annette Taddeo as the Chief Financial Officer for Florida’s working families!

As a State Senator, Annette Taddeo has consistently stood with the working families and has never lost sight of what workers need from their government. That is why we believe that as our next CFO, she will bring the experience and leadership needed to ensure that Florida’s financial decisions put working people first!

With a massive slate of candidates running across the state, and the primaries sure to shake things up further, it can get easy to get lost in the names and numbers, so for the rest of the year, we have put together a central dedicated page on our website for our working families to find an up-to-date list of all of the FL AFL-CIO endorsed candidates this year. The page can be found on the link above or from our website home page by going under the “Elections 2026” tab.

Florida AFL-CIO Formally Joins Save Our Services Coalition as Florida’s Organized Labor Stands Against Amendment 3

Last week we mentioned the recent victory of Florida courts striking down this year’s Property Tax Amendment 3 as being misleadingly worded and forcing it to be rewritten before it is put before the voters, to which our Attorney General and Governor begrudgingly accepted with reduced enthusiasm.

This week, the reworded amendment was re-introduced now stripped of its political slogans and misleading statements. The changes are apparent even from the title, which instead of the former “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes” is now the objective and factual name of “Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homesteaded Property Assessments.”

Though this is a notable victory for defending working families from being intentionally sold a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the dangerous substance of the amendment has not changed, and it just now looks properly like a wolf. If the nationwide primary results this week have shown us anything, it’s that the job of defeating this amendment is not finished until election day! That’s why the FL AFL-CIO is formally joining the Save our Services coalition alongside our labor siblings at AFSCME Florida, SEIU 32BJ, and even FEA! 

As the fight against Amendment 3 ramps up, we are excited to be a part of this coalition of grassroots, nonprofit, labor, and other organizations from across Florida who are raising the alarm that the passage of Amendment 3 would mean less jobs, less services, and higher costs for Florida’s working families and seniors. We oppose amendment 3 because Floridians need real affordability relief, not a scam that shifts the cost away from billionaires’ second homes and cuts essential local services.

✊Solidarity Spotlight

UNITE HERE Rallies Versus Disney Third-Party Restaraunt Group

As reported this week by Orlando Weekly‘s McKenna Scheuler, there’s no magic needed when it comes to accountability for bad actors and poor working conditions:

“An estimated 200 Disney World workers rallied on Wednesday in Kissimmee, just a few miles outside Disney property, to demand Disney drop its current agreements with the Patina Group. The third-party restaurant operator on Disney property is facing ongoing allegations of wage theft, ignoring sexual harassment, and unlawfully firing a young cashier over her leading role in an ongoing unionization drive.“

“The National Labor Relations Board recently ordered the Patina Group to offer reinstatement to Ruiz and back pay, saying the restaurant operator unlawfully fired Ruiz in retaliation for her union activity.

According to a response obtained by Orlando Weekly, the Patina Group has declined to follow orders, joining several other major corporations that have argued the NLRB is unconstitutional and does not have the authority to order them around.”

While tens of thousands of Disney employees are union represented across Disney parks, not all of them are, and the efforts of UNITE Here Local 737 and others organizing this week highlight the inequities that can persist or go unanswered as a result of the lack of representation and accountability that unions are able to provide for many vital parts of Florida’s workforce. Thankfully, Florida’s unions stand in solidarity for all workers, and we are proud of the work being done by our labor family in Central Florida and elsewhere across the state that are seeking to stand and fight with these workers against companies that think they know better than the very employees who make them succeed. In Solidarity!

🗓️On the Horizon

As Labor 2026 gets underway, make sure you are not just making a plan to vote, but staying tuned to our FL AFL-CIO Mobilize to see the latest ways you can get involved in local actions, canvassing efforts, and more! See below for some important dates and visit Mobilize for the full breakdown!

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026 <– You are HERE
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026 <– You are ALMOST HERE
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Tampa
      • Monday, September 7th: West Central Florida Labor Day Picnic!
    • Orlando
      • August 28th – 29th: EDUVOTER Conference
        • Join educators, labor leaders, parents, and others for conversations and trainings focused on public education, with keynote speaker AFT’s own Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram!
  • Palm Beach/Treasure Coast
    • West Palm Beach
      • Sunday, September 6th: Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Labor Day Picnic!
  • South Florida
    • Hollywood
      • Saturday, August 29th: Broward County 2026 Labor Ball
        • South Florida siblings should mark their calendars for the arrival of the 2026 Labor Ball! Taking place in Hollywood Florida, join fellow union members and community leaders for a night of celebration, solidarity, and more!
        • This is a ticketed event, with dress code and registration required. You can register at this link or email browardaflcio@gmail.com for more information.
    • Fort Myers
      • Sunday, September 6th: Southwest Chapter Labor Day Picnic

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

National AFL-CIO’s Paywatch Report Reminds Us: The Money For A Raise is Most Definitely There

This week, the national AFL-CIO released a blisteringly motivating “Paywatch” report on the growing pay disparity across America between S&P 500’s CEOs and the workers who make their companies profitable. In the year of the world’s first real-life Trillionaire, and as companies post record profits while simultaneously laying off thousands of workers, the report highlights how companies such as Amazon, Dollar Tree, FedEx, and Walmart have contributed to their top CEOs making on average 312 times what their workers made in 2025. You can see the mind-boggling data yourself here!

As we head towards election season, these findings have never been more infuriating nor more urgent. As worker’s shares of U.S National Income fall to their lowest levels since World War II at the same time as these massive raises are given and more and more workers are laid off, there is no excuse for this disparity besides greed. As a movement, we must be rigorous in supporting the elected officials that are truly dedicated to holding big business accountable and fighting for the working class not just in November, but year round!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 8/7. It’s been a surprisingly busy week in Tallahassee as a significant court ruling impacting the November ballot came down right before Florida voters take up their first opportunity this year to weigh in on the Sunshine State’s elected officials and ultimate direction. Meanwhile, the organizing continues at the local level for Labor 2026, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 turns 61. Let’s get into it.

🏛️Legislative News

Property Tax Amendment 3 Ruled Misleading on the Ballot, Ordered to be Rewritten

Remember this year’s Special Session F? We wouldn’t blame you if not, but that’s the one where our legislature put onto the ballot Florida Amendment 3 (2026), the misleading and dangerous proposal to remove Florida’s homestead exemption, one of the state’s few remaining pillars of local and county government revenue. As we and many others voiced throughout that session, the amendment would not, as its title misleadingly suggested “Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” and instead would fundamentally upend and restructure what government is in the state of Florida at every level as public services, jobs, and resources would be either cut or funded through new and expensive fees to citizens.

In perhaps the biggest political surprise this week though, Florida’s courts announced that they agreed with us!

