1.Do you support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $15.08 an hour).

 

Yes.  I do support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers.

 

2. The Gainesville Living Wage Ordinance for contractors has so many loopholes that it applies to almost no contracts the City currently has. To address this issue, the City of Gainesville started to look into updating the Ordinance in December 2015, but no action has been taken until December 2018 when a six-month study was started. What will you do to ensure the timely and effective changes needed to the Gainesville’s Living Wage Ordinance?

 

I would support modifying the bid process.  You could modify the bid process by setting certain percentages of hires from certain underrepresented groups.  I would like to see chances given to ex-felons, apprenticeships, and even hiring residents from the neighborhood or the community in which the project or development will be built.  

 

 

3. What other ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community?

 

There must be a concentrated effort to invest in our human capital i.e. job training for the under skilled workers, better education for our children, and expanding our economy to help the under employed.  Employers in Gainesville have to change their mentality when it comes to hiring.  For decades because of UF and the pool of students from which employers can hire, Gainesville has experienced a wage suppression.  Somehow, there has to be a change in the hiring practices and wage scale. We must make a concentrated effort to bring the level of jobs to our city that will have an impact on wages.  The Airport industrial Park is an example of missed opportunity to do that. 

 

 

4. What do you envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities?How have/would you encourage these large local employers to address these issues?

 

I envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities paying a livable wage, becoming a community partner which will support he organizations advocating for these changes. These large local employers to address these issues would have to see the benefit it would make for their companies.  The benefit would be a better trained workforce, a more educated workforce, and a more diverse workforce.

 

 

5. Do you support providing paid administrative leave for part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to a natural disaster)?

 

Of course I do, that is the best case scenario but it’s not that simple.  We have to realize the fact that some businesses just can’t afford to do that.  In this instance, I will give the business owner the benefit of the doubt. I truly believe you will have some business owners that will take care of their workers.  Others desire to compensate their workers but can’t pay them full compensation, and then there are some who will pay them nothing. Unfortunately, all we can do is be a voice for the workers and set the atmosphere to make it happen.  Now I do support this if workers for city government are affected in this manner.

    

 

6. If you are an employer: Do you pay all your workers a living wage? If you do not: How are you making an effort to do so?

 

No.  I am not an employer.

 

7. Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would:

 

• Offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and damages.

• Protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make basic investments in energy and water efficiency.

• Require universal licensing and safety/health inspections of all rental property.

• Offer protections against discrimination based on source of income and citizenship status.

• Ensure greater disclosure of renters’ rights and responsibilities.

 

 

     I support a “Renters Bill of Rights”.

 

8. What are some additional policies the City of Gainesville can enact to improve access to quality, safe affordable housing in our community?

 

Affordable housing should not be located in one area or community of our city.

For families that are below the poverty line, there might be a need to subsidize the cost to rent. I would like to pursue developing a consistent and perpetual funding source for affordable housing such as a housing trust. 

 

 

9. Do you support a local hiring preference that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects?

 

Yes. I do.  This relates to the answer in question 3.

 

10. Do you support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students and/or making RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service? How can the City of Gainesville improve public transportation for people who rely on it and don’t work for UF?

 

I support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students.  If I’m not mistaken, that’s something RTS has already implemented.  At this point, I can’t agree to make RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service.  For people who rely public transportation and don’t work for UF we must increase the frequency of the bus routes so residents who live for instance, in east Gainesville will have more frequent and better access to public transportation.  Gainesville is a car city. It is a car city because the residents want to travel in a timely manner. Bus route frequency must be improved to increase ridership. 

 

11.  What is your position on SB168, which is the law that requires local governments to comply with ICE and detain people without a warrant?

 

First of all, we have to obey the law.  Should the City of Gainesville devote resources specifically to seek out and detain people without a warrant?  I don’t think so. We have more important things for our law enforcement people to do. There are more pressing needs for which our members of law enforcement should be involved.

 

12. What would you do to advance healthcare outcomes in black and brown communities as well as racial equity overall in our community? What steps can the City of Gainesville take to address unequal access to quality food?

