Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, August 30, workers came out in full force to demonstrate outside of Senator Rick Scott’s office in downtown Jacksonville. This rally, organized by the North Florida Central Labor Council and the North Florida Future Labor Leaders, was in protest to the onslaught on US workers by the current administration.

This protest was sparked by the AFL-CIO’s call for a “Workers' Labor Day.”

Union teachers, plumbers, longshoremen, electricians, logistics workers and city employees showed out and demonstrated the power of union solidarity. LJ Holloway, a rank-and-file member of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), led the chant: “United we bargain! Divided we beg!” Anyone in downtown Jacksonville could hear the echoes of the workers chanting, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Worker power!”

Monica Gold, a middle school teacher and proud union member, told the crowd, “Within our building we have teachers, paraprofessionals and office personnel. We have maintenance workers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians. And I think about how their victories are my victories, and how their losses are my losses, and that we’re so much stronger when we work together. I think it’s high time that we stop asking for things, but that we demand things.”

Many at the rally spoke on the Trump administration’s shameful attacks on unions and the working class as a whole, including the recent ruling on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Michael Sampson, an organizer and union rep for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) stated, “What we are seeing is the agenda of Donald Trump to starve us, to get rid of our unions, to get rid of the solidarity that we have with each other. Because he knows that having a union means having an organization, and having an organization of workers means having the ability to fight back against the agenda of corporate America.”

Shayne Tremblay, a union electrician and president of the North Florida Future Labor Leaders spoke on the need for solidarity, stating, “I believe that we need to take the winning strategy of solidarity that got us our unions, and we need to aim higher. We need to stand in solidarity, not just with our coworkers, but with every working person in this country. We need to organize all working people to turn this into a country that is for workers, by workers.”

The rally took place in one the most traffic-heavy parts of the city, and the workers got a plethora of honks and expressions of support from folks driving by.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #LaborDay #NFFLL #AFLCIO #ILA #AFSCME

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, July 19, workers answered the call by the North Florida Future Labor Leaders to protest HR 86, the NOSHA Act, which would abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Union teachers, plumbers, electricians, warehouse workers and city employees gathered at the steps of Jacksonville city to demand, “No to NOSHA.”

Shayne Tremblay, president of the North Florida Future Labor Leaders (NFFLL) and a rank-and-file electrician with IBEW Local 177 stated, “Prior to the Occupational Safety and Health Act being signed into law, this country was facing an epidemic of workers getting injured and dying on the job. OSHA was passed to stop this by holding companies accountable for the safety and health of their workers. Abolishing OSHA would set us back in time to a period where companies can treat workers as disposable again.”

Though OSHA protections are often thought about in the context of heavy industry and construction, OSHA covers all workers in the U.S.

Ashleigh Rondon, a rank-and-file plumber and member of UA Local 234, stated, “Workers won’t be safe unless we have regulations requiring their safety. The companies we work for are only looking out for themselves. And that goes for any industry – healthcare, construction, factory workers, anybody. Everybody needs OSHA. We need OSHA to ensure people make it home in one piece.”

Alysin Allmon, a rank-and-file Teamster, described how unorganized workers are especially at risk, “Many of us here are covered by unions that guarantee us safe working conditions and even healthcare. But many people who would be affected, if they got hurt, may not get help because they can't afford to, may not ever receive compensation because the companies possibly wouldn't have to. Agencies like OSHA prevent these accidents that could easily put people out of work, or result in deaths.”

Mike Sterling of IBEW 2358 and a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists told the crowd, “OSHA is a government that we pay for; its purpose is to ensure that companies don’t put profit over people. Let’s send a message to Washington that worker safety is nothing to mess with.”

Between speeches, anyone within earshot of City Hall could hear union workers chanting “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Worker power!” The rally concluded with a booming chant of “No to NOSHA! Kill the bill!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #OSHA #NFFLL #IBEW