Alachua County Labor Coalition

Last updated

The Alachua County Labor Coalition (ACLC) is a nonprofit organization in Alachua County, Florida, that advocates for working people. [1] The organization was formerly known as the Alachua County Labor Party and traces its roots to the national Labor Party's call in 1996 for a new political party as a reaction to the conservative, neoliberal New Democrat movement. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The ACLC has played a significant role in political campaigns in North Florida. As of September 2022, the co-chairs of the ACLC Executive Committee are Melissa Hawthorne and Jenn Powell.

Living wage campaign

Since 2015, the ACLC has campaigned for the largest North Florida employers to pay living wages. [4] [5] [6] Florida state law bars municipalities from enforcing local minimum wage laws [7] but, using neo-Alinsky tactics and capitalizing on the national Fight for $15 movement, the ACLC pressured Alachua County and the City of Gainesville to adopt ordinances requiring their employees and contractors to be paid a living wage. [8] [9] [10] [11] When the county ordinance was adopted in 2015, organized labor called it the "strongest and most comprehensive living wage ordinance of its kind in the state. [12] By 2018, the University of Florida, the Alachua County School Board, and Santa Fe College—each among the largest employers in the region—increased their employees' wages toward the living wage. [13] [14]

Campaign for temp workers at the University of Florida

In 2017, the ACLC began a campaign to pressure the University of Florida to decrease its reliance on "Other Personnel Services" (OPS) positions---a job classification that is not provided any traditional fringe benefits like paid leave, health insurance, or retirement benefits. [15] [16] [17] The OPS classification was created for temporary part-time workers, but the ACLC found that the university was often using the OPS classification for full-time employees and that some employees were kept in OPS status for years. [16] [17] In 2018, the university announced that it would stop using the OPS classification for non-temporary jobs. [17]

Renters rights campaign

Between 2018 and 2021, the ACLC led a renters rights campaign in Alachua County that led to the adoption of an ordinance that outlawed various forms of rental discrimination, mandated safety standards, and made new energy efficacy requirements for most rental units in the City of Gainesville. [18] [19] [20] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACLC began supporting tenants facing eviction. [21]

Related Research Articles

A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Because minimum wages increase the cost of labor, companies often try to avoid minimum wage laws by using gig workers, by moving labor to locations with lower or nonexistent minimum wages, or by automating job functions. Minimum wage policies can vary significantly between countries or even within a country, with different regions, sectors, or age groups having their own minimum wage rates. These variations are often influenced by factors such as the cost of living, regional economic conditions, and industry-specific factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alachua County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Alachua County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus opened with 106 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainesville, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,214 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Hawthorne is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States, incorporated in 1881. Indigenous peoples of the Americas had been living in the area since around 100 CE; Hawthorne grew around their trading trails. Throughout its history, Hawthorne has been known for its agriculture, railroad, and rural lifestyle. Hawthorne's population was 1,478 at the 2020 census, with an area of 7.38 sq mi (19.1 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living wage</span> Minimum income to meet a workers basic needs

A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as a subsistence wage, which refers to a biological minimum, or a solidarity wage, which refers to a minimum wage tracking labor productivity. Needs are defined to include food, housing, and other essential needs such as clothing. The goal of a living wage is to allow a worker to afford a basic but decent standard of living through employment without government subsidies. Due to the flexible nature of the term "needs", there is not one universally accepted measure of what a living wage is and as such it varies by location and household type. A related concept is that of a family wage – one sufficient to not only support oneself, but also to raise a family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North central Florida</span> Region of Florida, United States

North central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida which comprises the north-central part of the state and encompasses the north Florida counties of Alachua, Marion, Putnam, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union. The region's largest city is Gainesville, home of the University of Florida and center of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which is the largest metro area of the region. As of 2020, the region had a population of 575,622 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Fe High School (Florida)</span> School in Alachua, Florida, United States

Santa Fe High School is a high school serving grades 9–12 from the Alachua-High Springs area in the northwestern part of Alachua County, Florida. It is located in Alachua, Florida and a part of the Alachua County Public Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alachua County Public Schools</span> Public school district in Florida, US

Alachua County Public Schools is a public school district serving Alachua County in North Central Florida. It serves approximately 29,845 students in 64 schools and centers.

Minimum wage law is the body of law which prohibits employers from hiring employees or workers for less than a given hourly, daily or monthly minimum wage. More than 90% of all countries have some kind of minimum wage legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alachua County Library District</span> Public library in Florida

The Alachua County Library District (ALCD) is an independent special taxing district and the sole provider of public library service to approximately 280,000 citizens of Alachua County, Florida. This includes all of the incorporated municipalities in the county. It maintains a Headquarters Library and four other branches in Gainesville. There are branch locations in seven of the eight other incorporated municipalities in the county. ACLD also operates a branch at the county jail, and two bookmobiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimum wage in the United States</span>

In the United States, the minimum wage is set by U.S. labor law and a range of state and local laws. The first federal minimum wage was instituted in the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but later found to be unconstitutional. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act established it at 25¢ an hour. Its purchasing power peaked in 1968, at $1.60 In 2009, it was increased to $7.25 per hour, and has not been increased since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938</span> United States wage law

