Florida Labor Letter – Here Comes the Sun(shine state Primaries) (Week of 8/14)

Daniel Diaz |

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

Photo Credit: McKenna Scheuler/Orlando Weekly

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
      • 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
    • 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

🛠️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.

📸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

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