The Florida Labor Letter – Actions and Surprises (Week of 1/30)

Daniel Diaz |

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 1/30. As we reach our third week of the legislative session and a massive week of actions in Tallahassee and across the state, working families are relentlessly and impressively meeting the moment! We are so proud of the quick and powerful organizing being done by all members of the Florida Labor community this week, regardless of the issue. This work matters, and with so many news stories to cover this week, we are reminded of the great impact that such demonstrations bring in raising awareness and pushing the conversation for better lives and policies for all of us. Together, we are strong! Now, Let’s get into some of the stories!

🏛️Legislative Session: Week of 1/30

An amazing turnout met us for Week 3 of the Working Family Corps, and whether just in attendance in committee, or in powerful testimony, we saw incredible advocacy take place this week in Tallahassee, and even took away a surprising legislative victory in the universal committee passage of a pro-labor bill! Here’s a quick rundown of some of the issues:

  • Improving the Labor Pool Act for Workers and Small Businesses (SB 1112)
    • Why not start off on a great note? This bill, sponsored in the by Republican Senator Ileana Garcia and House Rep. Kevin Chambliss seeks to amend the Florida Labor Pool Act. Florida’s labor pools currently serve an important role in providing temporary work for those in seasonal work, or those recently incarcerated who are trying to get a foot back in the labor market. However, with little current oversight, they have been free to run awry in the shade. This bill brings them into the sunshine, requiring them to register in a state database, and closes the loopholes that currently force a business wanting to take a great temporary worker and make them permanent to first fork over thousands first to the Labor Pools. In it’s first Committee this week, this friendly and proactive Florida labor bill and its coalition of supporters received unanimous and bipartisan praise from members before passing 9-0. (Man, those words are refreshing to read!)
  • Weakening Minimum Wage Rights (HB 221)
    • We know better than to expect just roses from the Florida Legislature. This unfriendly bill seeks to create a new class of “work-based learning programs” that would require participants to waive their state constitutional right to an annually adjusted and fair minimum wage, instead paying them the federal minimum wage, which has been unacceptably fixed to $7.25 since 2009. Billed as for the small business or for burgeoning inexperienced workers, members of the WFLC and more were quick to remind legislators that such arguments simply fall flat in the face of the increased cost of living and daily wallet squeeze that motivated voters to raise their state minimum wage in the first place.
  • Ideologies Inconsistent With American Principles (SB 1632/HB 1471)
    • Though the house version is more palatably billed as “System of Laws and Terrorist Organizations,” make no mistake: this bill is as bad as it sounds. Heard in Committee for the first time this week, this unfriendly and ominous bill creates a new and unelected position of “Chief of Domestic Security” who would have the ability to designate any organization a “domestic terrorism organization” that seeks to “coerce a civilian population” or “influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion.” The definitions of these terms are intentionally vague and—as public comment highlighted—its implications on chilling Freedom of Speech are dwarfed only by the bills inappropriate timing in the same week of the federal government’s flagrant misinformation and misuse of the same terminology.
  • Attacks on Public Sector Workers – Collective Bargaining (HB 995)
    • In a surprise notice late this week, this unfriendly and anti-labor bill builds on the nefarious work of 2023’s SB 256, seeking to close the few remaining avenues unions have been able to survive following its adoption. With new arbitrary bureaucratic hurdles on recertification and bans on advocacy, the bill also require all union elections to have over 50% of the entire workforce in the bargaining unit voting. Backed by—and for—Billionaires, the WFLC was quick to mobilize against this bill in its first committee stop. Despite it’s passage, we are aggressively monitoring this union busting issue as it moves along in the session.

🍊Florida Labor News

This week communities across all of Florida rallied to mourn the unnecessarily and tragic loss of AFGE Union brother Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed at the hands of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement this past weekend in Minneapolis, MN. Whether in North Florida protesting at City Halls or in South Florida holding Vigils, Florida’s working families everywhere made clear that we stand in solidarity with the many Minnesotans who continue to protest and advocate against the federal government’s overreach and abuses of power taking place in their state at the hands of ICE. See some highlights below.