 

When it comes to advancing healthcare outcomes, I would reach out to our healthcare partners.  The City of Gainesville does not possess the expertise in healthcare. It would be important to develop a vision with our partners to educate, treat, and institute preventative measures to improve health outcomes in the black and brown communities.  An important step that should be taken is to insure access by locating urgent care centers in the communities to service these residents. We need to address the food desert issue.  Communities such as east Gainesville suffers greatly from unequal access to quality food.  Not one grocery store exists in east Gainesville. Maybe a food co-op might be a solution. There might also be an opportunity to bring an up and coming grocer or entice a local grocer that would serve our underserved communities like east Gainesville.

 

13. What will you do to ensure UF is a better corporate citizen in Gainesville (e.g., payments in lieu of taxes, moving more services to GRU, etc.)?

 

What I will do to ensure UF is a better corporate citizen in Gainesville is to impress upon the University of Florida the benefit of being a better corporate partner.  One way UF can be a better corporate partner is to support the City of Gainesville by purchasing more energy from GRU. Secondly, as UF buys land near and around campus, UF should somehow find a way to compensate the city monetarily for the lost ad valorem taxes that will not be collected.  Thirdly, UF should be very cognizant and respectful to how change impacts neighborhood character when they expand into city. 

 

14. How will you work with UF to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville?

 

The University of Florida is one of many community partners I will work with to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville.  Specifically, it will be important to make the case with the University that their role as a partner to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing would benefit their workforce.

1. Do you support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $15.08 an hour) 

Yes. 

2. The Gainesville Living Wage Ordinance for contractors has so many loopholes that it applies to almost no contracts the City currently has. To address this issue, the City of Gainesville started to look into updating the Ordinance in December 2015, but no action has been taken until December 2018 when a six-month study was started. What will you do to ensure the timely and effective changes needed to the Gainesville’s Living Wage Ordinance? 

I will continue to push my colleagues and our staff to close loopholes by writing more stringent language. I want to make sure we write an ordinance that provides for adequate reporting of the wages each contractor pays to their employees to guarantee they are following our ordinance. 

3. What other ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community? 

I supported budgeting $3MM for wage increases for all city employees. We are exploring restructuring our employer healthcare benefits, we are in the process of adding paid family leave for all city positions, and we will continue to increase our minimum wage until we get to $15. We will continue to set the example for other governments and institutions. In my personal capacity as Commissioner I will continue to support unionization (i.e. I supported the SF Adjuncts vote), the fight for $15 campaign, and ending prison labor (I also was the Commissioner to move that). 

4. What do you envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities? How have/would you encourage these large local employers to address these issues? 

In my personal capacity as Commissioner I will continue to advocate for the major employers in Gainesville increase their minimum wage, increase other wages to reach midpoint averages, and address disparities such as: gender wage gaps, issues in diversity, etc. 

5. Do you support providing paid administrative leave for part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to a natural disaster)? 

Yes. 

6. If you are an employer: Do you pay all your workers a living wage? If you do not: How are you making an effort to do so? 

N/A 

7. Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would: Offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and damages. Protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make basic investments in energy and water efficiency. Require universal licensing and safety/health inspections of all rental property. Offer protections against discrimination based on source of income and citizenship status. Ensure greater disclosure of renters’ rights and responsibilities. 

Yes, and I have the voting record to prove it. 

8. What are some additional policies the City of Gainesville can enact to improve access to quality, safe affordable housing in our community? 

Incentivize affordable housing by requiring certain allocations of affordable housing within major housing projects. Also increasing code enforcement to go after property owners who do not upkeep their rental homes. 

9. Do you support a local hiring preference that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects? 

Yes. 

10. Do you support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students and/or making RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service? How can the City of Gainesville improve public transportation for people who rely on it and don’t work for UF? 

Yes, if this is what the people want. 

11. What is your position on SB168, which is the law that requires local governments to comply with ICE and detain people without a warrant? 

This law represents the continued erosion of the American Republic and should be challenged. I continue to hope the Commission will join my lead in wanting to challenge this law as a City. 

12. What would you do to advance healthcare outcomes in black and brown communities as well as racial equity overall in our community? What steps can the City of Gainesville take to address unequal access to quality food? 

