Here's what you need to know this week:
There's a lot going on, and we try to keep you informed as best we can about everything that's on our radar. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to keep track of the emails and alerts. That's why we've set up this new website. We'll be posting all of our weekly newsletters here, keeping a calendar of events, and sharing updates from the local level to the national level. Any time you're looking for info, check here first to find everything you need!
Here's what's coming up:
- On Monday (4/29) at 6:30PM, join former Labor Notes editor and National Women's Liberation organizer Jenny Brown for a discussion on her book, Birth Strike: The Hidden Fight over Women's Work, which examines the reasons for the falling birth rate in the United States and the social and economic conditions that play into it. This event is hosted by Tampa's National Nurses United (NNU) at their hall at 1406 N 19th St, Tampa. It is free to attend and child care will be provided.
- Wednesday (3/1) is May Day, an international workers' day dating back to the very beginnings of the labor movement. To commemorate this, the Pinellas Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will be holding their annual May Day Celebration at 7PM at If I Brewed the World at 2200 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg. The event will feature labor trivia (with prizes), a short video on unions, and special guest speaker Ed Bruno, the retired National Organizing Director for National Nurses United!
- Next Friday (3/3) our Florida Future Labor Leaders chapter will be rallying for worker's rights outside Hillsborough School Employees Federation (5126 N Florida Ave) at 5PM. They will be speaking out against attempts to privatize the custodial staff at our public schools, attacks on public education, and other issues that hurt working people today.
Keep in Mind
We only have a little over a week left in legislative session, and we're down to the wire. We've been able to beat back some bad attacks on working people so far, but there is still much on the line. As a reminder, three of the biggest bills we've been watching are:
- SB 7096/ HB 7111: Significantly strips away the citizen's initiative process to get amendments on the ballot and makes the process so complicated with so many road blocks that it is essentially impossible to complete. This would effectively eliminate the only major form of direct democracy in Florida.
- SB 1712/ HB 21: As the law currently stands, for a new hospital to be established in a community, a Certificate of Need to prove that the hospital is necessary is required. The healthcare system is very complex, with both public and private hospitals and lots of public money flowing through the system. This bill eliminates the certificates of need provision, allowing private hospitals to compete with public ones to whatever degree they desire. This will allow them to cherry pick patients, leaving our public hospitals starving for resources with only patients that are uninsured or under-insured.
- SB 7070/ HB 7075: This bill includes a MASSIVE expansion of the voucher system that takes public money away from public schools to give to charters, as well as an unfair bonus scheme for teacher compensation as opposed to fair salary increases across the board.
There are many bills that we have our eyes on, so don't hesitate to reach out. If you'd like to reach out to your state legislators, you can get the contact info by CLICKING HERE. Believe it or not, the best way to contact them is via handwritten letter. Please reach out to us for information or assistance with letter writing.
That's all for this week! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates, and 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
If you have any comments, or would like something added to the newsletter, please let us know by replying to this email!