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.
labor
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.