I will continue to support projects like the Community Resource Paramedics to focus on inequality. I am also interested in exploring ideas for additional municipal health care options through partnerships with hospitals and providers. 

I will continue to advocate for more sustainable food grocers in East Gainesville in partnership with UF and Working Food. 

13. What will you do to ensure UF is a better corporate citizen in Gainesville (e.g., payments in lieu of taxes, moving more services to GRU, etc.)? 

I will continue to advocate for a health UF-Gainesville partnership by focusing our policy goals on reducing inequities. So far we have seen progress in the areas of health, transit, public safety. I want us to follow these up with more investment from UF-Gainesville including additional funding for Food Security. I have always advocated for UF using more GRU services but the PSC has not expressed interest in changing UF’s jurisdiction from Duke Energy. 

14. How will you work with UF to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville? 

I will advocate for affordable housing commitments (i.e. certain % of units are affordable) from developers in their major projects. If UF brings forward housing projects I will advocate for similar commitments from UF. 

1. Do you support paying a living wage for all City workers including part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $15.08 an hour) 

Yes. Increasing wages paid directly or indirectly by the City of Gainesville continues to be the single most efficient tool the city has to impact income inequality in our community. By the time the city completes moving the overall wage floor to $15/hour, literally millions of dollars will have been added to the incomes of some of the previously lowest-paid workers in Gainesville. This is also part of what has made it a challenge to achieve: Those millions of dollars came from other parts of the budget and/or increased revenue. 

2. The Gainesville Living Wage Ordinance for contractors has so many loopholes that it applies to almost no contracts the City currently has. To address this issue, the City of Gainesville started to look into updating the Ordinance in December 2015, but no action has been taken until December 2018 when a six-month study was started. What will you do to ensure the timely and effective changes needed to the Gainesville’s Living Wage Ordinance? 

I will continue to pressure the city manager and utility general manager to bring to the commission the necessary estimates to understand what the true budgetary cost of this will be – not to consider postponing past another fiscal year, but so the community can understand the full impact. 

3. What other ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community? 

The largest employer, by far, in our region and our city is the University of Florida and UF Health. Combined with Santa Fe College, they represent tens of thousands of workers. Moving the lowest-paid of those workers – be they part-time/temporary OPS workers, adjunct instructors or others – to the equivalent of $15 per hour will have a huge impact on income inequality in Gainesville. There is nothing else that come close to this as a tool for changing lives in our region. I will continue to support programs like GEAP (Gainesville Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program) that promote and nurture the creation and growth of diverse local business in our community, and I have ideas for targeted business incubators, but there is nothing that can compare to harnessing the economic engine that is UF when it comes growing wages. 

4. What do you envision as the role of large local employers in Gainesville in helping to improve wages, benefit workers, and reduce inequalities? How have/would you encourage these large local employers to address these issues? 

As addressed in question three, the largest employers in the Gainesville area are primarily public-sector institutions. If we can improve the wage floor for each of the “Friendship Seven” to a living wage, competition for those jobs will force other large employers to raise wages as well. 

5. Do you support providing paid administrative leave for part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to a natural disaster)? 

Yes, if a worker has cleared their schedule on behalf of the city and foregone other opportunities the city (and any employer) should be responsible for the time it has claimed. 

6. If you are an employer: Do you pay all your workers a living wage? If you do not: How are you making an effort to do so? 

My current employment is as a city commissioner, and as such I bear responsibility for more than 2,000 workers. We have a plan to bring all of them to at least a living wage. 

7. Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would: Offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and damages. 

Yes, I believe this is a benefit to both the renter and the landlord. 

1. Protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make basic investments in energy and water efficiency. 

Yes, I support this in principle, but details will be vital to a successful implementation. The intent is to improve efficiency and conservation, not to raise costs that might be passed on to renters. 

1. Require universal licensing and safety/health inspections of all rental property. 

Yes, as above in B, I support the concept, and will insist on a careful implementation that does not accidentally create upward rental pressure. 

1. Offer protections against discrimination based on source of income and citizenship status. 

Yes. 

1. Ensure greater disclosure of renters’ rights and responsibilities. 

Yes, prominent inclusion of an easily-understood disclosure of a renters’ rights document with every lease is something we should already require as a city. 

