Attacks on our local governments! Thousands of education staff, teachers and Floridians fight back against the menace in our Capitol! Our democratic rights threatened by our elected officials! All this and more in Week 1 of the Florida AFL-CIO’s 2020 Legislative Update: The Return Of Terror!

01/20

A controversial bill affecting union membership cleared the first of its two committee stops Wednesday.

The bill (HB 1), sponsored by Tampa Bay Republican Rep. Jamie Grant, would require public employees who want to join a union to sign a membership authorization form and for employers to verify the employee’s intent before any union dues can be collected for membership purposes.

It would also require employees to reauthorize membership annually.

In a case with potentially profound implications, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority seemed ready to invalidate a provision of the Montana state constitution that bars aid to religious schools. A decision like that would work a sea change in constitutional law, significantly removing the longstanding high wall of separation between church and state.

10 thousand teachers and education advocates rallied in Tallahassee last week. So what did the governor do? He pretended like he didn't know what was happening and left town. Today a few hundred voucher supporters showed up and what did he do? He was front and center with a bull horn and that friends should tell you all you need to know about his commitment to public and teachers. 

Who do you want making your decisions?

Who do you want making decisions about your medical care? Doctors, right? Who do you want making decisions about your legal representation? Lawyers, right? Who do you want making decisions about the safety of your roads, vehicles, and buildings? Engineers, right? Who do you want making decisions about your children’s education? Teachers, right? Unfortunately, in education, that is not the case.