After years of budget cuts and downsizing that have decimated state agencies and left Florida's state workers with some of the lowest pay in the nation, Florida's public employees are fighting back. Underpaid and overworked state employees in four cities across Florida will hold simultaneous rallies at worksites and the State Capitol on Tuesday, January 28 calling for Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to prioritize Florida’s dedicated public workers in the 2020 state budget. The plight of struggling state employees in Florida has now reached crisis level status with many employees working two or three jobs or relying on public assistance just to survive.
State workers will hold signs reading: “I AM A STATE WORKER” in honor of the iconic “I Am A Man” placards held during the 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike that brought Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis. The signs convey the struggle for the rights of all people to be treated with dignity, respect, and a living wage.
“We are being cheated,” said Veronica Contigiani, a tax auditor with the Florida Department of Revenue and President of AFSCME Local 3104. “We can not afford another year without a raise. Period” Contigiani and thousands other members of AFSCME Florida--who do the crucial work of keeping our children safe, protecting our environment, and keeping our infrastructure functioning--are planning what is expected to be the largest multi-city state employee rally in Florida history.
Last week, state employees got some encouraging news from Tallahassee: after hearing from AFSCME Florida's bargaining committee, the Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining unanimously approved a recommendation for across the board pay raises for nearly 50,000 dedicated state employees. That letter will go directly to Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for consideration on this year's budget
Now is the time to raise our voices! We are calling on our brothers and sisters across the state to raise their voices for justice in support of the hard working people who make Florida happen every single day!
Join Us Tuesday to Stand with State Workers! RSVP to one of the rallies below:
Let's send a strong and crystal clear message to Governor DeSantis and lawmakers at the Capitol: It's high time our dedicated state workers finally get the respect they deserve. State employees need to be prioritized in the 2020 state budget and given an across the board pay raise NOW! We can not wait any longer!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
