Spring 2020 Newsletter

In This IssueCity Commission Elections Candidate Questionnaires 3

Renters’ Rights Updates 7

Living Wage Updates 9

UFF Bargaining Updates 11

by Chad Hood

The groundswell of support for Medi-care for All continues to grow. Two major Democratic frontrunners for the presi-dency support the single payer model – to replace our complicated private for-profit insurance system with a single public plan that covers all necessary medical care, spends 97 cents of every dollar on health care, ends medical bankruptcies, and saves billions of dollars (not to mention human lives) in the process. And most other can-didates support incremental steps that could potentially move us towards a sin-gle payer model. What a difference from ten years ago (!) when with a Democratic House, Senate, and President we couldn’t even get a public option on the bargaining table.

As another indication of the turning tide, last month the American College of Physicians (ACP) endorsed a single pay-er system. The ACP is the second larg-est physician organization in the United States, representing internal medicine physicians and related subspecialties, like cardiology, pulmonary, and others. Again, contrast this to nearly a century of oppo-sition from physician organizations like the American Medical Association to “so-cialist” reform like Medicare – which has saved the lives of millions of senior citi-

Continuing to Fight for Just Health Carezens and kept even more out of poverty.

We should expect fierce opposition, though. Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) recently reported on Canadian physician resistance to imple-mentation of their single payer plan in the 1960’s. At that time, Canadian medical costs were identical to the United States. Now, Canadian spending is nearly half of ours due to a low 2% overhead (compared to 15-20% in the U.S.). Meanwhile, their health care outcomes, out of pocket sav-ings, and patient satisfaction put ours to shame.

In the 1960’s, though, Canadian phy-sician fear and opposition was rampant. Saskatchewan was the first province to en-act a single payer health plan. The medical association there led a three week physi-cian strike against the program. While we can anticipate a massive advertising cam-paign against single payer from the private

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Stay updated with the Labor Coalition via our website and Facebook for related news, upcoming meetings, and events.

Alachua County Labor Coalitionfacebook.com/laborcoalition

Find us on Instagram and Twitter @laborcoalition

Phone: (352) 375-2832

www.LaborCoalition.org

E-mail:info@laborcoalition.org

Location:502 NW 16th Ave, Ste. 2B

Gainesville, Florida

Office Hours Tuesday: 3:30-6:00pm

Wednesday: 12:00-6:30pm Friday: 10:00am-3:00pm

Or by Appointment

Mailing Address:PO Box 12051

Gainesville, FL 32604

MONTHLY MEETINGSThe Alachua County Labor Coalition (ACLC) is composed of indi-viduals, unions, and worker-friendly organizations committed to the economic, environmental, civil, and social rights of working peo-ple, their families, and communities, and to the ecological systems that sustain us. We meet monthly and updated information about our meetings can be found via our website, Facebook group, and e-newsletter.

BOARD MEMBERSLaurie Taylor & Scott Darius, Co-ChairsSean Trainor, TreasurerSheila Payne, Membership CoordinatorMarilyn Eisenberg, Outreach CoordinatorGaby Gross, CMC LiaisonChad Hood, Health Care LiaisonJeremiah Tattersall, Union LiaisonRosa Hernandez, ACLC CoordinatorAshley Nguyen, ACLC CoordinatorJessica Newman, Newsletter ProductionShawna Doran, Green Party DelegateGreg Mullaley, Veterans for Peace DelegateJames Ingle, IBEW 1205 Delegate Eli Barrett, CWA 3170 Liaison Jason Fults, North Florida Central Labor Council DelegateNezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli, Farmworker Association of Florida Delegate

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONSAll Member Organizations are encouraged to appoint a Delegate to the ACLC Board.• Alachua County Education Association• Alachua County Green Party• Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1579• Civic Media Center• Communication Workers of America, Local 3170• Cultural Arts Coalition• Farmworker Association of Florida• Floridians for Freedom• Gainesville Veterans for Peace• Industrial Workers of the World, Gainesville Branch• International Brotherhood of Electrical

Workers, Local 1205• Madres Sin Fronteras• National Women’s Liberation• North Central Florida Central Labor Council• Our Revolution North Central Florida (OurRev NCFL)• Pride Community Center of North Central FL• Rural Women’s Health Project• Socialist Alternative• UF Graduate Assistants United• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville • United Church of Gainesville Social Justice Committee• United Faculty of Florida• Women’s March

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Gainesville City Commission Elections, March 17ACLC Candidate Questionnaires

Editors’ Note: All candidate responses below have been shortened to excerpts for space, for full candidate responses please visit our website. All candidates were asked to fill out questionnaire, any submitted after deadline will be posted to our website. The Labor Coalition does not endorse any candidates, and the inclu-sion of these questionnaire responses to our newsletter and website should not be taken as an endorsement.