Following a bipartisan lawsuit effort brought in part by former lawmakers like Al Lawson and Jeff Brandes, the Leon County Circuit Court on Tuesday delivered a blistering ruling on 2026 Amendment 3, finding that:

“The ballot title and summary simply must pass muster under longstanding Florida law that demands fairness and accuracy in its description before placement on the ballot. Specifically, Section 5, Article XI of the [Florida] Constitution….require this Court to review the proposed ballot title and summary to determine whether their language fairly informs the voter of the chief purpose of the amendment and does not mislead. They fail both prerequisites and must be rewritten.“

Over 18 incredibly thorough pages (which you can read in full here), Circuit Judge David Frank takes apart the amendment’s title and summary in detail for its biased language and political rhetoric, making the legal case for what Florida’s working families have been saying all session long- that this amendment is a potentially massive cost burden on Florida’s working families that is being misleadingly packaged and sold to voters as benefits and savings.

Though they were previously enthusiastic supporters for property tax exemption before, the Governor and Attorney General refrained from appealing the ruling and instead agreed to re-word the amendment before it is proposed to voters this fall. No matter it is spun though, the ruling proved that this amendment just cant hide from its very serious flaws.

🍊Florida Labor News

Early Voting Begins for The Florida Primary!

No preamble for this one! As of tomorrow, August 8th, early voting in the Florida Primaries starts across all of Florida! Running from August 8-15th, Florida voters will have the opportunity to decide who will take the party nominations for a host of offices congressional and statewide including Governor, Senate, and more!

That’s not all either, as primaries are just as critically important for local offices as they are state ones. Depending on your location, and regardless of your party affiliation, working families may also be asked to weigh in on the candidates for important non-partisan positions such as mayors, school board officials, city commissioners, and judges!

In case you need a reminder, you can use this lookup to find your local supervisor of elections for details on not just who is running in your locality, but also where you can vote if you are voting in person!

Thanks to the incredible work from all of our Central Labor Councils, COPE Committee, and you our members, the Florida AFL-CIO continues to endorse a growing number of candidates who are on the ballot during primary season. These candidates best represent the individuals with the commitment and will to fight for working families once elected and have earned our enthusiasm!

Though your vote as a citizen is and forever remains entirely your own, you can see the full list of FL AFL-CIO endorsed candidates on the Labor 2026 Endorsements page of our website! For endorsements regarding city and county races such as school board and city commission, we direct you to your nearest Central Labor Council for your full local breakdown.

✊Solidarity Spotlight

Tips from a Forever Florida Activist: Felicia Bruce

It’s not often we get to do a member spotlight, but it’s always for a good reason. This week, as our working families across the state continue to strategize and organize, FLARA President and AFT Retiree Felicia Bruce gave some inspiring words in the American Federation of Teacher’s Voices publication, which highlights the some of the important and dedicated everyday voices behind our nation’s education, healthcare, and public services.

In a piece entitled “Still organizing, still fighting” Bruce, a well seasoned and beloved part of the FL AFL-CIO family (and frequent WFLC participant) gives us all some words of motivation as to how its always possible to play an important role in your community as a forever member of the labor community:

“We give substance and style to the slogan, ‘Activists never retire.’

As retirees, we are often called the daytime army of every union in America, but we are so much more. We may not be paying dues from a regular paycheck any longer, but we sure as hell are not done contributing yet. We still educate. We still vote. We still show up.“

As sessions and election years ramp up so many of our efforts, we are reminded that activism is a year round job, and the tenacity and dedication of Felicia and all our members like her inspire us to keep up the good fight, in Solidarity!

🗓️On the Horizon

As Labor 2026 gets underway, make sure you are not just making a plan to vote, but staying tuned to our FL AFL-CIO Mobilize to see the latest ways you can get involved in local actions, canvassing efforts, and more! See below for some important dates and visit Mobilize for the full breakdown!

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026 <– You are HERE
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Tampa
      • Sunday, August 9th: Solidarity Sunday with West Central Future Labor Leaders
        • Join your local youth branch of the AFL-CIO, Florida Future Labor Leaders, for an afternoon of casual conversation and solidarity.
      • Thursday, August 13th: Government Workers Townhall w/ Kathy Castor, Leela Gray, and Kelly Kirschner
        • Join the American Federation of Government Employees Local 547, other union members, and community supporters for a townhall featuring labor-endorsed candidates for Congress!
      • Monday, September 7th: West Central Florida Labor Day Picnic!
  • Palm Beach/Treasure Coast
    • West Palm Beach
      • Sunday, September 6th: Palm Beach-Treasure Coast Labor Day Picnic!
  • South Florida
    • Hollywood
      • Saturday, August 29th: Broward County 2026 Labor Ball
        • South Florida siblings should mark their calendars for the arrival of the 2026 Labor Ball! Taking place in Hollywood Florida, join fellow union members and community leaders for a night of celebration, solidarity, and more!
        • This is a ticketed event, with dress code and registration required. You can register at this link or email browardaflcio@gmail.com for more information.
    • Fort Myers
      • Sunday, September 6th: Southwest Chapter Labor Day Picnic

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

61 Years of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

In the blur of constant news, it’s easy to not notice the passage of time. Today though, marks the 61st Anniversary of the United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 going into effect, landmark legislation designed to combat Jim Crow-era racial discrimination faced by Black voters and citizens as well as enforce equal access to the constitutional right to vote for all of America’s citizens. As put best by our National AFL-CIO:

The Voting Rights Act was indisputably successful—the number of registered Black voters increased from less than 1 million in 1965 to nearly 3.6 million in 1986. In recent years, it has been under attack by corporate-backed political forces that seek to dilute the electoral power of working people. A few months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling eviscerated key protections in the Voting Rights Act, and as soon as the decision was handed down, state legislatures around the South immediately moved to further gerrymander their voting maps.

This year’s anniversary of the Voting Rights Act’s passage is a solemn one and serves as a reminder that our hard-fought freedoms must constantly be defended. As we approach a critically important midterm election, America’s unions remain united in the fight to restore, protect and expand the freedom to vote so we can all make our voices heard and build worker power at the ballot box.

No matter where it is, whether in Florida or across the nation, we will forever stand committed towards the pursuit of fighting to address racial inequities wherever they exist and advocate for the expansion and protection of all the voices in our democracy, no matter their background.

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 7/29. This will be an abbreviated edition of our newsletter due to time constraints present this week, but we still wanted to bring you a roundup of the most pressing news and actions in Florida Labor. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

🍊Florida Labor News

A Season of Action Gets Underway, Tune into Mobilize!

In our regular newsletter, we love to avail you of the latest upcoming actions and more with our “On The Horizon” section, and that’s not going to change. However, as we look forward to Labor 2026 getting underway, we should expect the number of labor and election related events to increase greatly (and most likely beyond the amount we can fit in a newsletter,) which is why we wanted to remind you of the Florida AFL-CIO Mobilize Page!

No matter where you are and no matter the time of year, the FL AFL-CIO Mobilize will be your one stop shop to be able to see the latest active and upcoming events from not just our state federation, but all of our regional Central Labor Councils and partner organizations!