8. What are some additional policies the City of Gainesville can enact to improve access to quality, safe affordable housing in our community? 

The primary policies city government can implement to improve housing affordability and availability – and that are within our honest reach – have to do with land use and zoning. Rental affordability can be directly impacted in a relatively short time by permitting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs or Mother-in-Law suites/”Granny Flats”) citywide, Single Room Occupancy development/Rooming Houses in carefully selected areas (not only in East Gainesville) and multi-family development (preferably two to eight units at a time as to be sensitive to neighborhood needs) in many areas where they make sense, but not only in or near existing pockets of poverty. These are the most significant things the city can do to increase the quantity and variety of housing stock in my opinion. 

9. Do you support a local hiring preference that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects? 

Yes. I’ve been working with the Central Labor Council to bring such an ordinance through the city commission’s policy development process. I hope we can continue to make progress and make this a reality in our community. 

10. Do you support offering free RTS bus passes for K-12 students and/or making RTS free for all Gainesville residents at the point of service? How can the City of Gainesville improve public transportation for people who rely on it and don’t work for UF? 

Yes. I recently made a motion to remove RTS fares for everyone 18 or younger and everyone 65 or older. While that motion did not pass, I will continue to work toward this initial goal with the intent of including it in the 2021 budget. I see it as a step toward removal of the rate structure entirely. In a careful analysis, the system likely spends more on the process of collecting and accounting for payment than rates bring in. The city’s current transit plan includes expansion of the current “First Mile/Last Mile” pilot into four more zones around the city. This will bring on-demand small-bus service to areas that need it most. 

11. What is your position on SB168, which is the law that requires local governments to comply with ICE and detain people without a warrant? 

I oppose it

12. What would you do to advance healthcare outcomes in black and brown communities as well as racial equity overall in our community? What steps can the City of Gainesville take to address unequal access to quality food? 

Improving Gainesville’s income gap, access to affordable housing and transit will directly and positively impact access to both health care and food while still keeping the city working on services that are within the city’s responsibility. The city is currently working hard on facing and improving racial equity through a variety of measures. I am pleased to serve on the racial equity committee, and I look forward to implementing the work we’ve been researching. 

13. What will you do to ensure UF is a better corporate citizen in Gainesville (e.g., payments in lieu of taxes, moving more services to GRU, etc.)? 

The current relationship between UF and the City of Gainesville is more positive than it has been in many years, and there is greater opportunity to improve it right now than I remember there ever being. UF is a top-ten (paid) user of each of GRU’s utility services, and without the revenue UF provides our transit system RTS would barely exist. Still, there is always room to improve, and much of it is fairly obvious. The best thing anyone in Gainesville can do to move more money from UF to the city, whether an “in lieu of taxes” program or greater purchase of GRU services is to advocate those programs through the legislature. We should continue to improve communication with a plan leading to better cooperation in providing services to city residents. 

14. How will you work with UF to ensure better access to affordable, quality housing in Gainesville? 

One potential way UF and the city might be able to impact workforce housing is to work together on funding for a community land trust. We can also work together on implementation of the Renters’ Rights package discussed above.

 

Hello Labor Coalition! My name is Rosa Hernandez and I am your new Coordinator! I am originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida although I did spend half of my life in Western Michigan. I am currently a graduating senior at the University of Florida and will hopefully attain my Economics degree this December. I came to start organizing officially when Donald Trump Jr. came to campus and I was approached by No Nazis at UF to help lead the student protest. This opportunity gave me a more focused vision of what my leftist politics should logically lead to which is actual physical organizing for the material benefit of my community. Thankfully I was given the privilege to continue that journey here at the ACLC! In my free time I love to spend time with my lovely cat, Lenin and watching ridiculous amount of time watching film reviews (I’m a huge film snob, its my worst trait!). If you ever see me please do not hesitate to introduce yourself!