Central Florida members mourn Alex Pretti and tell Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to stop escalating tensions and to “Read The Room!“

Seen above: Karena Jimenez – National Nurses Organizing Committee/NNU, Alec Wilcosky – West Central FL AFL CIO, and Carol White – AFGE 547 speaking to the public.

Following the tragic and unnecessary murder of AFGE Brother and Nurse Alex Pretti at the hands of Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) last Saturday in Minneapolis, union members and working families across Florida joined to stand in solidarity and mourn in his loss. Meanwhile, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna used the moment to further her political ambition, while claiming that those in mourning or critical of ice were breaking with reality and experiencing “pure cognitive dissonance.”

In response, Union members and constituents of Rep. Luna’s Congressional District 13 in Central Florida held a press conference on Thursday spotlighting the hypocrisy of such a statement, highlighting Luna’s voting record on DHS funding and her use of the immigration issue to instead advocate for her own voter suppression SAVE Act. You can watch the full event here as members gathered outside Rep. Luna’s Seminole, Fla office to call on her to read the room, stop fanning the flames with more incendiary rhetoric, and get to work on things that actually matter for her constituents.

AFGE Local 507 Hosts Vigil in West Palm Beach

Meanwhile, in South Florida, members of AFGE Local 507 organized over a hundred members and fellow community partners to gather for a memorial vigil for Alex Pretti, who was an intensive care unit nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital and a was a fellow member of the American Federation of Government Employees. They were joined by Florida Congresswoman Lois Frankel. You can read the and see the full coverage of their event here, courtesy ABC 25 WPBF News

✊Solidarity Spotlight

Even while standing in solidarity for a number of nationwide issues this week, working families in Florida still also found time to bring attention to the issues that are directly impacting them as Floridians as well!

SEIU/Unite Here, TPS Workers, and Congressional leaders join in Fort Lauderdale to call for extension of Haitian TPS

This Wednesday, UNITE 355 and SEIU 32BJ helped mobilize an incredible coalition of airport, hotel and nursing home workers, community partners, local faith leaders, and elected officials to host a press conference and silent march at Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) to demand that the Trump administration halt its cruel plan to end Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) before Feb. 3, 2026.

Per NBC 6 South Florida:

“Ending TPS will be devastating to so many families. We work extremely hard to welcome travelers arriving in South Florida. We will not stand by and watch our coworkers, friends, and neighbors be treated like animals. We are here to call for a permanent solution and an extension of TPS,” organizers said in a statement.

Per the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Haitan TPS Holders represent over 100,000 members of Florida’s workforce and contribute over billions to South Florida’s economy in housing values and state and local taxes. Their removal would not just be cruel, but also economically devastating to South Florida’s labor market. The organizers were supported in person by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and you can read the full story of the event here!

🗓️On the Horizon

Anything Else?

🛠️Business Board

  • Minnesota Action Fund: As mentioned, we are amplifying efforts to support our brothers and sisters in the state of Minnesota as they deal with ongoing federal immigration efforts. Able and willing Floridians can help with emergency legal funds and mutual aid for union members detained and sent to other states. As many find themselves without resources to return home even after proving their status, contributions can be made here.

📸Bonus Bulletin

With a fantastic turnout for Week 3 of Working Family Lobby Corps, we were glad to get no shortage of footage for the week’s “Solidarity in the Sunshine” segment of our legislative update videos! Here are some behind-the-scenes of members Michael Woods (Palm Beach County CTA) and Thomas Woods (Brevard Federation of Teachers) talking about their experience as direct legislative advocates for Florida’s working class! Stay tuned for the week 3 legislative update video dropping early next week, and ICYMI, make sure you caught up on the mechanical mayhem that happened in week 2!

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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