Over the next few months you can expect opportunities for everything from trainings and phone banks to door-knocking and canvassing. It won’t be just organizing work either; there will be plenty of upcoming events simply put together for solidarity and celebration too as we work towards a brighter Florida!

With several planned weeks of action, starting with Labor Day Week (Sept. 1-8), these events will be a key part of enacting the Labor 2026 program. Get excited and bookmark our Mobilize today. There are events taking place as soon as next week!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

Big Bend Labor Chapter Hosts Immigration Screening and Panel Discussion

Solidarity in the labor movement isn’t always about massive action and protest. Sometimes its simply about coming together as a community to spread awareness and grow!

This past Saturday, the Big Bend Labor Chapter co-hosted a screening of Without Shade, Without Rest at Cap City Video Lounge alongside Tallahassee Workers Assembly, Tallahassee Community Action Response Equipo (CARE), and Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance. The documentary highlights the dangerous working conditions faced by Florida’s outdoor workers, particularly immigrant farmworkers, and was followed by a panel discussion with local advocates on immigrant dignity, worker power, and the fight for stronger heat protections.

Events like these are fantastic ways to expand the breadth of our knowledge on the many issues that so many of us face, while also providing a welcoming sense of community for those interested in trying to elevate their voice. You can find out more about Without Shade, Without Rest at https://sixeyefilms.org/withoutshadewithoutrest

🗓️On the Horizon

Will you stand with us and help us keep building on the momentum of the labor movement? Visit https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/ to check your voter registration, access election information, and make a plan to vote! See below for important dates to note as we head towards primary season.

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026 <— You are HERE
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Orlando
      • Wednesday, August 5th: Meet and Greet with David Jolly!
        • Join fellow union members and leaders for a private meet and greet with Florida AFL-CIO endorsed candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, David Jolly and Gwen Graham.
        • This event is space limited, and as such is invitation only, with advance registration required. You can RSVP on Mobilize at this link. The full location and building instructions will be provided via email after you RSVP.
  • South Florida
    • Hollywood
      • Saturday, August 29th: Broward County 2026 Labor Ball
        • South Florida siblings should mark their calendars for the arrival of the 2026 Labor Ball! Taking place in Hollywood Florida, join fellow union members and community leaders for a night of celebration, solidarity, and more!
        • This is a ticketed event, with dress code and registration required. You can register at this link or email browardaflcio@gmail.com for more information.

Remember, all of these events and more can be found on our FL AFL-CIO Mobilize! Click here to learn more!

🛠️Business Board

No matter who leads an election, one thing is for certain, elections cost money! Whether it’s paying for staff, travel, mail, or even the small things like balloons and stickers, campaigns of every kind rely on money to stay alive and succeed. That includes our Labor 2026 campaign!

If you are willing and able, please consider a donation to the COPE Action Fund. This fund is 100% dedicated towards executing member to member programming for Labor 2026. Every single dollar spent by this fund is used to turn out the votes of our workers, whether that be through the production of materials for your CLCs, educational information on the candidates running, voter registration initiatives for locals, and more.

Please click this link to make a contribution.

Every donation helps, no matter how large or small, Together, we win!

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 7/24. As we arrive upon the final week of July, the true August dog days of summer approach. With much sun still left to be shone this year, and a dramatic fall election cycle on the horizon, there’s still plenty for working families to do as we close in ever closer on Florida’s primaries and beyond! Let’s get into it.

🏛️Legislative News

Data Centers Suck Up Electoral Energy

Ubiquitous to the discussion of AI and its ever increasing creep into our daily lives is the subject of Data Centers. No matter where you are in the U.S, these massive racks of cooled PC parts have popped up in increasing numbers as a result of the still-inflating AI bubble across American industry and an infrastructure environment struggling to meet its demand for power. As a result of the widespread construction, this has sparked a variety of concerns across states and cities about data center’s power consumption, environmental impact, and what they mean for the people living near them.

Whether its as the malicious underlying influence in movies like Ari Aster’s Eddington, or the subject of increased investigation by figures like famous activist Erin Brockovich and her Brockovich Data Center Tracking Project, the public is uneasy with the number of windowless white buildings and racks of hardware in them cropping up, driving a number of responses across the nation.

States like New York have responded aggressively, with Governor Kathy Hochul setting the country’s first statewide moratorium on data center construction as the result of massive construction influx and concerns from localities and state governments, while others like Texas have allowed for plenty of construction, much to the consternation of rural communities feeling their costs.

For Florida’s part, the discussion is ongoing. Earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis recently passed SB 484, a measure designed to prevent utilities from passing on the costs of water and electricity from data centers onto residential and small business customers, and preserve local autonomy over the approval and refusal of new center construction statewide. For Florida’s working families, this is an important step in the right direction when it comes to combating the factors driving the rising cost of living in the Sunshine State.

As the campaign season rolls along though, voters are still having the data center discussion about which direction to go in, and the over 22 million dollars spent so far by data center supporters this election cycle suggest they’re not the only ones.

This week, the subject found its way into Florida campaigns such as that of gubernatorial Democratic candidate David Jolly, who has called for a full moratorium on data center construction in Florida until environmental, privacy, and safeguards are established. As an issue of bipartisan concern, the discussion has emerged in the GOP as well, with GOP gubernatorial front-runner Byron Donalds arguing that if data centers are built, Florida ratepayers should be shielded from their costs.

For Florida’s-and America’s-working families, the concerns about Data Centers are not ones to go away soon, but as we head into the primaries and election season, this increased responsiveness from our elected officials showcases a flexibility to the issue that could bode well for future change.

🍊Florida Labor News

A Message to Our Union Family: Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Power

From the desk of FL AFL-CIO President Kimberly Holdridge:

Sisters, Brothers, and Siblings in Solidarity,

Florida’s Primary Election is upon us, and once again, the strength of our movement depends on each of us showing up, speaking out, and standing together. Our vote is not just a civic duty — it is an extension of our collective power, our values, and our commitment to working people across this state.

Every election is an opportunity to shape the future of Florida’s labor movement. The candidates endorsed by the Florida AFL-CIO have demonstrated a clear commitment to protecting workers’ rights, expanding economic opportunity, and defending the dignity of working families. These are leaders who listen to us, fight alongside us, and understand that strong unions build strong communities.

I am asking each of you — union members, leaders, retirees, and activists — to make a plan to vote in the Florida Primary Election. Talk to your coworkers, your family, and your neighbors. Help someone get to the polls. Remind your fellow members what’s at stake. When union members vote, working people win.

No matter who leads an election, one thing is for certain, elections cost money! Whether it’s paying for staff, travel, mail, or even the small things like balloons and stickers, campaigns of every kind rely on money to stay alive and succeed. That includes our Labor 2026 campaign!

As we have and will continue to mention at length, Labor 2026 is our biggest opportunity to disrupt the stagnant status quo not just in Tallahassee, but across all of Florida. With a slew of candidates running and major offices like U.S Senate and Attorney General on the ballot, we hope not just to break the supermajority, but shift Florida back into a state that fights for working families at every level of government. To do that we need your help!