1. Do you support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $15.08 an hour)

Henry Ward (District 2): “Yes. Increasing wages paid directly or indirectly by the City of Gainesville continues to be the single most efficient tool the city has to impact income inequality in our community..”

David Arreola (District 3): “Yes.”

Scherwin Henry (At Large Seat 2): “Yes. I do support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers.”

Gabe Kaimowitz (At Large Seat 2): “I sup-port a minimum wage for most workers but given that there is fixed budget I would prefer that experienced Public Works em-ployees, and older workers get raises rather than have young part-time lifeguards get the increase..”

Reina Saco (At Large Seat 2): “Yes”

2. The Gainesville Living Wage Ordi-nance for contractors has so many loop-holes that it applies to almost no con-tracts the City currently has. To address this issue, the City of Gainesville start-ed to look into updating the Ordinance in December 2015, but no action has been taken until December 2018 when a six-month study was started. What will you do to ensure the timely and effec-tive changes needed to the Gainesville’s Living Wage Ordinance?

Ward: “I will continue to pressure the city

manager and utility general manager to bring to the commission the necessary es-timates..”

Arreola: “I will continue to push my col-leagues and our staff to close loopholes by writing more stringent language..”

Henry: “..You could modify the bid process by setting certain percentages of hires from certain underrepresented groups..”

Kaimowitz: “I would join a demand in writing that the 2018 report be published immediately..”

Saco: “As a commissioner, I would move to remove the loopholes to ensure that those who contract with the City are abiding..”

3. What other ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community?

Ward: “..Moving the lowest-paid of those workers - be they part-time/temporary OPS workers, adjunct instructors or oth-ers - to the equivalent of $15 per hour will have a huge impact on income inequality in Gainesville..”

Arreola: “..I will continue to support unionization (i.e. I supported the SF Ad-juncts vote), the fight for $15 campaign, and ending prison labor (I also was the Commissioner to move that).”

Henry: “..We must make a concentrated ef-fort to bring the level of jobs to our city that will have an impact on wages..”

Kaimowitz: “I would suggest that a Coali-tion delegation go to every mass media in Gainesville—Sun, Guardian (sic), Alligator,

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Iguana, Fine Print...—to publicize the com-parative poverty in this area..”

Saco: “I think the City should continue to partner with programs like Project Youth-Build and Career Source to ensure that we support programs that train and prepare our citizens..”

4. What do you envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities? How have/would you encourage these large local employers to address these issues?

Ward: “..If we can improve the wage floor for each of the “Friendship Seven” to a liv-ing wage, competition for those jobs will force other large employers to raise wages as well.”

Arreola: “In my personal capacity as Com-missioner I will continue to advocate for the major employers in Gainesville increase their minimum wage..”

Henry: “I envision as the role of large lo-cal employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities paying a livable wage..”

Kaimowitz: “To encourage large employers to do right by their employees—e.g., Pub-lix—I would have rotating pickets periodi-cally at each Publix store..”

Saco: “If it were possible to set a city-wide minimum wage, then I would be a strong supporter of such a change. Unfortunately, such ordinances are preempted..”

5. Do you support providing paid ad-ministrative leave for part-time, tem-porary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to a natural disaster)?

Ward: “Yes, if a worker has cleared their schedule on behalf of the city and fore-gone other opportunities the city (and any employer)..”

Arreola: “Yes.”

Henry: “Of course I do, that is the best case scenario but it’s not that simple. We have to realize the fact that some business-es just can’t afford to do that..”

Kaimowitz: “..I would have to know the specific events which have happened be-fore I could answer this question intelli-gently.”

