Brothers and Sisters,

I hope this article finds you and your family doing well. Summer is here and the weather is heating up and we all need to make sure to hydrate and take every precaution to avoid heat stroke. Below is a letter that was sent to all locals from our International General President Jimmy Williams. Please give it a read and even though this is happening in another state, it is making its way to all states and will affect us all. 

Brothers, sisters, and siblings: 

In an effort to keep you updated on the urgent priorities of our union, I wanted to let you know what is happening in the state of Florida. A recent law passed at the urging of Governor Ron DeSantis is a direct assault on the labor movement, including our very own District Council 78. 

This new bill, SB256, is yet another state law attacking public sector unions. This bill severely restricts the rights of working people, forces workers to sign forms acknowledging that Florida is a right to work state, prevents workers from having dues deducted from their paychecks, and seeks to decertify any union that doesn’t have a 60% vote recertification election. Our union has thousands of public sector workers across the state who are impacted by this new anti-union attack.

I have asked every IUPAT District Council to help assist District Council 78 in responding to this attack. We’re asking shop stewards, union staff, and union leadership to help our Florida sisters and brothers fight back against this anti-union law. 

As usual, anti-worker politicians would describe this bill as protecting individual freedoms and as ‘pro-worker.’ But make no mistake – this bill is an effort to punish perceived political enemies of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Republican party – particularly teacher unions. They seek to decertify public sector unions because they fear the political power of organized workers. 

The IUPAT is no stranger to anti-worker attacks by wealthy politicians. I have asked our union to mobilize to respond to this attack, and I fully believe we can use it as an opportunity to grow our union across the state of Florida. 

I ask that each and every one of you continue to stay involved in our union. We cannot allow attacks like these to go without a response, and we have to stay vigilant, mobilized, and especially organized if we want to grow and build a better future for the next generation of IUPAT members. 

In solidarity, 

Jimmy Williams, Jr. General President 

If you have any questions, you can reach me at (916)407-8279.

Fraternally,

Randy Rojas

Business Representative

DC16/LU1237