If you are willing and able, please consider a donation to the COPE Action Fund. This fund is 100% dedicated towards executing member to member programming for Labor 2026. Every single dollar spent by this fund is used to turn out the votes of our workers, whether that be through the production of materials for your CLCs, educational information on the candidates running, voter registration initiatives for locals, and more.

Please click this link to make a contribution.

Every donation helps, no matter how large or small, Together, we win!

If you are able, I also strongly encourage you to support our endorsed candidates financially. Even small contributions can help ensure that pro-worker voices can compete everywhere against the many well-funded interests that do not share our values. Your support, at any level, strengthens the path for leaders who will champion fair wages, safe workplaces, and the rights we have fought so hard to protect.

Our movement has never been about one person or one moment — it is about all of us, standing together in solidarity and purpose. Let’s show Florida the power of organized labor. Let’s vote. Let’s support our champions. And let’s continue building a future where every worker is respected, protected, and heard.

✊Solidarity Spotlight

TSA Officers to Fight Privatization Push at Tampa International Airport

As reported over the last several weeks, the fight for union survival still rages on across our sunshine state, as corporate interests seek to re-assert themselves in the wake of favorable administrations. This week, a new front emerged at Tampa International Airport, where AFGE made clear its intent to fight the move by Tampa International to join the TSA Gold+ Program, a public-private partnership screening program that would result in the increased privatization of employee positions and security equipment currently held by union labor, resulting in a loss of jobs and decreased reliability.

As reported by local outlets like the Tampa Bay Times:

“Before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, airlines mostly hired private contractors to conduct airport security. Travelers didn’t need to show a boarding pass or ID. After the attacks, the federal government founded the Transportation Security Administration to create security regulations.“

After last year’s unnecessarily extended federal government shutdowns however,

“The Trump administration has pushed for airports to privatize security after a government shutdown earlier this year created flight delays nationwide, including at Tampa International.

The American Federation of Government Employees represents Transportation Security Administration employees across the country. In a Tuesday news release, it said the Trump administration’s push “ignores lessons learned from the Sept. 11 attacks and other airline tragedies.”

Union work is reliable, trained, and quality. You can learn more about what the shift to increased privatization means in the follow-up article here.

🗓️On the Horizon

Will you stand with us and help us keep building on the momentum of the labor movement? Visit https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/ to check your voter registration, access election information, and make a plan to vote! See below for important dates to note as we head towards primary season.

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026 <— You are HERE
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Orlando
      • Wednesday, August 5th: Meet and Greet with David Jolly!
        • Join fellow union members and leaders for a private meet and greet with Florida AFL-CIO endorsed candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, David Jolly and Gwen Graham.
        • This event is space limited, and as such is invitation only, with advance registration required. You can RSVP on Mobilize at this link. The full location and building instructions will be provided via email after you RSVP.
    • Tampa
      • Tuesday, July 28: Protect Our Post Office Action! (9:00AM)
        • The Post Office is the beating heart of communities across America. But from the threat of privatization, to mail slowdowns, a postal financial crunch, and the attack on vote-by-mail, our public Postal Service is under attack.
        • Join Local 259 and APWU members across the country on July 28 at 9am in Carrollwood to rally to protect our post office! Sign up on the Action Network!
      • Tuesday, July 28: Rep. Kathy Castor Social Security/Medicare Cupcake Party (10:00AM)
        • As America’s Medicare/Medicaid program turns 61 this year, join Rep. Kathy Castor, APWU, FLARA, and other members of West Central Florida’s labor community for a party to celebrate another year of Social Security and Medicare and learn how to take action to preserve these important programs for future generations.
        • The event is taking place at the Fair Oaks Park Community Center in Tampa, FL!
  • South Florida
    • Hollywood
      • Saturday, August 29th: Broward County 2026 Labor Ball
        • South Florida siblings should mark their calendars for the arrival of the 2026 Labor Ball! Taking place in Hollywood Florida, join fellow union members and community leaders for a night of celebration, solidarity, and more!
        • This is a ticketed event, with dress code and registration required. You can register at this link or email browardaflcio@gmail.com for more information.

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

This week’s New Yorker cartoon reminds us that even in relaxation, we’re never too far from a bit of regulation. Stay safe out there!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 7/17. It is one month until the Florida Primaries! It’s an exciting time for the 3rd largest state in the union to finally be able to chime in on a political conversation so far dominated by our kin in northern states.

You’ll see us mention it several times this issue, but elections are the most critical part of our democracy and the most directly impactful thing you can do to make your voice as a citizen heard. Primaries are an essential step in that process, where the voters inform their parties and candidates about the direction they want to see their representatives move.

As such, we encourage all of our members, no matter your party registration nor political leaning, to make your voice heard in the primaries and let your parties and candidates know what kind of values, policies, and ideas you want to see represent you and Florida’s working families this November!

🏛️Legislative News

Wait, Who is in the Lead? (A Quick Primer on Polling.)

Though we haven’t spotted any tumbleweeds in the streets here yet, you may have noticed most of the politicos of Florida have shifted much of their attention from the Capitol and its ongoing construction towards coverage of Florida’s many mid-term election campaigns. The hot topic of headlines heading into the primaries has talked a lot around polling and who has the lead heading into August.

Take the Governor’s race for instance. No matter where you look, the common consensus among pollsters is that the two leads in Florida right now are Byron Donalds in the Republican Primary and the FL AFL-CIO Endorsed David Jolly in the Democratic Primary.

If you ask either of them, they’re comfortable in their momentum. Byron Donalds for instance points to polls that show him as the favorite of 48% of Republican primary voters for instance, with competitors like Jay Collins at 9%. But hold on, Jay Collins is saying that his polls show that he’s actually at 20%! So who is actually in the lead here? What does “up 40 points” mean? What’s a point? What’s the point? Should I even bother voting if its decided?

The short answer is that the “lead” doesn’t really matter. Until election day, no one has won. It’s you, the voter, who tells us that. Until then, the candidates will have to earn your vote and their victory.

The long answer is that polls are simultaneously one of the most touted and least explained parts of politics. Even I get puzzled at polls sometimes, and I took classes on them!

Thankfully, we’re not the only ones to feel this way, and the pollsters know that too! That’s why some of them, like the good folks at the infamous Pew Research Center or the New York Times have put together excellent resources to help break down not just the importance of polls, but how to interpret them and what they really mean.

Not all polls are created equal, and things such as the pollster, the size of the sample, and the time frame are all important indicators as to a poll’s reliability. A good golden rule of thumb though is to never put too much stock in a single poll, because after all- a poll is just a measure of how people are feeling at a given point in time. The real decision comes on election day, so to make sure your candidate wins, you gotta vote!

As we head into election season, take some time to familiarize yourself with polls and how they work, so you know how to tell the BS apart from the bellwethers. As we prepare to elect the best Florida candidates for working families, you know we will do the same!

🍊Florida Labor News

Donate to COPE to help Labor 2026 Win!

