Stop constitutional attack on Florida workers

Take action today - contact your Senator and Representative and tell them to VOTE NO on SJR 1908 and HJR 1013, the amendment to deny Floridians of their rights to collectively bargain for better lives for themselves and their families.

A sample letter is below. Feel free to personalize it with any information you'd like to add. You can e-mail your state Senator and House Representative by hitting the "Send This Message" button on the right. Or you can contact your representative by phone. To find your representatives' phone numbers click here and enter your zipcode.

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I am writing to urge you to vote against the proposed constitutional amendment (SJR 1908/HJR 1013) that some in the Florida Legislature falsely claim is designed to protect the secret ballot. This amendment is really about denying the rights of hundreds of thousands of Florida's workers to collectively bargain for fair wages, health care benefits and basic safety standards on the job.

The key to rebuilding the middle class and Florida's economy is to allow workers to exercise their basic right to form organizations so that they can bargain collectively and have a voice on the job. Currently, that right is all too often denied by serious flaws in the nation's labor laws and the Employee Free Choice Act currently being debated in Congress will fix those flaws. This proposed amendment is an attempt to block Florida's workers from enjoying the benefits of the Employee Free Choice Act.

The right to a secret ballot in local, state and federal elections is already protected in Article VI of Florida's Constitution. There is nothing in the Employee Free Choice Act that takes away any rights for workers to have a secret ballot in union elections; it merely allows workers to decide for themselves how they will organize cooperatively to have a voice on the job rather than the corporations. If passed, this amendment will give CEOs the constitutional right to continue intimidating and harassing workers during the company controlled election process for union representation. It will also strip firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees of their rights under the Public Employee Relations Act and the Public Employee Relations Commission process of voluntary recognition of unions.

At a time when Florida is in the midst of the worst budget crisis in a generation, I would hope that I can count on you to spend your time working to resolve these problems rather than participating in an effort to deny Florida's workers their basic rights. You can do that by voting against this proposed amendment.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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