Labor for Angie Nixon, FLARA Gives Rep. Luna Zero Award

Here's what you need to know this week:

FL AFL-CIO Endorses Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate

The Florida AFL-CIO is proud to announce its endorsement of Angie Nixon for Florida's next U.S Senator!

With experience as a union organizer and a proven track record in the Florida House as a fighter for the working class, the choice before Florida's working families this November couldn't be clearer!

FLARA Gives Rep. Anna Paulina Luna "Zero" Award

On Tuesday, members of the Florida Alliance Retired Americans, led by FLARA President Felicia Bruce, stopped by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna's office to recognize her failure to stand up for retirees by awarding her with the FLARA "Zero" award.

FLARA President Felicia Bruce, left, and WCFLC Retirees Trustee Barb Toepke, right, present the "award" to Rep. Luna's district aide.

The presentation highlighted Representative Luna's votes to overturn food and drug safety regulations via the Midnight Rules Relief Act, as well as her support for $2 trillion in cuts to critical services. She voted for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid—which funds 63% of nursing home care expenses for 5.6 million seniors—and $230 billion to SNAP, a program that 6.5 million older Americans depend on under the One Big Beautiful Act (OBBA).

Additionally, Representative Luna voted "Yes" on the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to freeze government funding for a year, enabling reductions in Social Security Administration staff and cutting $280 million from the NIH budget for cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease research. She also voted for the SAVE Act, which would disenfranchise nearly 70 million married women, and voted to approve Medicaid cuts without extending ACA premium tax credits, jeopardizing health coverage for 4 to 5 million Americans while expanding "junk" association health plans.

Rep. Luna has consistently failed seniors.

Retirees from NALC, AFSCME, IBEW, AFGE, and AFT

Here's What's Coming Up:

9/5: Labor Canvass with South Tampa Dems & State Sen. Brian Nathan

WCFLC is sponsoring with the South Tampa Dems for their Labor Day-themed canvass on Saturday, September 5 at 10am. We'll be joined by former WCFLC Vice President and current State Senator Brian Nathan! We will be speaking with South Tampa voters about vote-by-mail and their plan-to-vote.

9/7: Tampa and Sarasota Labor Day Picnics

Tampa

Lupton's will once again be catering the event: BBQ pork and chicken plus baked beans, coleslaw, mac 'n' cheese, and garlic bread. Drinks include lemonade, tea, and beer.

We will have face painting, inflatables, and a water slide for kids (bring towels!)

Finally, ahead of November's Midterm election, we will hear from our endorsed candidates for office. View a full endorsement list here.

If you wish to share full details about this event, feel free to share our Mobilize link: https://bit.ly/laborday26

Sarasota

WCFLC's Coalition of Manasota Unions is organizing a celebration at Fogartyville. Expect comradery with fellow union members, a performance from union musicians, lunch, and hear updates from union members on their unions' wins. https://bit.ly/laborday2026

9/9: WCFLC Labor Day Week of Action: Virtual Phone Bank for Endorsed Candidates

After Labor Day, our midterm election action will be in full swing in on Wednesday. Join us at 6pm on Zoom for a virtual phonebank for labor-endorsed candidates. We will call fellow union members and their families to inform them about our pro-working-family candidates and ensure that they have a plan to vote. We will start the call with a short training, so no prior experience in required. We recommend joining the Zoom call on a tablet or computer and then having a phone to make calls from.

9/18: Documentary Screening I am Somebody at HCTA

Annually, WCFLC, ASALH, and HCTA join together to watch a movie at the intersection of Black history and labor history. This year, we will watch a 30-minute documentary followed by an open discussion. The documentary is about a hospital strike of four hundred Black women and their union 1199 in Charleston, South Carolina in 1969. Join us!

9/27: Matewan Screening and Q&A with Actor Will Oldham

A one-day-only matinee of the film Matewan is coming to Tampa's Sun-Ray Cinema on Sunday, September 27 at 1:30pm.

"Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, Matewan celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line."

The 2 hour, 12 minute, PG-13 film will be followed by a Q&A with Will Oldham, who plays 16-year-old miner and preacher Danny. Tickets and seat selections can be purchased in advance for $18.13 after taxes and fees.

10/9: The Wash by Powerstories Theatre (free tickets available)

Powerstories Theatre is producing a run of the stage play The Wash at The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg October 1-11.

"In 1881, Black laundresses in Atlanta led a strike weeks before the International Cotton Exposition came to town. Demanding $1/dozen pounds of laundry, the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881 was one of the largest, successful interracial labor strikes of the post-Civil War era.

The Wash by Kelundra Smith offers an intimate and often funny look at ordinary women who went from workers to fighters and won. With humor, heart, and history, her play celebrates ordinary women who discovered extraordinary strength, transforming from workers into fighters and ultimately changing the course of labor rights in the South."

WCFLC has purchased ten tickets for the Friday, October 9 performance at 7:30pm. Union members may sign up at this link to claim up to two tickets per union household. If all tickets are claimed, Powerstories Theatre has agreed to a discounted rate of $33 for any of our members who wish to attend the October 9 show. You can view all other dates and ticketing information for the run here: https://powerstories.com/the-wash/

That's all for this week! Check out our website at wcflc.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates. If you would like to receive text message alerts from the Florida AFL-CIO (Msg & data rates may apply), text FLUNION to 235246!

In Solidarity,

West Central Florida Labor Council

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