Trump’s broken promises have become a broken record destroying our communities, even in Midwestern counties that gave him the vast majority of votes in 2016.
labor
The Scam Behind McDonald’s ‘McTeacher’s Nights’
The fast food giant pioneered methods of attracting school children to its stores — from Happy Meals to marketing schemes like McTeacher’s Nights, an exploitative fund-raiser that takes advantage of teachers for very little in return.
At Walk-Ins Across 9 Flagler Schools, a Call to Lawmakers To Stop Undermining Public Education
Teacher and service employee unions organized the walk-ins at the schools to pressure lawmakers to improve per-student allocations and lessen the favored financial and other terms granted charter and voucher programs.
Time for $15 an Hour and a Union
After years of idling lawmakers, the idea now has more traction in Congress thanks to the recently introduced Raise the Wage Act, which would set a national minimum pay of $15 an hour by 2024.
Flagler Firefighters’ Union Members Vote For Firing Their Boss, Administrator Craig Coffey
The firefighters’ union’s vote was expected but significant in that its membership’s contract is dependent on negotiations with Coffey’s management team, and vulnerable to retaliation.
Union-Busting Bill Draws Lawsuit from Florida Education Association and Teachers
Florida teachers and unions filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the constitutionality of a new law that requires local unions to represent 50 percent or more of instructional personnel.
A Dagger in the Heart of Unions, Workers and Democracy: Behind the Janus Ruling
Their end game is to overturn a fundamental premise of majority rule, and lock in place permanent Constitutional changes to bar any limits on oligarchical rule.
For Working Poor’s Sake, Bring Back May Day
Nearly one in five families have zero or negative net worth. That number rises to over a quarter of Latin American households and 30 percent of black households.
Teacher Unions Protected But Public Funding of Private School Students Advances
The Florida Senate rejected a House proposal to dissolve teacher unions if membership falls below a certain point, but also approved a version of a school voucher program funding private school students.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights: For Workers
At the end of his last State of the Union message to Congress in 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt outlined an ambition plan for a “Second Bill of Rights” to ensure “”economic security and independence.”
Unemployment Ticks Up to 4.4% as Job Creation Slows to 156,000 and Wages Lag
Where it matters most, in wages, workers are not seeing improvements even as the economy recorded its 83rd straight month of job growth. Corporate profits remain healthy.
Court Sides With Walmart Against Union in Trespassing Dispute in Orange
A three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal said the case is part of a broader dispute about demonstrations that the union has held against Wal-Mart in various parts of the country.
In a Blow to Business, Supreme Court Bans Workers Comp Limits on Attorney’s Fees
The ruling stemmed from a case in which an attorney was awarded the equivalent of $1.53 an hour in successfully pursuing a claim for benefits for a worker injured in Miami.
Nurse Assistants at Grand Oaks Rehab Strike for $15/hr Wage in Echo of National Movement
Workers at Grand Oaks Rehab Center in Palm Coast, most on poverty wages, walked out for 24 hours, though they’d given the facility almost two weeks’ notice and replacements ensured no residents lacked care.
Has Business Biased Florida’s Workers Comp Law Too Far Against Labor? Court Will Decide
Plaintiffs argue that lawmakers have taken too many rights and benefits from people who get injured on the job, while business groups say a 2003 law kept costs from “spiraling.”
Disney’s CEO Makes $248 a Minute as Some of His Employees Go Homeless on $8.03 an Hour
Even after a raise to $10 an hour, Disney employees can only expect to take home about $20,000 over the course of a year, not enough to live decently in Orlando. A $15-an-hour wage is more critical, argues Scott Klinger.
News-Journal Employees File Charges of Unfair Labor Practices Against New Owner GateHouse Media
The press room union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board on June 3, charging that GateHouse Media illegally abrogated their collective bargaining agreement and is trying to bust the union.
Palm Coast Council, in 4-0 Vote, Sides With Its Manager Against Firefighters Union in Contract Dispute
The Palm Coast City Council sided with its Manager Jim Landon’s recommendation to reject union positions on a collective bargaining agreement in contention for three years.
Permanent Temp Workers in the U.S. Are at the Mercy of Some of the Weakest Labor-Protection Laws in the West
“Permatemping’ cases highlight a lack of U.S. protections for temp workers., who are exposed to more dangers in return for far less job protection or benefits. Other countries limit the length of temp jobs, guarantee equal pay and restrict dangerous work.
When a Senator Turns Anti-Union Goon: A Labor Defeat Reverberates Across the South
In light of the failed vote to unionize a VW plant in Tennessee, why should we care about the travails of labor unions in our country? Because, with no one in Washington able to effectively represent workers nationwide, unions are the only ones left to fight for a living wage.
Employers Would Be Barred From Using Applicants’ Credit Reports or Firing Pregnant Women
The Florida Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee gave support to both proposals on Monday, even though a number of senators expressed concern about limiting an employer’s ability to use a credit history when judging a potential new hire for a non-financial or non-managerial role.
Publix’s Profitable Accommodation With Poverty: Not a Penny More for Tomato Pickers
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been trying for years to get Publix to join the Fair Food Coalition, in which suppliers and purchasers agree to pay the workers a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked. Publix won’t even meet with the workers.
Bill Forbidding Local Governments from Passing Sick-Day Ordinances Advances
The proposed law, by Sen. David Simmons, is intended to thwart efforts to pass labor-friendly laws in local governments, since state-level labor reform is beyond reach with the anti-labor, GOP-led Florida Legislature.
Union Membership in 2012: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Union membership in 2012 data by state, gender and other characteristics, including median salary earnings and other historical data, as released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Flagler’s Teachers Union President on FCAT, The GOP, and High-Stakes Misconceptions
Katie Hansen, president of Flagler County’s teachers union, forcefully argues against FCAT’s culture of high-stakes testing and false but pervasive notions that unions protect bad teachers and contribute only to Democrats.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Pyrrhic Victories of Union-Bashing
Inspired by Ronald Reagan’s union-busting, the latest round in the war on labor is a self-inflicted wound on the American economy, where workers-union and non-union alike–have been losing ground for 30 years.
Florida’s Latest Immigrants: Undocumented Workers Fleeing Alabama’s Harsh Vise
Reversing Florida’s recent population loss, there’s been an influx of undocumented workers moving to Florida from Alabama as a result of a newly passed state law, the harshest immigration enforcement measure in the country.
Union-Busting Bill Narrowly Clears Hurdle and GOP Dissents Before Full Vote at Florida Legislature
The proposed law forbids union deductions from public employees’ paychecks, essentially gutting unions. It passed a committee, 11-9, with three Republicans breaking rank to oppose it.
In a Victory for Palm Coast Firefighters’ Union, City’s Attempt to Split Bargaining Units Fails
The Palm Coast city administration objected to lieutenants’ inclusion with rank-and-file firefighters in the collective bargaining unit. The state dismissed that objection, clearing the way for the unit’s formation.
Palm Coast Is Fighting Firefighters’ Union on Forming a Single Bargaining Unit
The hearing Friday will decide whether lieutenants and rank and file firefighters can form a single bargaining unit, which the city–which objects to unionization–is opposing.
Palm Coast Firefighters Unionize, Citing Unbalanced Treatment of Employees
Some 75 percent of the Palm Coast Fire Department’s 60 rank-and-file employees voted to form a union. Higher pay or better benefits aren’t on the agenda. Job security is.