Saco: “Yes. I know that this has been ad-dressed in the past, but a satisfactory policy has not been implemented..”

6. If you are an employer: Do you pay all your workers a living wage? If you do not: How are you making an effort to do so?

Ward: “..We have a plan to bring all of them to at least a living wage.”

Arreola: N/A

Henry: N/A

Kaimowitz: “..I blew the whistle on my em-ployees, forced the leaders flee to Boston Legal Services, and I was justifiably ter-minated. Either you’re a boss or a worker. You can’t be both.”

Saco: N/A

7. Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would:

a. Offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and damages.

b. Protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make basic investments in energy and water efficiency.

c. Require universal licensing and safety/health inspections of all rental property.

d. Offer protections against discrimi-nation based on source of income and citizenship status.

e. Ensure greater disclosure of rent-ers’ rights and responsibilities.

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Ward: “Yes, I believe this is a benefit to both the renter and the landlord..”

Arreola: “Yes, and I have the voting record to prove it.”

Henry: “I support a ‘Renters Bill of Rights’.”

Kaimowitz: “I would form a Renters’ orga-nization before I did anything and support what its members believed they actually could accomplish..”

Saco: “Yes. I helped draft and advocated at City Hall for the passage of the Renters’ Bill of Rights. We should have had the ordi-nances read and approved by now..”

8. What are some additional policies the City of Gainesville can enact to im-prove access to quality, safe affordable housing in our community?

Ward: “The primary policies city govern-ment can implement to improve housing affordability and availability - and that are within our honest reach - have to do with land use and zoning..”

Arreola: “Incentivize affordable housing by requiring certain allocations of affordable housing within major housing projects..”

Henry: “..I would like to pursue developing a consistent and perpetual funding source for affordable housing such as a housing trust.”

Kaimowitz: “There is nothing the City can do. The history of allowing contractors to build wherever and whenever they pleased has prevented any serious attempt..”

Saco: “The City could, when making zon-ing decisions, to require developers to offer a portion of the units at a substantial dis-count from the other units..”

9. Do you support a local hiring prefer-ence that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects?

Ward: “Yes. I’ve been working with the

Central Labor Council to bring such an or-dinance through the city..”

Arreola: “Yes.”

Henry: “Yes. I do. This relates to the an-swer in question 3.”

Kaimowitz: “I certainly support any pay/benefits apprenticeship programs in Gainesville including the creation of such at local high schools..”

Saco: “Yes. I think the City has a duty to give preference to local programs that are building up our future masters of trade skills..”

10. Do you support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students and/or making RTS free for all Gainesville res-idents at the point of service? How can the City of Gainesville improve public transportation for people who rely on it and don’t work for UF?

Ward: “Yes. I recently made a motion to re-move RTS fares for everyone 18 or young-er and everyone 65 or older..”

Arreola: “Yes, if this is what the people want.”

Henry: “..At this point, I can’t agree to make RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service..”

Kaimowitz: “I support free RTS bus pass-es for K-12 students. You should not be worried about improving transporting but advocating for RTS union..”

Saco: “I support a completely fare-free RTS initiative..”

11. What is your position on SB168, which is the law that requires local gov-ernments to comply with ICE and de-tain people without a warrant?

Ward: “I oppose it.”

Arreola: “This law represents the contin-ued erosion of the American Republic and

continued on p.6

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should be challenged..”

Henry: “First of all, we have to obey the law. Should the City of Gainesville devote resources specifically to seek out and detain people without a warrant? I don’t think so..”

Kaimowitz: “Gainesville should be a sanc-tuary city and take the punishment meted out to those communities by the Trump Administration.”

Saco: “As an attorney, I believe that this law is both vague and unconstitutional. Its wording is dangerous for victims and survi-vors of violence..”

12. What would you do to advance healthcare outcomes in black and brown communities as well as racial equity overall in our community? What steps can the City of Gainesville take to address unequal access to quality food?

Ward: “..I am pleased to serve on the ra-cial equity committee, and I look forward to implementing the work we’ve been re-searching.”

Arreola: “I will continue to support proj-ects like the Community Resource Para-medics to focus on inequality..”

Henry: “When it comes to advancing healthcare outcomes, I would reach out to our healthcare partners. The City of Gainesville does not possess the expertise in healthcare..”