Featured speakers: Dr. Zoharah Simmons and Prof. Dan Harmeling: Racism and Sexism in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Workshop for antiracist social justice activists; December 14, 12-6pm, at: GAINESVILLE VINEYARD, 1100 SE 17th drive, Gainesville, FL 32641

Donations: $5-15 sliding scale
LUNCH IS PROVIDED

For more info: contact Faye Williams (352) 226-2623, sisterspace1515@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/812643795849165/
https://www.facebook.com/mamasclubgainesville/

Sponsors:
• M.A.M.A.’s Club
• Third House Books
• GNV Rooted In Love Leaders (GRILL)

Open to organizations and individuals

This is the preliminary set of priorities, and we will be surveying membership to determine who wants to be engaged and how! Please share your thoughts with us at a meeting,via phone or email, and/or in the upcoming survey!

ACLC Strategic Plan 2019-2021, DRAFT

Living Wage

Strategy: The ACLC will continue to pressure our community’s 10 largest employers to commit to paying their workers a living wage.  We define that wage as 125% of poverty level, plus health benefits.  We will continue to shore up and build upon victories at the City and County level, but move overall focus of the campaign to UF and Santa Fe.

Status: existing committee; please join! 

Holding UF accountable 

Strategy: Build power to have UF pay its share for fire services, by using GRU (water, power), and more to ensure that UF contributes to the local area. This will operate in connection with the Living Wage committee for their work on a living wage at UF.

Status: needs a chair, volunteers to join the group, and determine next steps

Climate Justice

Strategy: ACLC members are heavily engaged in Climate Justice, and it affects all areas of our lives and world. 

Status: needs a chair, volunteers to join the group, and determine next steps

Housing, Renters’ Rights and Tenants Unions

Strategy: Collaborate with other local groups/coalitions/individuals who are working on this issue, decide whether to form our own working group or to join forces. Particular areas of interest supported by ACLC members include inclusionary zoning and renters’ rights, including basic energy efficiency standards for rental properties, and organizing to build power with tenants unions.

Status: existing committee; please join! 

Just Health Care 

Strategy: Help defeat Republican wealthcare reforms and efforts to undermine Medicare & Medicaid while continuing to advocate for Medicare for all as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. Investigate CHOICES program as a potential local remedy if Republicans are successful in gutting the Affordable Care Act.

Status: existing committee; please join! 

Election Reform at State and Local Level

Strategy: The ACLC will form an “Election Reform” working group and begin development of concrete reforms at the local and county level, including ranked choice voting,  citizen-financed elections, and ethics reforms.

Status: needs a chair, volunteers to join the group, and determine next steps

-Jason Fults, Glynn Hayes

Santa Fe College Senate representatives for adjunct faculty and part-time staff

As reported in Today @Santa Fe, the results of the recent union election were 259 (61%) against and 167 (39%) for joining the union.  That is approximately 67% voter turnout, which is reportedly among the highest that SEIU has ever seen in such an election.  We respect the adjuncts’ decision and, along with adjunct leaders, intend to continue our ongoing efforts to seek improvements for all workers at Santa Fe.  We are proud to have been part of an important conversation and to stand together for dignity and equity for Santa Fe’s most precarious instructional workforce.  Since the election, we have heard from many adjuncts, full-time faculty, and community members inquiring why the results were so lopsided and we believe that everyone deserves to hear a more complete reporting than what we received in Today @Santa Fe.  We welcome anyone’s feedback if you feel that we have omitted any pertinent details or misrepresented any facts.

In direct contradiction of the College Senate’s request, the administration, aided by an outside law firm that specializes in “union avoidance,” waged a successful, full-scale effort to beat back this union drive.  The effort included personal appeals from our outgoing President as well as other members of the administration, some department chairs and full-time faculty, and personnel from Human Resources. Unfortunately, fear tactics and misinformation were employed liberally in an effort to maintain current power relations.  Collective bargaining would have required our Board to sit down as legal equals with adjuncts to create a legally binding agreement. Ultimately, the Board maintains a lot of management rights and power even with collective bargaining, but having to meet as equals with our adjuncts, who make up the majority of the College’s instructional workforce–teaching classes, running labs, and helping students change the course of their lives–was apparently deemed too threatening for those who run this institution.  It remains unclear what the College’s total expenditures were in terms of staff time, mailings, and payments for outside consultation, but those numbers should be made available to the College community, students, and taxpayers, and should be viewed in the context of the improvements in wages and benefits that we have advocated for on behalf of our part-time faculty and staff.

