Organized labor advocates gathered at Tallahassee's Lake Ella American Legion hall on Labor Day. Instead of a celebration, the event was a serious discussion of the challenges facing unions, especially in places like Tallahassee.
Around 50 union supporters and local elected officials showed up for a panel discussion. It was hosted by Jordan Scott, president of the Big Bend Chapter, Northwest Florida Federation of Labor.
"Most of us work for the public sector. They've already decertified 4 public sector unions in the Big Bend area. And that means that these people went to work one day with a collective bargaining agreement that protected their right to work and now they don't have that collective bargaining agreement or anything to protect their right to work."
And Scott said there is also a downside to the fact so many public sector workers in the Capital City are union members. National private sector unions are reluctant to approach the area's non-government employees.
"Hopefully we can change their minds, because what it looks like in Tallahassee is this is a public sector town and of course that's true. And we should be building for public sector workers. But there's private sector workers, too and we need to be building for them."
Panelist Scott Mazur, Leon Classroom Teachers president, said the growing movement to fund private and for-profit charter school vouchers is threatening public education.
"The idea that we have an un-level playing field is so truthful. We represent that every kid gets it. But they don't want that! they want to create a market where people can make money off it."
Last year, the U.S. Labor Department estimated union membership nationally at just ten percent of the workforce.