Kaimowitz: “..You are not all things to all people. Poor people and poor workers’ in-terests often clash, especially when you are dealing with public agencies with compara-tively fixed budgets..”

Saco: “..I would support the City operating a simple grocery store that provided fresh and affordable food to neighborhoods that are otherwise too far from a grocery store.”

13. What will you do to ensure UF is a

better corporate citizen in Gainesville (e.g., payments in lieu of taxes, moving more services to GRU, etc.)?

Ward: “..We should continue to improve communication with a plan leading to bet-ter cooperation in providing services to city residents.”

Arreola: “..I have always advocated for UF using more GRU services but the PSC has not expressed interest in changing UF’s ju-risdiction from Duke Energy.”

Henry: “..One way UF can be a better corporate partner is to support the City of Gainesville by purchasing more energy from GRU..”

Kaimowitz: “I will support any leafleting campaign on the campus to let the students know about the abuses by University of Florida.”

Saco: “..While there is no magic solution to make UF take a greater role in this com-munity, I do feel that at least having open dialogue is progress.”

14. How will you work with UF to en-sure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville?

Ward: “..We can also work together on im-plementation of the Renters’ Rights pack-age discussed above.”

Arreola: “I will advocate for affordable housing commitments (i.e. certain % of units are affordable) from developers in their major projects..”

Henry: “The University of Florida is one of many community partners I will work with to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville..”

Kaimowitz: “..UF is the employer, the large employer. They are your alleged adversary.”

Saco: “I think acknowledging that we are a company town and including the univer-sity in future conversations about housing needs would be a good start.”

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Safe and Affordable Housing/ Renters’ Rights Update

by Sheila Payne

Members of the Alachua County Labor Coalition Housing Committee have been outreaching to city staff and Commission-ers to find out when the Safe and Healthy Housing draft ordinance would be finally made available to City Commissioners and the public for mark-up and movement to-wards a final vote and implementation.

The latest email from the office of the city attorney stated that “…we don’t expect it to go before the City Commission any sooner than February 20, 2020.” ACLC has been working on a Renters’ Rights ordinance since early 2018 after months of meetings with renters about their greatest concerns. Our lawyer with Florida Legal Services, Re-ina Sacco, shared with us her well-researched white paper with examples of rental ordi-nances from all over Florida and the U.S. The ACLC shared these documents plus our own position papers with City Commission-

ers and staff in 2018.The City Commission Renters Rights

subcommittee has been meeting since at least Jan. 2019. The minutes from that meeting show that the program was already laid out with the elements that ACLC had present-ed and that you can find on ACLC website. Though there were subcommittee meetings roughly every two weeks for five months, a draft ordinance is still not out. We also know that the first year after the ordinance is voted on by the City Commission will be spent on educating renters and landlords and securing the infrastructure such as more housing in-spectors to inspect rental properties. Please let the new City Manager and City Commis-sioners know that you are still waiting for an ordinance to be enacted so that we can stop the decline of housing stock, weather-ize rental housing to lower utility bills, and educate renters on their rights to safe and healthy housing.

Coordinator Rosa Hernandez and Board Member Marilyn Eisenberg at our November General Meeting.

continued on p.8

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Jason and I met with the new Code En-forcement Head Pete Backhaus in mid-Janu-ary 2020. He told us that the draft ordinance had just been circulated amongst involved staff and that he would follow the lead of the City Commission. We were previously involved in meeting with Code Enforcement as they came up with a draft budget for hir-ing more inspectors, a timeline for a four-year inspection schedule and what would be on the Renters Rights and Responsibilities handouts, among other items. Hopefully, that due diligence is not scrapped. We are now scheduling an appointment with the new City Manager, who seems to be very hands-on (he answered questions directly from City Commissioners this week about progress or lack of with the Living Wage ordinance and contract workers rather than sending an assistant manager).

