Introduction

As 2025 draws towards it’s close, we wanted to take a look back at the many members, moments, milestones, and more that helped define life for Florida’s Working Families. Let’s take a tour of some of the highlights that made 2025 one of the most important for Florida’s Working Families and give you a sneak peak into what more transformative changes the new year may hold!

Labor Regroups and Rallies in the 2024-2025 Session

Florida’s unions need few reminders of the devastation brought on by the 2023 Florida Legislative Session. Whether the result of the Governor’s presidential ambitions or wealthy donors and think-tanks funding a culture war, working families in Florida lost collective bargaining rights and long standing pro-worker local ordinances amidst an increasingly privatized voucher-led school system and passage of divisive culture war bills. To put it lightly, Florida labor walked into the 2025 March Legislative Session battered but unbroken.

Thankfully, in the 2025 Legislative Session, the tides began to change. Following his disastrous failed bid for the presidency, Ron Desantis’s grip on the legislature has begun to slip, with each day leading the self-styled emperor to increasing irrelevancy as the legislature re-orients itself towards the 2026 election and the real issues that matter to working families. The new political atmosphere and steadfast resilience of Florida’s labor community led to us winning eight out of ten of our most serious defensive fights for Florida’s workers last session including:

• Successfully stopping further attacks on the collective bargaining rights of our public sector workers.
• Successfully protecting Florida’s child labor laws from further erosion.
• Successfully defended Florida’s existing minimum wage rights.
• Successfully protected over a million temporary workers by saving the Labor Pool Act from attempts at repeal.
• Successfully preserved easier access to what is left of Florida’s vital unemployment insurance system.
• Successfully stopped the special interests and the legislature from imposing term limits on our school boards and county commissions.

Though progress makes perfect, the damage done over the last few years will take more than one session to undo and repair. Florida’s labor community has survived the onslaught but remains vigilant and will never back down. In 2026, we look forward to continuing to marshal the collective power of workers to fight back against the attacks on working families. If you haven’t committed to doing so already, we hope you will join us as part of the Working Family Lobby Corps in 2026 to be part of a brighter Florida for everyone.

Meeting the Moment at the 2025 Florida AFL-CIO Convention

Following the late Sine Die of the legislative session, the Florida Labor Federation turned its sights towards Orlando, FL, where on September 6th and 7th, we held the 2025 Florida AFL-CIO Biennial Convention! We hosted almost 300 delegates, as well as local labor leaders, activists, and lawmakers such as U.S Representatives Darren Soto (FL-09) and Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), as well as State Representative Dr. Anna Eskamani (HD-42).

We elected new leadership to our Principal Offices and Executive Board, including the unanimous election of Interim President Kimberly Holdridge to a full term, and welcomed Maira Rivera as the new Secretary-Treasurer of the Florida AFL-CIO!

In addition, members made resolutions on everything from Artificial Intelligence to protecting Federal Worker’s Bargaining Rights, and took part in detailed workshops on how to better show solidarity on the front lines of Immigration and Nonviolent Action. For a more detailed breakdown, make sure you take a look at our 2025 Convention Highlights from earlier this year.

Actions & Events

No King’s Day

As part of one of the largest single day demonstrations in U.S History, Florida’s working class took part in opposing growing government authoritarianism across the sunshine state, showing that whether on the steps of the Florida Capitol or in the National Mall, the voice of the American people will never be silenced! Take a look at some highlights below, and view the full gallery on our post documenting the big day!

A Government in Shutdown

When the federal government shutdown on October 1st of this year, few predicted that it would go on to become the longest government shutdown in U.S History. As roughly 900,000 federal employees were furloughed and millions more were forced to work without pay, Florida Labor answered the call and was motivated to act—even when congress wasn’t.

Whether on the picket line, participating in patch-through calls, or donating to food banks, union members across the state joined in solidarity with affected workers to not just provide for and support each other, but to call attention to looming threats to healthcare, SNAP, and other benefits put on the line by the shutdown. Take a look at our full coverage of actions on our web post from earlier this year!