No matter who leads an election, one thing is for certain, elections cost money! Whether its paying for staff, travel, mail, or even the small things like balloons and stickers, campaigns of every kind rely on money to stay alive and succeed. That includes the Labor 2026 campaign! (Well maybe not the balloons.)

We mentioned it at our COPE Convention, Labor 2026 is a huge opportunity to not just disrupt the stagnant status quo not just in Tallahassee, but statewide! With a slew of candidates running for major offices like U.S Senate and Attorney General, we hope not to just break the state’s supermajority control of both chambers, but shift Florida back into a state that fights for working families at every level! To do that we need your help!

If you are willing and able, please consider a donation to the COPE Action Fund. This fund is 100% dedicated towards executing member to member programming for Labor 2026. Every single dollar spent by this fund is used to turn out the votes of our workers, whether that be through the production of materials for your CLCs, educational information on the candidates running, voter registration initiatives for locals, and more. Every donation helps, no matter how large or small, so please consider donating!

Please scan and share the QR code above or click this link to make a contribution. Together, we win!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

The Fight Continues in a Post SB 1296 State University System

Though we have a little bit of proximity bias (the state federation offices are located in a city with not just one, but three major universities), we are confident to say that no matter where you are in Florida, unions continue to be a critical part of our public universities. By advocating for the better pay and working conditions for the staff and students that run them, they ensure that under all the college sports rivalries and esteemed alumni, our universities are able to continue to meet and exceed their reputations as some of the best in the country.

Since the anti-union Senate Bill 1296 took effect on the same week as Independence Day, unions everywhere have been feeling the pressure. Still, we have been proud to see the resilience of our labor family as they continue to demonstrate their own strength and independence in the face of this adversity. This week we want to give some attention and show solidarity to some of those efforts happening across the SUS.

This week for instance, a significant victory was achieved at the University of Central Florida, where, as reported by AFSCME’s Mark McCullough, the hardworking men and women of AFSCME Local 3345 voted 62% in favor of re-certifying their union. AFSCME Florida Administrator James Spears best put it:

“The University of Central Florida is one of Florida’s premier colleges because of the employees that make it happen. When workers have a union contract they can ensure they have what is needed to do the best jobs possible.“

We’ve also seen our higher education kin empowered after recent judicial rulings struck down unconstitutional measures to police campus speech when the “Stop WOKE Act” was rebuked in federal court last week.

Still, elsewhere the battle continues, such as at Tallahassee’s own Florida State University, where the garnet and gold made headlines this week for all the wrong reasons when the Board of Trustees offered zero salary or merit raises to their faculty and graduate assistant unions of UFF and GAU in recent negotiations, concerning university staff who continue to face rising costs of living in a city and university of increasing demand.

No matter where the fight is, we want to be clear: we will always stand with our working families and support their fight for better labor conditions. In the third most populous state in the country, and the world’s 14th largest economy, with universities whose endowments can reach billions, it should never be about the money.

🗓️On the Horizon

Will you stand with us and help us keep building on the momentum of the labor movement? Visit https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/ to check your voter registration, access election information, and make a plan to vote! See below for important dates to note as we head towards primary season.

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026 <— You are HERE
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
• Digital
  • Thursday, June 23rd: It’s Better in a Union: Labor 2026 Kickoff
    • Join the National AFL-CIO as they kick off their nationwide Labor 2026 initiative. Members of the labor family no matter how large or local are encouraged to attend as to discuss the national’s “Union P.O.W.E.R” training initiative, voter protection program, and upcoming opportunities for engagement.
    • You can RSVP on Mobilize at this link.
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.
• Regional
  • Central Florida
    • Orlando
      • Wednesday, August 5th: Meet and Greet with David Jolly!
        • Join fellow union members and leaders for a private meet and greet with Florida AFL-CIO endorsed candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, David Jolly and Gwen Graham.
        • This event is space limited, and as such is invitation only, with advance registration required. You can RSVP on Mobilize at this link. The full location and building instructions will be provided via email after you RSVP.
    • Tampa
      • Tuesday, July 28: Protect Our Post Office Action!
        • The Post Office is the beating heart of communities across America. But from the threat of privatization, to mail slowdowns, a postal financial crunch, and the attack on vote-by-mail, our public Postal Service is under attack.
        • Join Local 259 and APWU members across the country on July 28 at 9am in Carrollwood to rally to protect our post office! Sign up on the Action Network!

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/aflcio/
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

This week’s New Yorker cartoon brought up a great question asked by many workers in today’s world. Though we can relate to the anxieties, rest assured, you can find the answer to this one without a magic ball. “Will robots take my job in a good way or a bad way?” They won’t let them deny you a job if we have anything to say about it.

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 7/10. On the back end of America’s 250th Fourth of July weekend (which we hope you all enjoyed safely and memorably), Florida’s working patriots have returned this week to the summer grindstone ahead of the November midterms. Still, we hope as you aim to beat the heat that you are all taking plenty of breaks and long earned vacation days, staying cool or keeping your cool no matter what the week throws at you. Here is a review of what you may have missed while at the pool.

🏛️Legislative News

Florida’s STOP WOKE Act Struck Down in Federal Court

As our third branch of government, a great deal of us look to our Judiciary as the last means to push back against the excesses of the executive and legislative when they go against will and principles of the people they serve. This is true no matter where you are in the nation, and as the U.S Supreme Court handed down a myriad of mixed rulings last week, upholding essential rights like Birthright Citizenship and potentially stripping others like TPS Status for Immigrant Workers (a great deal of whom have found refuge in Florida), American faith in our courts has been an uneasy one.

This is also true in our Sunshine State, but where some federal rulings have enabled our Legislature to run awry with attempts at discrimination like with the ram-through redistricting done earlier this year, others have allowed Florida’s working families to make the case against some of the anti-worker legislation steamrolled over the past few years and show them for what they really are.

This week, one of those cases was made successfully when a Federal appeals court this week struck down the higher education provisions of the 2022 Stop W.O.K.E Act. The STOP W.O.K.E Act for those in need of a reminder is a piece of culture war classroom censorship that has sought to muzzle our educators from being able to teach about topics such as race and gender in schools and workplaces.

An Orwellian step of government overreach when it passed, the bill’s true face has been revealed in previous rulings striking down its ability to control free speech in the workplace, though this time the court’s ruling cuts through the talking points to the defense of Florida’s higher education teachers, workers, and students:

“Florida’s salary-for-speech rule is a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the State’s own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry—classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth.”

As noted by the ACLU, who served as Plaintiff in one of the cases:

“this decision the first time an appellate court has considered the constitutionality of this censorship movement, with implications for educators nationwide who are subject to related.”

The Governor for his part ironically pouted that the ruling is an example of judicial overreach, though we struggle to see the part where our system of checks and balances working to preserve our first amendment right is doing anything but preventing overreach. This is what government looks like when it works for the people, but we wouldn’t blame him for not being familiar.