As you all know, the greatest accomplish-ment that has come out of our Housing ef-forts besides lots of meetings with affected renters and public awareness of the shabby conditions of much of the rental housing stock in Gainesville is Alachua County Com-missioners adding an anti-discrimination clause to their Housing Codes to include no discrimination based on source of income or citizenship status in April 2019. All cities in Alachua County are included. This means Housing Choice vouchers have to be accept-ed as income when renting a house anywhere in Alachua County. ACLC is now collecting complaints from renters who have been denied use of their vouchers when seeking housing. We are outreaching to landlords to educate them about the new law. We have also made some beautiful posters detailing renters’ rights and are distributing them. We seek more help on this campaign so we can go door to door visiting with the most af-fected renters to alert them of the new an-ti-discrimination law and the upcoming City of Gainesville housing ordinance provisions.

Jeremiah and I went to the County Com-mission Housing Authority Fair Housing up-

date meeting just before newsletter deadline. There have been 30 complaints so far to the county about landlords not accepting Hous-ing Choice Vouchers. Many of those include large apartment buildings. Also, some land-lords will not answer questions on the phone about whether they will accept housing vouchers; they expect the potential renter to fill out an application before they will answer any questions. That would mean that a renter would have to pay an application fee to find out that their voucher will not be accepted as income towards renting. This is expensive and is a method of discouraging applications and obviously a way to circumvent detection of non-compliance with the ordinance.

Community advocates convinced the County to include in its sweeping anti-dis-crimination ordinance strong protections for those who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and human traf-ficking. The removal of tenants or denial of housing based on this gendered violence is now prohibited in Alachua County

Upcoming goals based on renters input:• continue meetings with folks who

would like to form tenant unions• promote more publicly-owned

housing• removal of rental application fees• rent controls and stabilization• greater protections for rent with-

holding• longer eviction time frames• reduction of depositsAnd more assistance from the big 10

companies in Alachua County to provide assistance in upgrading current housing and building affordable housing.

We need more workforce housing. There are many colleges and universities around the U.S. who build workforce housing and also design and build affordable housing through their construction programs in the commu-nities where they are supposed to be part of the fabric of the community. No more stud-ies, “Friendship Seven,” more action! To get involved email, housing@laborcoalition.org.

HOUSING, cont. from p.7

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Update on the Living Wage Campaignby Ashley Nguyen

The ACLC, employees and contracted workers at UF, and community allies are actively campaigning for a $15 minimum wage at UF, as well as the right for workers to unionize without obstruction from administration. On the wages paid by UF and contracted companies like Aramark, many employees and contract workers face the harsh reality of living paycheck to paycheck. A $15 minimum wage is the first step in achieving a better standard of material well-being for workers who are integral to the daily campus functions. UF is one of the largest employers in Alachua County, but many employees and contracted workers make well below a living wage. Workers at UF, particularly Aramark contracted employees routinely share stories of wage theft, poor management and revocation of sick leave.

At the university level, the ACLC has been partnering with the Young Democratic Socialists of Gainesville (YDSA GNV) on a Fight For $15 campaign at the Univer-sity of Florida. Members have engaged in meaningful conversations and contact discussions with workers, specifically contracted Aramark employees, about working conditions and workplace abuses at the University. While UF service employees and contracted Aramark workers are willing to engage with ACLC and YDSA GNV or-ganizers and share their stories regarding struggles in the workplace, they have asked that community members and students support this campaign by rallying around Fight for $15 and the right to form a union without administration from universi-

ty officials. Without this crucial support, UF workers feel that they will not have the requisite insulation from UF hostility as they take steps to build a more fair and just work environment.

At the City level, the Gainesville City Commission has heard ACLC demands for a more just Living Wage Ordinance.

These changes would apply to busi-nesses who contract with the city.

• The major changes we are seeking are:

• To close the loopholes which allow businesses to skirt the living wage ordinance.

• Lower threshold from current $100,000 to $50,000 so it applies to more contractors.

• Tie the living wage stan-Jeremiah Tattersall giving the Living Wage up-date at the ACLC’s Annual Holiday Potluck continued on p.12

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Florida Joins the “Red Wave” for Public Education

by Phil Whelpton

On January 13, Florida became the latest state embracing the “red wave” in support of public education that began in West Virginia in 2017.

Public education workers and their local supporters from across the state answered the Florida Education Association’s call to “Rally in Tally”, on the opening day of this year’s legislative session, in support of FEA’s “FUND OUR FUTURE” campaign, which demands a “Decade of Progress” to restore funding and reverse the damage done by four decades of neglect, designed to literally dismantle the traditional public school system and bring our public colleges and universities under corporate control of the billionaire class.