Other Actions Statewide

Throughout the year, we were proud to stand in solidarity with the countless actions put on by unions and CLCs across the state. Whether it was UAW members in Orlando securing a new and fairer contract with Lockheed Martin this summer or Starbucks workers in West Palm Beach leading the way for Florida to join Starbucks Workers United’s Red Cup Rebellion this fall, we are proud of Floridians everywhere this year for their indomitable spirit for a brighter future. Let’s continue to make good trouble in the new year!

New Year, New Resolutions: A Look Ahead to 2026

Speaking of New Year’s, we wanted to not just highlight the moments and milestones from this past year, but also look ahead to our resolutions for 2026! Here are some major moments to keep on the calendar and look forward to in 2026!

2026 Regular Legislative Session: January 13th – March 13th*, 2026

With an election on the horizon, the Florida Legislature begins their annual regular legislative session in January next year. With a host of already announced legislative proposals surrounding AI Regulation and attempts to reduce property taxes despite heavy criticism from local government, there are no shortage of issues sure to arrive in 2026. We’ve got our finger on the pulse of the legislative chambers, ready to let you know of the latest developments this upcoming session, so make sure you are following our YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and newly re-launched Instagram for the latest legislative updates and more!

As you may have seen us say elsewhere, we repeat with emphasis:

The biggest threats to Florida’s working Families come from Tallahassee, not Washington D.C

If you haven’t already, consider joining the fight come next session as part of the Working Families Lobby Corps 2026. The bills defeated in years past will return, but this session we are not just playing defense. In addition to your powerful action, we will be pushing for new and proactive policies to reverse the damage done to education, worker protections, and support new protections in areas such as AI. Your solidarity is key in achieving these victories and so much more in 2026. Together, we win!

COPE Endorsing Convention 2026: June 12th – June 14th, 2026

Another election year means another COPE! Though further details and information will be revealed next year, make sure to follow our FL AFL-CIO social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and sign up for our emailing list to ensure that you stay up to date as we get closer to convention!

Please note that following the conclusion of next year’s 2026 COPE Convention, all future conventions will be held as a combined full session of both the Biennial and COPE Endorsing Convention. Starting in 2028, delegates will be able to convene to both elect new leadership and vote on endorsements, key issues, constitutional amendments at one unified event every two years. This move is expected to reduce staffing costs and produce significant savings for the FL AFL-CIO and our members, allowing us to better be able to allocate resources to do what we do best: fight for working families!

The November 2026 Midterm Election: November 3rd, 2026

The November Midterms are right around the corner! Below is an additional list of Florida specific deadlines and election dates worth keeping in mind as we near the next opportunity to make clear the priorities of workers everywhere and elect representatives who fight for the people!

• Primary voter/party registration deadline: July 20, 2026
• Primary Election Day: August 18th, 2026
• Voter registration deadline: October 5th, 2026
• Deadline to request a mailed ballot: October 22nd, 2026
• General Election Early Voting Period: October 24th – 31st, 2026* (dates may vary by voting district)
• General Election Day: November 3rd, 2026

For more information on Florida and District specific election dates in 2026, make sure you visit the Florida Division of Elections website!

A Final Note From the Desk of The President

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin:

Together we have achieved something remarkable. Your dedication, resilience, and actions throughout 2025 remind us that there is strength in numbers. Is it cliché? Absolutely not! The road of the 2025 legislative session—federally and statewide—presented a full slate of anti‑worker and anti‑human rhetoric: attempts to roll back child labor laws, continued attacks on public sector workers, dismantling of the Department of Education, restructuring of the military, and actions taken against our immigrant families. I could go on and on.

And yet, our union family continued to fight. Why? Because we know that an injury to one is an injury to all.

We stood shoulder to shoulder in the halls of power, in our workplaces, and in our communities. We testified, we organized, we marched, and we made sure that the voices of working people could not be ignored. Every phone call, every rally, every late‑night strategy session was proof that solidarity is not just a word—it is our lifeline.

As we look ahead to 2026, we know the challenges will not disappear. But neither will our resolve. We will continue to defend the dignity of work, protect our families, and demand justice for every worker. Our strength lies in our unity, and our unity is unbreakable.

Thank you for your courage, your persistence, and your unwavering belief in the power of collective action. Together, we are not only resisting—we are building a future where workers thrive and communities flourish.

In solidarity,

Kimberly Holdridge,

President, Florida AFL‑CIO