🍊Florida Labor News

Workers Continue to Stand as TPS Status Still Lingers in South Florida

As mentioned earlier, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Immigrant Workers continues to stand on shaky ground in Florida made further so after the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Homeland Security’s decision to revoke and assign it is immune from review from the courts. For workers in South Florida, the removal of TPS could be devastating to the stability of the South Florida community and economy and more importantly, the lives of over 150,000 Haitian workers seeking refuge from a dangerous crisis at home.

Since February, we’ve spoken of how working families including those with UNITE HERE 355 and SEIU32BJ have gathered in solidarity to call for extensions since February, with minor reprieves given. This week, that trend continues, with U.S Immigration services today further extending the expiration deadline until July 24th hours after a rally in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood on Thursday and one today at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The ongoing situation underscores not just the strength and tenacity of South Florida’s labor community, but also the need for a more permanent solution to the problem. We stand in solidarity with our kin as they navigate towards that end.

✊Solidarity Spotlight

WLRN Public Radio Ratifies First Union Contract!

Almost a full year after the federal government cut billions in funding for public media like NPR and its affiliates, and after months of bargaining in the state and environment that wrought SB 1296, the staff of WLRN-FM has proven that despite the pressures, public media continues to be an essential part of our local communities and its workers deserve to be considered and compensated all the same.

This Tuesday, Miami’s public radio, represented by SAG-AFTRA, ratified their very first union contract with a loud and clear 100% of the bargaining unit in approval. As best put by the workers themselves in a statement:

“At a time when public media and the journalism industry as a whole are under increasing pressure, it’s more important than ever to have a seat at the table. We’re much stronger with our contract in effect, and we can focus on the important work that South Florida relies on.”

Now I am biased as a product of public media myself, but I think its safe to say that Florida’s working families everywhere are glad to see another successful effort at Florida workers getting the pay, respect, and support they deserve. Locals can tune into WLRN at 91.3 FM in Miami, and in Palm Beach County on 104.7 FM.

🗓️On the Horizon

Florida AFL-CIO President Urges Members to Register to Vote for 2026 Midterms

Direct from the desk of Florida AFL-CIO President Kimberly Holdridge:

There’s a lot at stake in the 2026 midterm elections for working families. Protecting the right to organize, expanding collective bargaining rights to build a more equitable work environment, and the education of our children are all on the ballot. In order to do that, we need to break the super-majority in Tallahassee and elect candidates willing to fight for our values!

Will you stand with us and help us keep building on the momentum of the labor movement? Visit https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/ to check your voter registration, access election information, and make a plan to vote! See below for important dates to note as we head towards primary season.

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
• Digital
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings:
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention last month may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at MedicaidFlorida.org
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

Summer Movie Recommendation: I Love Boosters

Looking for a movie to get your organizing blood flowing or just wind down after a day in the heat? Here’s a recommendation! (Note: This suggestion reflects the recommendations of the author and author alone and not the movie tastes of the entire FL AFL-CIO staff.)

It’s not often that a movie hits a chord with organized labor so resonantly, but that’s what Boot’s Riley’s latest film I Love Boosters did when it flew under the radar earlier this May! Though its premise seems simple, following exploits of community activists shoplifting clothes from a major fashion retailer, it grows into a much more broader narrative on where the real thievery takes place between corporations and their workers. It’s best summarized by Dominic Griffin of the Baltimore Beat:

“the beauty in “Boosters” is how magnificently it illustrates the sum total of these gripes as one multipronged struggle that can only be overcome through solidarity and collective bargaining amongst the aggrieved.“

On top of the core message, it also features some absurdist comedy and visuals that inspire the viewer as much as they emphasize the looney-tunes like relationship between some companies and the people that make them run (and what can be done to change it.)

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 7/2. With this weekend marking the United States Semiquincentennial (how’s that for a scrabble word?), we wanted to begin by wishing you all a safe, happy, and enjoyable Fourth of July Weekend. It’s a once in a lifetime occasion, with 250 years of American History to look back on! Ours is a nation built on a complex and groundbreaking history too broad to summarize in a simple blurb, at times full of conflict and contradiction, but also undeniable growth, ambition, and progress. We are proud to have a national history and citizenry so dedicated to the pursuit of a different and better future built on the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are grateful to be able to push for that future with each and every one of you every day. Happy Independence Day!

Before you get into the fireworks and cake, just a quick recap of the week’s news.

🏛️Legislative News

The State Budget is Signed

“So the budget that I’ll sign today, after doing my line item vetoes, will represent the fourth straight year in Florida that we’ve actually reduced our state budget. Who else is doing that?”

So boasted Governor DeSantis this week as he put the finishing touches on his final state budget. We’ve been tracking this for some weeks so we know we don’t need to fill in the gaps about the several delays and special sessions that led us here. Instead, let’s talk about what’s finally in it- and more notably, what’s not.

A number of different parties have taken a deep dive into some of the 117 Billion Dollars worth of spending plans, allocations, member projects and more. Florida TaxWatch for instance put out its annual “Budget Turkey” List, documenting some of the millions in final appropriations and projects that snuck their way in the budget outside of the normal process and behind the closed doors of legislators. They, among others, noted that the majority of these final appropriations were member projects, where funds are set aside for projects within a specific legislator’s districts and counties, such as new/updated facilities at colleges across the FCS, parks and rec, public safety programs, and more.

We mention these projects because as we have written, member projects and the budget represent the final pieces of political capital spent by legislators and the Governor in the personal game of politics– often at the expense of spending where Floridians actually need it. And despite any statements to the contrary, Governor DeSantis has been clear about what the means.

Our siblings over at the Florida Education Association (FEA) gave a closer look into how some of the budget politics played out with education funding and for teacher pay, with private school vouchers receiving over 4 billion dollars of taxpayer funds, while increases to public school teacher raises and base student spending were below keeping up with inflation, failing to meet the needs of our public educators, families, and students.

Independent investigative reporter Jason Garcia gave an even deeper look behind the curtain, contrasting what was cut, such as $700,000 for United Way of Florida to provide free tax-prep services to working class families across the state, versus what was deemed responsible spending, like $1.4 Million earmarked for an anti-communism course produced by a faith-based company linked to Mike Huckabee that has produced hits such as “The Kids Guide to DOGE” and “The Kid’s Guide to Ron DeSantis” (not a joke). So much for catching Waste, Fraud, and Abuse!

🍊Florida Labor News

Senate Bill 1296 Goes Into Effect, But Our Unions Will Remain Undeterred

It was our least favorite moment of this past legislative session, when the Florida House was joined by the Florida Senate in passing the union-busting attack on our public sector workers, SB 1296. The out-of-state, billionaire backed bill built on the horrible work of 2023 SB 256, and further expands registration and renewal requirements for unions, including more reporting, higher membership thresholds, the possibility of decertification if membership density in a bargaining unit falls below 60 percent, and requiring 50% of the unit to participate in the election. The bill was signed crudely on May Day, but now officially takes effect as of July 1st.

