Tampa, FL – On Thursday, February 27, around 30 trade unionists gathered in Ybor City for a press conference and rally against SB 1296, an anti-worker bill that is currently being heard in the Florida Senate. The West Central Florida Labor Council organized the rally against the bill that targets public sector unions.

Building off of previous legislation that requires annual recertification elections for public sector unions, this new bill raises the threshold for recertification and puts limits on the types of union activities that workers can engage in during company time. Like previous legislation, the bill puts a significant burden on unions to collect information cards for recertification and gather data for yearly financial audits. After similar legislation passed two years ago, 54 public sector unions were decertified, leaving 63,000 workers without union representation.

Stephanie Yocum, president of the West Central Florida Labor Council and of the Polk Education Association, explained that all the bill does is make it harder for working Floridians to make a living.

Brian Nathan, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, spoke to the importance of private sector workers standing in solidarity with public sector workers. Lauren Pineiro, a union flight attendant and member of Florida Future Labor Leaders, also spoke, saying that unions are necessary for securing better working conditions.

Workers across Florida, including many at the rally, are travelling to Tallahassee on Monday to speak out against the bill when it is discussed during the Fiscal Policy Committee.

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