In response to Gov. DeSantis’ divisive plan to raise the salaries of first year teachers, with no proportional raises across the entire work force, including Education Support Personnel; and his “more of the same” cuts in funds for traditional public schools, to in-crease the already obscene amount of state money currently being wasted on unaccount-able charters and private schools; “FUND OUR FUTURE” puts forth specific proposals to responsibly increase funding for all facets of public education, while restoring local control to school boards and citizens in every district.

The Decade of Progress calls for a 10 year investment of $22 billion in education funding through 2030. Lawmakers must make a serious down payment this year in the form of a $2.4 billion opening investment, which represents a 10% increase in per-stu-dent funding in our traditional public schools. It sounds like a lot, but will only move Florida up 4 spots in the national rankings. The investment will increase the per-pupil funding by $767, of which at least $614 must go to the base student allocation, the flexible money under local district control. This will allow for across the board raises of 10% for every public school education worker in Florida; teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, secretaries, media specialists, social workers, cafeteria staff etc.

Along with the increased funding for the K – 12 schools, the Decade of Progress demands increased funding to Florida’s colleges and universities.

The investment will restore electives including art, music and drama; along with addi-tional funding for lab materials, so students don’t just read about STEM, but can engage in it.

It will ensure access to mental health services, making school counselors, social work-ers and school psychologists readily available to assist struggling students and families.

And it will help Florida districts better address the struggling schools that have suf-fered the most from decades of underfunding.

The program also demands loan forgiveness for teachers and laws to protect all college students from predatory lending.

It calls for reducing the cost of teacher certification tests; and a halt to linking student test scores to teacher evaluations by redesigning evaluations to align with teaching and learning.

In support of this bold, but realistic program, 15,000 people traveled in buses ar-ranged by the local FEA affiliates in each school district, or drove their own vehicles to Tallahassee the morning of January 13th to gather in the Tallahassee Civic Center in

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Update on UFF Bargainingby Sean Trainor

Last March, the United Faculty of Florida at the University of Florida (UFF-UF) en-tered negotiations with representatives of the UF Board of Trustees (BOT) on a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Eleven months later, these negotiations are ongoing.

Negotiations have dragged on for so long that the previous CBA has now expired – though, under Florida law, the two-fifths of UF faculty covered by the agreement continue to enjoy its protections until a new CBA is ratified.

Who’s to blame for these never-ending negotiations? It’s not the UFF-UF bargaining team, which presented most of its proposals last spring. Instead, responsibility for these delays falls squarely at the feet of the BOT bargaining team.

For much of 2019, the BOT bargaining team either sat on their hands or advanced empty proposals aimed at ‘cleaning up the CBA’s language.’ Then, in the last two months, the BOT team has begun churning out revised articles. Seemingly oblivious to their role in the delay, they now demand that UFF-UF respond to these articles quickly.

Despite this flurry of activity, the BOT bargaining team has not responded to UFF-UF’s most important proposals, including the union’s comprehensive proposals on family, medical, and parental leave as well as subsidized childcare.

UFF-UF advanced these proposals back in April 2019, at one of the first bargaining sessions in the current series. At that session, UFF-UF bargaining team members Hélène Huet and Lisa Scott urged the UF administration to reinstate the university’s successful parental leave pilot program from 2010-2013 and expand the program to support family and medical leave as well. Under this program, UF faculty and staff were eligible for 19.5 weeks of paid parental leave. Huet and Scott also proposed language that would require the university to offset the skyrocketing costs of childcare.

These proposals, Huet and Scott argued, would improve quality of life for parents, their children, and aging family members; bring UF’s benefits package into line with other top-ti-er public universities; and help address inequities among UF employees.

Since April, the BOT bargaining team has repeatedly expressed interest in both paid family and parental leave – though, to date, these statements have not congealed into a concrete proposal. This inconsistency is typical of the UF administration. After abandon-ing their successful parental leave pilot program in 2013, the UF administration agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the 2017-2019 CBA. Under this MOU, the university pledged to establish a taskforce charged with developing a comprehensive leave policy for campus. In three years, this taskforce has met twice and failed to produce any proposals.