There are portions of the overall bargaining unit that bear closer attention, particularly law enforcement and the health sciences.  SEIU argued that these faculty should not be included in the bargaining unit, as their pay packages and working conditions differ significantly from most of the College’s other adjuncts.  Many if not most of those adjuncts also work full-time jobs elsewhere and already have access to union representation and/or livable wages and benefits. These adjuncts were included in the bargaining unit at the request of the College.

With regard to law enforcement, as first responders, law enforcement adjuncts have their addresses protected from FOIA requests. As such, almost all criminal justice adjuncts’ ballots were delivered to them at work.  In the weeks leading up to the election, law enforcement adjuncts teaching advanced and specialized law enforcement training received a 24% raise from the College. They were made aware of this raise in an Aug. 20th email from Lela Frye that also encouraged them to vote “no” for the union.  In the days preceding the union ballots’ arrival, the College held a beginning-of-the-semester meeting with criminal justice adjuncts where the College’s position on the adjunct union was again made clear. Most of the ballots for the union election were delivered to the individuals following this departmental meeting.  The turnout in this election from law enforcement was approximately 82% of eligible voters or 73 votes. 

Some adjuncts in the health sciences reported being told that an adjunct union might affect their critical need stipends and that, “…if the union is approved, they will be forced to level the playing field and healthcare adjuncts will take a hit.”  This misinformation failed to note that critical need stipends have never been affected nor under discussion from any of the six colleges/universities where adjunct faculty are represented by SEIU. Any raises that might have been won from bargaining would have been in addition to critical need. Furthermore, all adjuncts would have gotten the chance to elect a representative bargaining committee and ratify or reject a bargained contract.  The turnout in this election from health sciences was as follows: Cardiovascular 86%, Dental 83%, Radiology 60%, Nursing 57%, Physical Therapy 42%, Surgical Tech 40%, and Respiratory 38%, for a total of 72 votes.

Adjuncts in other departments reported captive meetings with their department chairs or full-time faculty “team leaders” where they were urged to vote “no” and were warned that a successful union effort would “…change adjuncts’ relationship with the department for the worse and prevent them from being able to be involved in departmental decisions.”  We know, based on a copy of a memo that was circulated, that department chairs were urged by the administration to have such meetings with their adjunct faculty and to encourage them to vote “no” for the union. Overall turnout for adjunct faculty not in the health sciences or law enforcement was 66%. 

And finally, it bears mentioning that SEIU’s overall organizing strategy was sorely lacking and found to be off-putting to many of our adjunct faculty.  Numerous people reported that they felt harassed by SEIU organizers as they attempted to contact them at their home and/or place of work. It is worth noting that in any union campaign, employers have far easier access to employees than the union supporters do. While employees have no obligation to speak to organizers or colleagues about the union, they do have an obligation to speak to their supervisors.  Often, home visits are the only opportunity for union organizers or supporters to reach workers in a neutral setting. Large sectors of the adjunct workforce had little relationship with anyone on the union organizing committee and were only getting their information from supervisors who were sometimes less than forthcoming about how collective bargaining works and what it means to have a union. SEIU’s campaign obviously needed a stronger foundation in more areas of the College before moving forward with an election. 

What’s done is done, and it will be left to the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission to determine whether any of the College’s actions were in violation of the law, and if so, how those violations will be addressed.  However, the bottom-line is that this College has successfully added a page to the anti-union playbook that is being used by higher education and other employers throughout the U.S. Whether they will deliver on their promises of improved conditions and a stronger role for our adjuncts in shared governance now that this union drive is behind us will be revealed in the coming months.

Dear Mayor and Commissioners
First, please know that I have been busy with family for nearly two months and have been absent from important city discussions and events. I hear that things have been tough. We as a caring community need to continue moving forward for the benefit of all. 
Towards that end, I continue to support the renters initiative.  As a landlord who has been paying the Landlord Fee of $147/year/per property, I don’t buy into the hype that the fee will significantly impact the profitability of property owners.  If it does, the owner likely needs to reconsider their business model.  Many hours of research and discussion and many bright brains have gone into the ordinance. The requirements for properties are reasonable.  The cost of enacting energy efficiency methods and materials will help the renter short term and the property owner long term. The methods will reduce the wear and tear on HVACs and, when replacement is needed, may allow for a new system to be a smaller system, thus lowering cost. Energy efficiency in rentals is also a very important in our goal of being a sustainable city.  
Please know that out of your sight I continue to be involved in social justice and environmental issues. As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance to you.