Let us be clear: Florida’s Unions will endure. Despite the many attempts to restrict it or constrain it, whether in 2023 or now, all Floridians have made clear their constitutional right to collectively bargain. We have repeatedly demonstrated (and will continue to demonstrate) solidarity and strength in our conviction to exercise that right, no matter how much the bar is raised. As we organize, whether for the first time, or for the next time, our working families continue to show every single day that worker power is real power.

Buses don’t move without the people that build them and drive them. The stores don’t sell without the people to run them, and the next generation of Florida’s brightest can’t learn to shine without teachers to guide them. Whether it is Starbucks employees cracking the corporate hold on Red Cup Day, university employees forcing management back to table for new and fairer contracts, or workers putting together the stadiums we celebrate in, Florida’s unions continue to succeed because they are always by and for the people that make them work. As long as corporate interests or the legislators that they fund continue to fail to realize that, Florida’s working families will continue to be here to remind them.

We will organize and stand and raise hell- in solidarity always.

✊Solidarity Spotlight

Florida Teamsters Authorize Strike and Win!

Speaking of organizing and standing together, that’s just what Penske workers represented by Teamsters Locals 79, 512, 541, 618, and 769 did this week!

Per an official release from the International Teamsters on Monday, Teamster Locals in both Florida and Missouri authorized a work stoppage amidst tense negotiations with the multi-billion dollar Penske transportation company. The escalation was taken after Penske management attempted to renege on previous tentative agreements on health plans and proposed to freeze pensions and deny fair wage increases. Put nicely by Brother Mike Schanuth, a Penske Teamster from Local 541 and member of the bargaining committee:

“It’s long past due for our employer to get serious. The clock is ticking.”

Then, they got serious! The strike authorization action helped pressure management towards a more fair deal, resulting today in a tentative agreement for our southern region locals, with the Teamsters Facebook breaking the news and announcing unanimous support from negotiators. The move now goes to the membership for final ratification.

We are proud of our Teamsters siblings, and are thankful for them providing us with a timely reminder of the strength of (and results that come from) working people when they stand together.

🗓️On the Horizon

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings:
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.

🛠️Business Board

Let’s Get Medicaid Expansion On the 2028 Ballot!

Attendees of our COPE Convention last month may recall one of our signature workshops by the Florida Policy Institute’s Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Holly Bullard, on the important topic of Medicaid Expansion in Florida. Off of the positive reception to her workshop, we wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the important and growing fight to finally get it done in Florida.

Over 15 years, Medicaid Expansion bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature, and have gone nowhere. This is all despite the fact that 75% of Florida voters support expansion, including a majority of Republicans. All the while, years of inaction have left over 3.5 million Floridians in a growing gap with no healthcare, increasing premiums, and billions left on the table in federal funds that could easily alleviate the issue. It’s time to change this un-necessary and awful reality, and Florida’s working families are key to getting it done.

Florida Decides Healthcare is leading a citizen-led ballot initiative to expand Medicaid and cover over one million Floridians who fall through the cracks: workers who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance. These are our siblings who show up every day and still can’t afford to see a doctor. With an unresponsive legislature, it’s time the voters forced action on the issue themselves. Since the legislature cracked down on citizens having a say in their own constitution last year, we’re hitting the ground early on this effort for 2028. Here’s how you can help:

Here’s the ask. It takes one minute:

1. Request your petition at MedicaidFlorida.org
2. It arrives by mail. Sign it.
3. Mail it back. That’s it.

Your signature moves Medicaid expansion one step closer to Florida voters, and one step closer to healthcare for a million of your fellow Floridians. In a state that seeks to silence its voters, every single signature counts, so feel free to share the link with your coworkers, family, neighbors, and union siblings statewide.

All Florida workers deserve affordable healthcare. This is how we show up and make it happen.

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but a national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

📸Bonus Bulletin

Furry Friends of Labor!

Last week we sent out an all call for some of our furry friends of Labor across the state and you responded! We end this week spotlighting the good vibes (and definitely not bad breath) of Bruiser, the furry friend of IBEW Local 108’s own Jennifer Bettancourt. Brutus is known as “the Tiny Terror of the Trades”, or so I personally think would be a cool nickname for him at least. Thank you Sister Bettancourt for sharing Bruiser with us!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 6/26. This week marks the final full one of June, and as July approaches, so too do the infamous “dog days of summer.” As we prep for the road to November, make sure that in between all of your hard work you stay hydrated and cool. The path to a brighter Florida requires solidarity AND sunscreen. All protected? Good, let’s get into the week’s news.

🏛️Legislative News

Governor DeSantis Receives the Budget for the Last Time

This Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis received his final slew of bills from the legislature, including the 2026 General Appropriations Act A.K.A The Budget. The bills also reflect the final slew of bills he may ever receive (knock on wood without another special session) from the legislature in his now 8 year long career as Florida’s Governor. With a career of backing some of the most restrictive and harmful anti-worker bills in Florida’s history such as 2023’s SB 256 and this year’s SB 1296, as well as a tenure dominated by culture wars, increasing school privatization, and personality politics, we hope that November’s elections signal the return of a more restrained and courteous politics, one that puts working families above corporations, rather than below them. Remember though: that outcome is going to be dependent on us, the voters!

As we have been making regular note throughout this year’s unusually slow budget process, you’ll remember that despite the legislature being done with the politics of this session, the governor and his line-item veto will ultimately get the final say on the funding that affects Florida’s working families. We can expect his office and staff to spend the next week or so carving out member projects of those opposite him and other spending areas that he deems unnecessary. Rest assured though, we will be watching this step closely to make sure further damage to key areas like education funding does not go unnoticed or unopposed.

🍊Florida Labor News

Endorsements Are Out, Labor 2026 is In!

Last week, we released our first batch of endorsements by the FL AFL-CIO for candidates and campaigns across the state. Coming out of COPE 2026, we emerged with our first slate of endorsements for statewide offices like the campaign of David Jolly and Gwen Graham, congressional seats like that belonging to friend of labor Representative Darren Soto and even races for our state legislature like our newly elected union member brother and defending incumbent, State Senator Brian Nathan! We are excited by what this field of races represents in the opportunity to not just take back Florida for working families, but build a brighter Florida for all of us.

To see the full list of affirmative endorsements as chosen by our delegates and COPE committee, you are encouraged to check out the full list of campaigns on our website under our endorsement press release.

For members seeking for a full list or outcomes of all considered seats and actions, you are encouraged to get in touch with your local CLC field staff for more information! Remember, the road to November is long, and as primaries resolve and campaigns develop, we’ll be sure to notify you of new endorsements and more as they arrive!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

FL AFL-CIO President Kim Holdridge Recognized in AFL-CIO’s Pride Month Profiles

President Holdridge, left, flanked by Secretary-Treasurer Maira Rivera at the recent FL AFL-CIO COPE Convention.

Credit to West Central FL’s Alec Wilcosky for the following write up on this special recognition!