Moreover, while dragging their feet on family and parental leave, the BOT team has stated, on multiple occasions, that they have “no interest” in subsidizing childcare.

Despite these delays, however, bargaining has already produced several major wins for UF faculty – particularly, non-tenure track faculty who lack the job security of their ten-ure-line colleagues.

First, UFF-UF has won contract language that requires UF to provide a justification when it refuses to renew the contract of a non-tenure track faculty member. Previously, UF was not required to provide any justification for non-renewal decisions.

This change is important as it will allow non-renewed employees to file a grievance

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dard to the wage of the lowest-paid regular city employee which is currently at $13.75/hr. The current ordinance is $12.38/hr which encourages outsourcing.

• Use the Affordable Care Act market rate (currently $2.17/hr) as opposed to the current arbitrary $1.25/hr to determine the true cost of healthcare.

• Remove exemption for incarcerated workers.These changes would build on the successful Alachua County Government Living

Wage Ordinance passed in 2016 by the ACLC.If you would like to get involved with this campaign, please reach out to info@

laborcoalition.org.

LIVING WAGE, cont. from p.9

preparation for the march. Our Alachua County Education Association, in conjunction with the United Faculty

of Florida and the Graduate Assistants Union at UF, organized 300 union members along with members of the ACLC, Democratic Socialists of America, Indivisible, Socialist Al-ternative of Florida and individual supporters of teachers and public education, for the rally.

As each new district arriving at the Civic Center received an ovation from their col-leagues and friends already in the building.

The highlight came late in the morning when the announcement was made that the Polk County Education Association had arrived.

As many of you may know Polk County’s Superintendent, when she realized that more than 600 Polk County teachers and support workers had asked for, and received, a per-sonal day off to attend the rally, contacted the Florida Dept. of Education and Education Commissioner, Richard Corcoran, about any “help” the DOE could provide in covering for those workers. Responding for the commissioner and the department, the general counsel of DOE advised the superintendent that this could be construed as a strike ac-tion and she could fire the workers and fine the union $20,000 a day for any missed days. The workers could also have their retirement cancelled under Florida’s law that precludes public employees from engaging in strike activities.

Under this potentially devastating threat Polk County brought their entire contingent of more than 600. Their entrance set of a sustained standing ovation from the crowd.

As did the introduction of the union president, Stephanie Yocum.From the Civic Center we marched to the steps of the old capitol building where

speakers including FEA’s top leaders, President, Fedrick Ingram, VP, Andrew Spar and Secretary-Treasurer, Carole Gauronskas; plus both national education union presidents, Randi Weingarten with AFT and Lily Eskelsen Garcia from NEA; and even the Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as public advocates for education from around our state, addressed the gathering on the urgency to support the plan for a “Decade of Progress” for public education in Florida.

The day ended with everyone energized and ready for the fight to “FUND OUR FU-TURE”. The January 13th “Rally in Tally” is only the beginning!

You can join us in this fight: Text EdActivist to 31996.

RED WAVE, cont. from p.10

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JUST HEALTH CARE, cont. from p.1

insurance industry, it’s encouraging to see that in 2020 under a Trump presidency, sup-port continues to grow amongst physicians and physician organizations. About 2/3 of physicians specifically support a single payer plan.

It’s also encouraging to see how opinions change after anti-government and anti-so-cialist fears fade in the face of a system that puts patients ahead of profits. Dr. E. W. Barootes was president of the Saskatchewan medical association that led the physician strike in the 60’s. Decades later, he professed his support for the Canadian single payer system – which did not interfere with the patient-doctor relationship, as feared. In con-trast to Canadian smear campaigns in the U.S., the Canadian health care system has be-come a beloved national treasure. “A politician is more likely to get away with cancelling Christmas,” said Dr. Barootes, “than canceling Canada’s health insurance program.”

Meanwhile, what can we do here in Alachua County? For one, know and share with friends that single payer is not just a utopian fantasy or policy pipe dream. It’s the reality in most industrialized countries - who spend half of what we do with better health outcomes. It’s the true fiscally responsible pathway to universal health care, covering everyone while saving billions of dollars.

