Tallahassee – Representatives Oscar Braynon, Kelly Skidmore, Bill Heller, and Adam Fetterman showed unequivocal support for Florida’s workers and their families by voting to reject House Joint Resolution 1013, also known as the “Save Our Secret Ballot” amendment.

“We salute these champions for Florida’s struggling working families,” said SEIU Florida President, Monica Russo.  “Rep. Braynon, Skidmore, Heller and Fetterman took brave stands to make it easier for workers to bargain for healthcare, pensions and better wages, not harder.”  

Eximene Jules travelled from Miami to Tallahassee to share her story as a cleaner earning $6.95/hr with no healthcare after 9 years service who was fired along with many of her coworkers for trying to form a union.  Eximene lost her home and 2 years later she is still awaiting a trial regarding her retaliatory firing.

The “Save our Secret Ballot” amendment would do nothing to remedy the intimidation faced by workers’ like Eximene who attempt to join unions.  In fact, it would work at cross-purposes with legislation introduced yesterday in Congress – The Employee Free Choice Act – that would level the playing field so that workers, not just CEOs, benefit from the economic progress we help create.

“The “Save our Secret Ballot” campaign is a diversionary tactic to distract Floridians from the legislature’s failure to act on the critical issues facing our state such as the economic crisis, our woefully under-funded public schools and declining access to quality, affordable healthcare,” said Russo.  “Legislators who truly want to support Florida’s working families should turn their focus towards saving our jobs, saving our homes, and saving our schools.”