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Primary Election Results + CEO Pay Watch Report

Alec Wilcosky
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Here's what you need to know this week:
 


 

Labor-Endorsed Candidates Primary Results

Last night, West Central Florida Labor Council's endorsed candidates largely performed well. For those who had primary elections, see a list of outcomes below. For our current endorsement list visit: bit.ly/WCFLC26

âś…Victories

  • Fentrice Driskell, State Senate Dist. 14
  • Sara Peacock, 13th Judicial Circuit Court, Group 7
  • Kyandra Darling, Florida House, Dist. 62
  • Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, Florida House, Dist. 63
  • Kay Fields, Polk School Board, Dist. 5
  • Justin Sharpless, Polk School Board, Dist. 6
  • Megan Harding, Pasco School Board, Dist. 5

đź‘ŤProceeds to General Election

  • David Jolly, Florida Governor
  • Annette Taddeo, Chief Financial Officer
  • Leela Gray, Florida Congressional, Dist. 13
  • Kelly Kirschner, Florida Congressional, Dist. 16
  • Luis Salazar, Florida House, Dist. 64
  • Gwen Myers, Hillsborough County Commission Dist. 3
  • Aileen Rodriguez, Hillsborough County Commission, Dist. 7
  • Daniela Simic, Hillsborough School Board, Dist. 2
  • Karen Perez, Hillsborough School Board, Dist. 6
  • Curtis Campogni, Pinellas School Board, Dist. 3
  • Victor Sims, Polk School Board, Dist. 3

❌Defeats

  • Nancy Velardi, Pinellas School Board, Dist. 2
  • Erin Stroupe, Pasco County School Board, Dist. 3

🤞Too Close to Call

  • Amanda Lord, Pinellas School Board, Dist. 6
    • At time of publication, Lord is down TWO votes out of 42,140 cast while the Supervisor of Elections conducts a machine recount. Every vote counts!

 


 

AFL-CIO Paywatch Report

Each year, the AFL-CIO releases an Executive Paywatch report to show the data that reflect the increasing income inequality in our country. See the full announcement and report from Team AFL-CIO:

When Big Tech CEOs got a front row seat at Donald Trump’s inauguration, it sent a signal: the president was on the side of the bosses. More than a year and a half later, our annual Executive Paywatch report shows this administration’s policies are working out great for Trump’s billionaire buddies, making the bosses even more obscenely rich while workers get left behind. 

Here’s what the AFL-CIO’s new 2026 Executive Paywatch report shows:

  • The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio of S&P 500 companies increased from 285-to-1 in 2024 to 312-to-1 in 2025. (And that excludes Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose pay package is so huge it would skew the results!)
  • The average CEO pay at S&P 500 companies increased 21%, from $18.9 million in 2024 to $22.8 million in 2025.
  • In 2026, Musk became the world’s first trillionaire, and his $158 billion pay package at Tesla broke the CEO pay curve. 
  • Workers’ share of U.S. national income fell to its lowest level since World War II. While their bosses rake in millions, workers at Amazon, Dollar Tree, FedEx, McDonald’s and Walmart are among the highest users of public assistance, relying on programs like Medicaid and SNAP (or food stamps) to make ends meet.

The Trump administration isn’t working to level the playing field—they’re cashing in themselves. In fact, President Trump made $2.2 billion in 2025 after returning to the White House for a second term, a nearly 254% increase from what he made in 2024. Meanwhile, working people are struggling to pay bills and skipping medical care, desperately trying to make ends meet.

The data couldn’t be clearer: This economy is working for greedy CEOS—not for us. Read the full report here. 

Greedy CEOs want their pay to keep skyrocketing. That’s why so many companies spend so much on union-busting: They know that when workers come together and form a union, we can start to put working people first and fix our broken economy.  

We can take our country back from the billionaires (and one trillionaire), and make it fair for working people. Learn more about how to form a union and share it with your friends, family, and co-workers.


 


 

 

Here's What's Coming Up:
 


 


 

9/3: Central Florida Jobs with Justice Hillsborough Regional Membership Meeting

See the invite below to our partner organization's meeting. All union members and members of allied community organizaitons are welcome to attend. Contact Brittany (brittany@cfjwj.org) to RSVP:

The meeting will be held at C.Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Libraryfrom 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We will be hosting a warm meal from 6-6:30pm, allowing some time to eat and decompress with friends in a safe space before our meeting starts at 6:30pm. Please let me know if you or someone from your organization can make it by responding to this email. If you have any dietary restrictions, uplift that to me immediately. I cannot wait to build power with you!


 


 


 

9/7: WCFLC Labor Day Picnics

Tampa

Union's may pre-purchase meal tickets for $15 members; contact Field Rep Alec Wilcosky by replying to this email for more info. Tickets will be available for purchase on site for $20 via credit, debit, or cash. We are also looking for volunteers for 90-minute shifts with set-up, parking, ticket table, ticket takers, and tear-down. Please reply to this email if you wish to sign up for a shift.

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.


 


 


 

Save the Date 12/12: Miami Labor Notes Troublemaker School

Labor Notes is returning to Florida for one of its famous Troublemaker Schools. This one-day training is great for rank-and-file members and stewards. Popular trainings include "Secrets of a Successful Organizer," "Assertive Grievance Handling," and "Dealing with Difficult Supervisors."

The trainings will take place Saturday, December 12 at Beyond the Bars's office in Miami. We will share registration details when they become available, just save the date for now!



 

That's all for this week! Check out our website at wcflc.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.