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 29 U.S.C. § 203 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and "time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppressive child labor". It applies to employees engaged in interstate commerce or employed by an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, unless the employer can claim an exemption from coverage. The Act was enacted by the 75th Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Lowe</span> American mayor (1957–2023)

Stuart Craig Lowe was an American politician who served as Mayor of Gainesville, Florida, from 2010 to 2013; he previously served as Gainesville City Commissioner from 2003 through his becoming mayor. Lowe was the first openly gay mayor of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizens Co-op</span>

Citizens Co-op was a food cooperative, or a community owned market located in Gainesville, Florida. It closed in 2016 due to financial issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wage theft</span> Denial of wages or employee benefits rightfully owed to an employee

Wage theft is the failing to pay wages or provide employee benefits owed to an employee by contract or law. It can be conducted by employers in various ways, among them failing to pay overtime; violating minimum-wage laws; the misclassification of employees as independent contractors; illegal deductions in pay; forcing employees to work "off the clock", not paying annual leave or holiday entitlements, or simply not paying an employee at all.

The tipped wage is base wage paid to an employee in the United States who receives a substantial portion of their compensation from tips. According to a common labor law provision referred to as a "tip credit", the employee must earn at least the state's minimum wage when tips and wages are combined or the employer is required to increase the wage to fulfill that threshold. This ensures that all tipped employees earn at least the minimum wage: significantly more than the tipped minimum wage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fight for $15</span> Political movement in the United States

The Fight for $15 is an American political movement advocating for the minimum wage to be raised to USD$15 per hour. The federal minimum wage was last set at $7.25 per hour in 2009. The movement has involved strikes by child care, home healthcare, airport, gas station, convenience store, and fast food workers for increased wages and the right to form a labor union. The "Fight for $15" movement started in 2012, in response to workers' inability to cover their costs on such a low salary, as well as the stressful work conditions of many of the service jobs which pay the minimum wage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of Gainesville</span>

The Mayor of Gainesville is, for ceremonially purposes, receipt of service of legal processes and the purposes of military law, official head of the city of Gainesville, Florida and otherwise a member of, and chair of, the city commission, required to preside at all meetings thereof. The mayor is also allowed to vote on all matters that come before the city commission, but has no veto powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newberry Six lynchings</span> 1916 lynchings in Florida, US

The Newberry Six lynchings took place in Newberry, Alachua County, Florida, on August 18, 1916.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Us – Alachua County Labor Coalition" . Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  2. ↑ Sweeney, Sean (1997). "The Labor Party's: Alternative Politics". New Labor Forum (1): 43–49. JSTOR   40342164 . Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  3. ↑ Hood, Chad (Spring 2019). "100 C-100 Members" (PDF). Alachua County Labor Coalition Newsletter. p. 13.
  4. ↑ Fernandez, Alexandra (2016-01-25). "Alachua County Labor Coalition Wants Top 10 Employers Paying Higher Wages". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  5. ↑ Cardona, Laura (2015-11-11). "Gainesville Workers Rally To Raise Minimum Wage". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  6. ↑ Caplan, Andrew (2017-09-03). "Labor coalition calls on Santa Fe to increase wages". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  7. ↑ "City Of Miami Beach Asks Justices To Move Quickly On Minimum Wage Case". WLRN. 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2021-05-19.,
  8. ↑ Baitinger, Brooke (2015-11-20). "Alachua County Labor Coalition campaigns for higher wages". Alligator. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  9. ↑ Curry, Christopher (2015-11-10). "Carrying signs and chanting, group pushes for minimum-wage hike". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  10. ↑ Cardona, Laura (2015-11-10). "Gainesville Workers Rally To Raise Minimum Wage". WUFT. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  11. ↑ Warren, April (2016-01-15). "Labor group urging Gainesville to boost wages". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Jenny (2016-04-13). "Alachua County closes loophole in minimum wage ordinance". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  13. ↑ Caplan, Andrew (2017-09-03). "Labor coalition calls on Santa Fe to increase wages". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-19. The coalition in 2015 launched its living wage campaign to increase wages for Alachua County's 10 top employers, which includes SFC. Since then, the University of Florida, city of Gainesville, Alachua County and school district have increased wages.
  14. ↑ Strange, Deborah (2018-06-19). "Santa Fe College raises minimum wage". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  15. ↑ "Dispute brews over UF's pay for part-time, temp workers". The Gainesville Sun. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  16. 1 2 "Groups protest treatment of OPS workers at UF". The Gainesville Sun. 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  17. 1 2 3 Gupta, Deeva (2018-06-19). "Work in Progress". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  18. ↑ Gomez, Alana (2018-11-21). "New Lease on Rights". The Fine Print. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  19. ↑ "Rental housing discussion planned May 29". Gainesville Sun. 2018-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  20. ↑ Medders, Charlene (2021-04-26). "City of Gainesville Adopts New Rental Ordinance, Takes Effect in October". WUFT News. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  21. ↑ Mallard, Aida (2021-02-17). "Network helps during eviction crisis". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.