Join us on the ACLC’s Just Health Care committee and help spread the word. We’ve co-sponsored a dozen or so Medicare for All presentations in the north central Florida region over the past year and are preparing an online version to share nationwide. Let us know if you’d like us to bring the presentation to your church, reading group, or organization.

against the university – and potentially retain their position – should they believe the uni-versity’s justification is inappropriate.

Secondly, the faculty union bargained for contract language that will make summer pay eligible for retirement credit and benefits. Under this policy, the university will now have to provide matching contributions to an employee’s retirement plan, not just for their normal contractual work, but for their summer work as well.

Finally, while UFF-UF has lost the fight for mandatory multi-year contracts for non-ten-ure track employees, our proposals on this topic have convinced the administration to take advantage of existing contract provisions and begin offering multiyear contracts to select non-tenure track faculty members.

In short: UFF-UF has recorded some significant wins over the past eleven months. But we still have a long, uphill battle before finalizing the CBA.

Here’s what you can do to help us win a just CBA, complete with family and parental leave and subsidized childcare:

Plan to attend our upcoming bargaining sessions (full bargaining schedule available at uff-uf.org)

Write to the UF Board of Trustees and demand action on paid family and parental leave (contact information available at trustees.ufl.edu/contact-the-board)

Invite your friends and neighbors on the UF faculty to join and support the United Faculty of Florida: because a robust membership is our strongest weapon!

Our next bargaining sessions will be on March 12th & March 19th, 3:30-5PM in the Nygren Studio, 2nd Floor, Library West.

UFF BARGAINING, cont. from p.11

14

Thank you to our Committee of 100 members, who provide a monthly pledge to the ACLC to sustain our work—you form the core of support that pays for the ACLC’s day-to-day expenses so that we can focus on organizing!

To Our Members: There’s No Us Without You!

Alachua County Education AssociationAlachua County Green PartyMary AlfordSeth Alexander & Miguel ValdezJade AllenNeesha AndersonKirk AnthonyMary BahrDoug BernalJoey BrennerCaron Cadle & Ralf RemshardtRandi CameonScott CamilNorth Central Florida Central Labor Council, Florida AFL-CIOLynn ChackoCandi ChurchillIra & Joanna ClarkCarol CobbAmy CoenenKen CornellLinda Coughlin-Lavery Joe CourterOscar Crisalle Arthur & Mary CrummerCWA 3170Scott DariusNancy DerenCynthia DigbyShawna DoranMarilyn EisenbergBrooke & Nate Eliazar-MackeEd EmeryJason FultsRegan GarnerBill Gilbert

Gaby GrossSkipper HammondDan HarmelingHeidi HarrisElizabeth Hauck Susan Hegeman & Phil Wegner Dave Hennig & Nancy Shebeneck Chad HoodIBEW Local 1205Robert IngJames & Trish IngleNkwanda JahNancy JonesCynthia Karle & Sam TrickeyChristopher KennardBeth & Kurt KentAlex Leader & Jeff MasonDebbie Lewis & Johanna Connor Eric Lindstrom & Amandine Lejeune Vince LipsioJay Maggio & Shayna RichM. Glen McClure & Theresa Spurling-WoodMurdo MacLeodRichard and Eve MacMasterChris & Jane MedvedPamela & Tracy MoormanGreg MullaleyNational Women’s Liberation Susan O’BrienPaul OrtizPaul ParkerSheila PayneSara Peden & Stephen Roberts

Julie Penrod-GlennKate PhillipsEric PiotrowskiMark PiotrowskiAlice PrimackJon and Julia ReiskindAndrew ReynoldsLeah RosenbergReina Saco Robert SammelKathie SarachildSherry SteinerAnnie, Kay, and Doug StephensonTimothy Strauser & Marcy Strauser-WilsonAnita SundaramJeremiah TattersallLaurie TaylorPete TaylorCarol ThomasRanson ThomasJames ThompsonTimothy TiaRichard TrachselSean Trainor & Helene Huet Shane TrembleyUnitarian Universalist FellowshipUnited Faculty of Fla., UFMartin & Vibeke ValaVeterans for Peace GainesvilleSue VinceKendra VincentMichael WalkerBill & Sally WarrickSteedly Young

In memory: Pennie Foster, Jack Penrod, Zot Szurgot

15

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