For Pride Month this year, the National AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ workers who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. This week, Tuesday, June 23rd featured the profile of President Kimberly Holdridge of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE):

Kimberly Holdridge serves proudly as the president of the Florida AFL-CIO. She has been an IATSE Local 631 organizer and leader in the labor movement for over 35 years following service in the U.S. Air Force. Within a state whose government continues to attack, minimize and restrict the freedoms of LGBTQIA+ individuals, Holdridge has remained undeterred and unabashed in her pride.

On behalf of the FL AFL-CIO family, thank you Kim for your leadership, and happy pride to all of those who have been celebrating love, in whatever form and shape it takes for you whether this month or all year!

🗓️On the Horizon

• Statewide
  • Important Primary Election Dates!
    • Ahead of the general, Florida’s registered voters must first decide their candidates in the primaries.
      • NOTE: As a closed primary state, only registered partisans can vote in a party primary here in Florida.
      • NPAs should not count themselves down and out though, as they can participate in a number of races across the state involving primaries for non-partisan office such as school board officials and judges.
      • Every voter is encouraged to check with their local supervisor of elections to find out what races are happening near you to ensure you can make your voice heard.
    • Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important primary dates from the Division of Elections:
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: July 4, 2026
      • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: July 9 – 16, 2026
      • Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: July 20, 2026
      • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: August 6, 2026
      • Primary Early Voting (mandatory period): August 8 – 15, 2026
      • Primary Election Day: August 18, 2026
  • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings:
    • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AM EST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
    • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly invitation.

🛠️Business Board

• FREE Trainings from the National AFL-CIO: The National AFL-CIO provides free virtual training sessions leaders and members of all of its State Federations, Area Labor Federations, CLCs and Affiliates. This list of training courses is updated regularly and covers a myriad of topics such as honing political skills, issue specific communications, and more. This page is updated regularly, so please visit and bookmark this link to stay informed and learn more about what is currently available to sign-up for in order to take your labor skills and knowledge to the next level!

• P.O.W.E.R Trainings and Pledge: Labor 2026 represents not just a statewide, but national opportunity for change to build a better future for all of those in organized labor. To achieve victory, we’ll need as much help as we can get! Ahead of November, take the P.O.W.E.R pledge to:
  • Protect: Protecting the vote and ensuring every member can safely cast their ballot.
  • Organize: Organize new labor strongholds led by workers.
  • Win: Win crucial races that determine the future of workers’ rights.
  • Engage: Engage our baseline through authentic peer-to-peer contact.
  • Right Now: Mobilize Right Now. Action today creates victory tomorrow.

📸Bonus Bulletin

A Call To Action for Friendly and Furry Faces

Did you know that today was #TakeYourDogToWorkDay? What better time to kick off the dog days then with dogs themselves! Still, you’ve seen some of the furry friends marching ans sniffing around Tallahassee, and we want to see some of yours. We end this week putting out a call to you: Got a fluffy friend of labor of your own? Send us a photo at info@flaflcio.org and we may spread their kindness and solidarity statewide in our next newsletter!

Note: This call is not put out to just dogs. Our labor leadings Cats, Rodents, and Lizards are all welcome too!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 6/19! Returning from a short week hiatus, we’re back with a special edition to recap the 2026 FL AFL-CIO COPE Convention. Over the last weekend, over 200 member delegates from across all of our CLCS and unions met in Lake Buena Vista, FL to make their voices heard, meet candidates, and voting on resolutions and endorsements as part of our biennial endorsement process. Let’s get into how it went below!

Solidarity in Central Florida

Gathering in the gorgeous Lake Buena Vista Palace Hilton that held our biennial convention last year, over 200 member delegates met on Saturday, June 14th, to kick off a weekend of discussion, screenings, workshops, and solidarity. FL AFL-CIO President Kimberly Holdridge led the ceremonies with a presentation of the colors by Scout Troop 957 from nearby Clermont, FL and an invocation by Reverend Steve Rosebrock

The Convention featured a number of guest speakers this year, including Central Florida CLC President Brother Eric Clinton, Florida House Representative/Mayoral Candidate Dr. Anna Eskamani, Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore Tracie Davis, and an in-depth political presentation by our own Director of Politics and Public Policy, Dr. Rich Templin on Saturday. The political presentation also featured some much needed clarification on Florida’s best Football team. Hint: They come from Duuuuvaaalll!

Workshops, Conversations, and Catching Up!

In between all the deliberation and business of the day, COPE served another role all weekend: bringing the Florida labor family together! Over meals, drinks, and endless conversations, we caught up over the year at large, what’s to come, and the universal truth: that it’s always better in a union.

We also featured robust workshops on some of the most important issues to face this upcoming election, Changes in Election Law and the need for Medicaid Expansion in Florida. A special thanks to Amy Keith, Executive Director of Common Cause Florida and Holly Bullard, Chief Strategy & Development Office of the Florida Policy Institute respectively for setting up these workshops and spending time with us this weekend to discuss these critical issues for Florida voters.

Candidates, Candidates, and More Candidates!

It wouldn’t be an endorsing convention without anyone to endorse! Saturday night’s festivities concluded with our 2026 COPE Candidate Reception, which featured over 150+ attendees and political candidates and elected officials from across the political spectrum eager to meet Florida’s working families. Highlights included Gubernatorial candidates like the now endorsed David Jolly & Gwen Graham, Congressmen Darren Soto & Maxwell Frost, and even state leaders such as Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell and Representative Dotie Joseph.

The campaign turnout and interest wasn’t for each other either. All candidates, whether incumbent or not, were eager to meet with our delegates and members, signaling strongly that despite all the attempts at union busting from Tallahassee, Florida’s organized labor continues to remain among the state’s most consistent and formidable political forces. That’s all thanks to YOU!

Endorsements and Excitement for the Future

On Sunday, we kicked things off with some words from Florida House Representative Leonard Spencer and keynote speaker Jose Javier Rodriguez, the FL AFL-CIO’s early endorsed candidate for Florida’s Attorney General. Both speakers filled us with motivation as we looked forward to an election not just to undo the damage done in recent legislative cycles, but build a coalition of labor advocates who will build a brighter Florida for all of us.

After their openings, delegates cast their final votes on a slew of different resolutions, amendments, and endorsements! To see the full list of the latter, see our recent announcement of the state federation’s first slate of congressional, statewide, and state legislature candidates for the 2026 election!

A Moment of Thanks

As we take the time for a moment of breath after a busy convention, we wanted to take this moment to thank some of the unsung heroes who helped organize this incredible weekend! You know them, you love them- our state federation staff! A huge thanks to Dana Shumate, Danielle Thomas, Alec Wilcosky, Stephan Rahmdor, Trevor Sweet, Danny Diaz, Carlos Jimenez, Pablo De Leon & Addie Britt from the National AFL-CIO, Rich Templin, Maira Rivera, Madame President Kimberly Holdridge, Laverne Davis and William Lawson- Convention Manager and Organizer extraordinaire

The future of Florida is bright, and we are so excited to work towards it with you this Election year!

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org