Florida Labor Letter – Where is the Finish Line? (Week of 3/6)

Daniel Diaz |

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 3/6. As we approach what would usually be the second to last week of the Florida Legislative Session, many in the state are going…”is this still going on?” to which we humbly reply “I guess so!” With no budget agreement in sight, only an astonishing 15 bills actually making it to the governor’s desk so far, and one week left until the scheduled Sine Die, an extended session and/or several special sessions are all but certain. Let’s get into what that means for Florida’s working families and the issues below!

🏛️Legislative Session: Week of 1/30

All Eyes on SB 1296

Last week, our Special Edition of the Florida Labor Letter made a statewide call to action on SB 1296, a dangerous piece of anti-union legislation that has been pushed all session long not by Floridians, but out of state interests dead set on erasing working families constitutional rights to collectively bargain and speak for themselves. Thankfully, our working families answered the call! Bolstered by the actions of our labor family statewide last week, media coverage over the weekend of SB 1296 ahead of its Monday committee hearing shot up, with a lengthy investigative report by CBS Miami’s Jim Defede, who took a deep dive into the forces behind SB 1296, the Freedom Foundation, and their true motives. To quote what is now obvious:

“The Freedom Foundation has never been shy about what its real intention is – which is to eliminate public sector unions. On their website – under a banner that reads “Why We Fight” – they argue that “government unions are a root cause of every growing national dysfunction in America.”

Meanwhile, while the public was beginning to take notice, Working Families Lobby Corps members and more took advantage of the momentum to gather in force in Tallahassee for Monday’s Senate Fiscal Policy Committee, where SB 1296 faced its final stop before the Senate Floor. Beginning at the crack of Dawn, members across Florida’s public sector gathered in the FEA offices to learn about the bill and plan for testimony.

Thanks to the tireless work of our organizers over the weekend and graciousness of city officials, we held a massive Press Conference in front of Tallahassee’s City Hall right before the committee, where the Capitol Press Corps and local news outlets covered our message that SB 1296 is an attack on all of our rights and that amidst a serious cost of living crisis and host of other issues, infringing on Floridian’s ability to pursue and advocate for a better life is not on the list of things lawmakers need to be working on. You can watch the full press conference on our Facebook here.

From city hall, our members marched to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy, where we packed the room all day in solidarity. The pressure from Working Families made clear the displeasure of the public on SB 1296, and their passionate testimony not only forced an amendment on the bill to lower the election threshold for unions to certify, but also gave powerful experiences that Senators would go on to cite in opposition in the Senate Floor later on in the week. (but more on that in a second)

Week 8 at Large

With the postponement of Property Tax Reform until after session, Re-districting in April, and no budget certainty, our “unified” majority has provided alarmingly little clarity on the direction of where things head next, but based on past experience, we can predict this session to be extended in some form or called for special session again. For Working Families this has two sides to the coin.

  • The Cons: Lawmakers continue to postpone addressing the ACTUAL issues, and let political egos dominate the conversation, conveniently forgetting there is an election in November.
  • The Pros: Special Sessions are often narrowly tailored and strictly timed, and do not traditionally allow the introduction or revival of formerly dead nefarious issues. Though we knock on wood, there is hope that with campaigning still to do and the bad optics of a supposed supermajority struggling for two years in a row to finish on time, that lawmakers will finally kick it into high gear and let what has been buried stay buried.

Following an extremely eventful Monday, WFLC settled into the rest of the week 8, using their initial momentum to continue in their fierce advocacy on the remaining living issues left in the process as the budget pressure leads to more and more bills dying. Here are some of the highlights:

  • On the Ground Letter Actions
    • Responsive to the dynamic movements of bills, WFLC members in Week 8 stayed on their feet as we completed several one-page letter drops off to members of the Florida Senate and House on different bills like SB 1296 and HB 1451- which was silently amended to overwrite the decision of voters in Gainesville to control of their own utilities. Though these bills continued to see progress, our actions made clear that there was no hiding from these issues in the Capitol building, and illuminated the shady forces behind them.
  • Ideological Differences Emerge on the Chamber Floors (SB 1632/HB 1471)
    • The bills allowing a political appointee to designate any organization a “Domestic Terror Organization” are one of the few to persist in these closing weeks, having passed the Florida House swiftly on Tuesday and arriving in the Senate on Thursday.
    • As has been the trend of the session, members of the upper chamber were far more troubled with the bill than the House by its vague definition of terms like “Promote” and the many freedom of speech issues with the bill. Senate Sponsor Erin Grall took up an amendment to the House version in an attempt to ameliorate some of these issues, offering narrowed definitions around promotion on college campuses and elsewhere, but the bill was still bitterly contested in its final vote, passing along a barely held party line in the majority.
    • What’s Next: Having taken up and amended the House version, the bill returns to the lower chamber for either re-approval and passing along to the governor, or re-amended and tossed back. As the deadline of next Friday looms, we are watching this bill Week 9 approaches.
  • SB 1296 Faces the Heat on the Senate Floor
    • Having narrowly passed Fiscal Policy with promise and adoption of the amendment discussed above, Senators across the aisle were blindsided on Thursday by the bill sponsor’s sudden filing and adoption of new amendments on the Senate Floor rolling back the amendment negotiated in Monday’s committee.
    • In an extensive and intense Q&A session in which bill sponsor Jonathan Martin once again struggled to explain his new changes and defend the reveal of the bill’s Freedom Foundation influence, the bill was chastised by even Republican Senators who (thanks to YOUR public efforts on Monday) voiced frustration with having to support something their constituents so clearly and deeply opposed earlier and with changes not discussed with them.
    • What’s Next: The public pressure and coverage of this bill and the political behind the scene pressure on Senators continues to force this bill into uncertainty even at the time of writing, debate continues on even taking up the issue again for its actual final vote. As the House (and public at large) await the Senate’s decision, we will be watching this bill over the weekend. As long as SB 1296 still hasn’t been voted on, you can still use your voice to help push it back from the finish line, and we encourage you to write or call your Senators to OPPOSE SB 1296
  • Amending the Florida Labor Pool Crosses the Senate Finish Line (SB 1112)
    • One of the most remarkable and encouraging things to happen this session has been the continuously unanimous passage of a rare Pro-Labor piece of Florida legislation throughout the committees of the Florida Senate. As has been the trend all session long, the full Senate chamber today gave praise and unanimous support for this bill and its effort to make Lobby Pools more transparent and remove their ability to gate keep temp workers from full time jobs with exorbitant placement fees.
    • What’s Next: Eyes remain on the House to take up or work this bill with the time remaining, and with the Senate’s enthusiasm, our members are working actively to chart the path for it in the days left or in next session.

🍊Florida Labor News

1296 in the Spotlight Statewide!

We won’t continue to ramble on SB 1296 beyond the above. You get it. BUT we do want to give a huge thank you for helping the public get it over this past week! Here are some of the stories on SB 1296 this week made possible entirely by your actions and solidarity. Take credit for below!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

United Teachers of Dade & More Celebrates Black History!

This last weekend, our siblings over at the United Teachers of Dade partnered with Florida Rising, the South Florida AFL-CIO, and APRI to put on the “Black in the Day Miami” event mentioned on the calendar our Labor Letter from February. Attendees celebrated a powerful evening of music, speeches, spoken word performance, discussions, and more reflecting on the history of Black union power in Miami-Dade County and the endurance of community, solidarity, and action. As put best by UTD President Tony White in his remarks:

“We have been on the brink of disaster many, many times as a people. And I can assure you of one thing, we’re still standing. We will continue to stand.”

🗓️On the Horizon

  • Legislative
    • March 13th: (Planned) Sine Die for the Regular Legislative Session
      • As we approach this date, the pressure will be put to the legislature to end on time after last year’s multiple extended regular session. This will be doubly important given that it is an election year, and so long as legislators are in the building, they are unable to spend their time on or participate in Fundraising for their re-election campaigns.
    • April 20th – April 24th – Congressional Redistricting Special Session
      • As announced earlier this year, the Governor seeks to convene the legislature back in April for an attempt at redistricting and gerrymandering the state’s congressional districts, despite it not being a census year. Despite a lack of hard enthusiasm by legislators, we will see if the appetite for this issue grows beyond his office closer to April, as relationships continue to evolve during regular session and the U.S Supreme Court waits to make the final the decision on Louisiana v. Callais, an important case on the influence of race and party on congressional redistricting.
  • Statewide
    • Friday, March 20th: Annual Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
  • Central FL
    • March 19th: AFA-CWA United Member Action Day (MAD) at Tampa International Airport
      • Stand in solidarity with United flight attendants in bargaining! As we approach the end of negotiations, our fight isn’t over, it’s time to get MAD! On March 19, as we prepare to enter the final session, we must stand together and demostrate that our collective strength can bring these negotiations to a close and secure an Agreement that we can ratify. Make your voice heard! RSVP today and join us system-wide on the informational picket line.

🛠️Business Board

📸Bonus Bulletin

In Photos: Week 8’s WFLC attendees chanting “In Solidarity” ahead of our Solidarity in the Sunlight Shoot, and the Capitol Press Corps gathers ahead of our Monday Press Conference.

We would like to conclude by thanking the following sponsors of this year’s WFLC! Thank you for your continued support and solidarity and for making the last 8 weeks possible!

  • AFT Local 7448
  • ATU 1464
  • ATU Local 1267
  • BLET (Locomotive Engineers)
  • Broward County AFL-CIO
  • CWA 3101
  • Florida Building and Construction Trades
  • Florida Education Association
  • Florida Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council
  • Florida State Building Trades
  • Florida State Council of Machinists
  • IAM District Lodge 166
  • IBEW 606
  • IBEW 606
  • IBEW 728
  • IBEW 756
  • IBEW 824
  • IBEW 915
  • Ironworkers 397
  • IUOE 487
  • IUPAT National
  • North Central FL Central Labor Council
  • Palm Beach/Treasure Coast AFL-CIO
  • TWU 291
  • TWU 291
  • UFCW 1625
  • West Central Florida Federation of Labor
  • IATSE Local 631

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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