Janice Garry

Join the ACLC in fighting for a living wage for all employees at the University of Florida by signing out petition below! If you would like to help us with this campaign, please contact info@laborcoalition.org.

May 2019

The Alachua County NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee (ECJC) focuses on community issues affecting the quality of life and economic equity for all citizens in Gainesville and Alachua County.  Environmental Justice recognizes that environmental benefits and burdens are not shared equally among all residents.Consequently, Environmental Justice issues are also civil and human rights issues. 

NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee Support for the Renter’s Rights and Responsibilities Initiative.

A home is not only where the heart is, it is where a basic sense of stability as an individual and a community begins. Mental health, physical health, and the capacity to be a productive citizen starts in a stable, safe, affordable home for each individual and each family. In this age of climate crisis, it is also where environmental sustainability begins.

In Gainesville, as in all cities, there is a shared necessity for citizens to be adequately employed and for businesses to have a productive workforce. Stable housing directly contributes to an adult’s well-being and productivity in the work setting and a child’s capacity to learn in school for future job performance.  In terms of sustainability, Gainesville is participating in the Sierra Club Ready for 100 initiative and has a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045. Sustainable homes will contribute to the success of this goal.

Simply put, it behooves every single citizen and business in Gainesville to have stable, safe, sustainable, affordable housing.

Some 50% of Gainesville inhabitants live in rental housing. New housing developments cater to students and residents with ample resources.  The area of focus for the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee (ECJC) is the many long term residents who have limited resources for housing. There is an abundant quantity of older homes that are not properly rehabilitated or maintained, particularly on the east side of Gainesville. Some of them are rentals and some lie vacant as untapped potential. Housing prices and rent are on the rise but are not supported by higher wages. Affordable housing is less and less available. Real lives are affected. Businesses are affected. Schools are affected. We are affected. The fundamental need for housing needs help.

The short supply of affordable rentals is not the only challenge. There are lousy landlords and lousy renters.  Some renters pay more for their utilities bill than they pay for rent because of poor or no insulation, leaky windows, leaky plumbing and/or old appliances. Some landlords don’t have a realistic business model that includes money for property maintenance and improvements. Some renters don’t know how or don’t care about things like changing AC filters, smoke detector batteries and general home care.  You might be surprised to know that there is no state or local licensure for landlords. Hair stylists and nail technicians have to have a license. Lawn services have to have a license. But there is no license for landlords.  Even though owning a safe, energy conserving property is a lot more complicated than those other businesses. Does that make sense?

A City Commission Rental Housing Subcommittee has been meeting for several months.  Citizens, landlords and management companies have been welcome. The goal is to create a program with a balance between the needs and responsibilities of renters and landlords. The Alachua County Labor Coalition has also participated. They have a position paper, Safe & Healthy Housing for All that can be read here:  https://laborcoalition.org/safehealthyhousing/our-position/.  

The NAACP ECJC is on board with requiring landlords to have minimum standards for safe and energy efficient rentals.  We also support identifying renter’s rights and responsibilities. We think that there should be universal landlord licensing with a small fee that would be deposited into an account for running the rental properties program. We think that some sort of inspection system to verify the minimum safety and energy efficiency standards of a rental should be in place. Properties that don’t have problems could have less frequent inspections. We think there should be a written document that outlines the landlord/renter responsibilities that would be signed along with the lease agreement.  Problems between a landlord and renter might be handled through arbitration similar to the Alachua County’s very successful Wage Recovery Ordinance.

The NAACP ECJC thinks that a Renter’s Rights and Responsibilities program would serve landlords, renters and our community well.  It would also encourage Gainesville’s goal of energy sustainability while we continue to grow. We have a vision of quality housing for renters that is also a good business for landlords. Rental homes would contribute to environmental sustainability in our beautiful city. Together we can do this.

Nkwanda JahNkwanda

Chairperson, NAACP ECJC