Gov. Jeb Bush's Attack on State Workers
Gov. Bush and the Legislature plan to:
- replace the Board of Regents with 110 new university trustees ("patronage plums" says the St. Petersburg Times)
- cut state staff by 25% (although Florida is, year after year, the cheapest state government per capita in the country)
- replace "just cause" (misconduct, incompetence) with management "discretion" as grounds for termination
- give 2% cost of living raises this year
- replace additional education, added duties, increased productivity, and other current raise criteria with "merit" as perceived by the supervisor
- eliminate "last-hired, first-fired" layoff protections in place for 50 years
- privatize custodial, maintenance, food service, and more (despite the costly failure of other State privatization efforts, e.g., child support)
- charge fees for deductions--supplemental insurance, United Way, union dues
House Bill 369/Senate 466
- FLORIDA AFL-CIO 3/15 URGENT ACTION ITEM
- AFL-CIO 3/7 Legislative Alert on House Bill 369
- AFSCME Summary of House Bill 369
- Florida Legislature--Online Sunshine: House Bill 369
- Florida
Legislature--Online Sunshine: Senate 466
- Legislative Staff Analysis (Fiscal Impact on Courts, Constitutionality)
(PDF file, requires Acrobat)
- Tallahassee Democrat: Government is a bargain
for
taxpayers
State University System Reorganization
- Senate
2108: Education Governance Reorganization
- St.
Petersburg Times: The university system on the edge
- Education
Governance Reorganization Transition Task Force
What You Can Do
Contact your
legislators.
Let your friends, family, and neighbors know that Florida state government
is a bargain, and that the Legislative staff analysis says HB 369 will
cost the state millions of dollars, will overburden the courts, will
decrease the quantity and quality of essential services, and may
violate the U.S. and Florida constitutions. Ask them to contact their
legislators.
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Join AFSCME, fighting for the rights of state workers for over 20 years.
Call 375-3359 for more information.