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