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ACLC is supporting https://www.DivestGainesville.org/

Please sign the petition to divest Gainesville’s tax dollars from fossil fuels & private prisons!

See all events and details on the ACLC Facebook Events page!

• Nov. 14, 5:30pm, Just Healthcare meeting, at the ACLC office
• Nov. 14, 4:45pm: Know Your Rights as a Santa Fe Worker!
• • Building P at Santa Fe College Gainesville
• Nov. 16, 4pm: UF Faculty Senate, discussion on paying OPS Workers
• Nov. 17, all day: Demand UF Pay OPS Workers for Missed Days! SIGN and SHARE
• Nov. 28: Membership Meeting at the Mennonite Church
• Dec. 5, 5:30pm: ACLC Board Meeting, at the ACLC Office
• Dec. 16, 8pm: Veterans for Peace, Winter Solstice Concert, Unitarian Church
• Dec. 19, 6-8pm; Holiday Potluck at: Working Food, 219 NW 10th Ave, Gainesville, Florida 32601

See all events and details on the ACLC Facebook Events page!

-written by an anonymous Santa Fe employee

Over the past few years the Alachua County Labor Coalition has helped put millions of dollars directly into the pockets of working people through our efforts to combat wage theft and our living wage campaign targeting Alachua County’s largest employers. While we’ve had significant success with those institutions whose decision-making bodies are publicly elected—the City of Gainesville, Alachua County, and the School Board—other large employers who are not directly accountable to our community have been more difficult to reach. Among those employers is Santa Fe College (SFC), which is both nationally-recognized and a bedrock institution of this community.

While no one questions SFC’s mission or the great work that it does for this community, it is clearly not living up to its employer responsibilities as a publicly-subsidized institution. SFC’s President and four Vice-Presidents combined salaries (not including benefits) well exceed $1 million/year, yet the college maintains a large number of poverty-wage jobs as well as an army of part-time adjuncts and staff, with official college policy to keep those employees below 28.5 hours/week so that the college does not have to contribute to their health care expenses. The college was also found guilty of overtime violations in the past few years and forced to pay thousands of dollars in back pay to its workers. As with other large local employers, the Labor Coalition is calling on SFC to commit to raising all of its workers to a living wage, including a provision for health care. Other local employers, including Alachua County, Infinite Energy, the City of Gainesville, Nationwide Insurance, and the Alachua County School Board, have all committed themselves to a multi-year plan to achieve a living wage for their workers; SFC should do the same.

Unlike its sister institution the University of Florida, SFC workers have no union representation whatsoever and in fact, the institution has responded aggressively to undermine union organizing on campus. Recognizing that workplace democracy is the only true route to workers’ rights, and in light of SFC’s past actions, the Labor Coalition is also calling on SFC to commit to a union neutrality pledge, promising not to interfere whatsoever in workers’ right to join a union. That means no anti-union propaganda, no hiring big money union-busting law firms, and no retaliation against workers who support a union.

These are not radical demands. Any institution, but particularly one that is publicly-subsidized and so intensely focused on its branding, would be wise to acquiesce. Whether SFC and its Governor-appointed Board of Trustees chooses to do so will likely depend upon what they hear from the Gainesville community. If you’d like to get involved in the Labor Coalition’s living wage campaign and help to raise the tide for all workers in this community, please contact us at info@laborcoalition.org or 352-375-2832.

Upcoming meetings & events:

• Tues., Oct. 24, Alachua County Labor Coalition Membership Meeting, 6:30-7:30pm
• Thurs, Oct. 26th, Living Wage campaign meeting. 5:30pm at the ACLC office (901 NW 8th Ave., Suite A1)
• Wed., Nov. 1st, Just Healthcare meeting, 6:30pm
• Tues, Nov. 7th, ACLC Board meeting. 5:30pm at the ACLC office
• Tues, Nov. 14th, Just Healthcare meeting. 5:30pm at the ACLC office

See all events and details on the ACLC Facebook Events page!

• Sept. 19-21: Radical Rush at UF and Santa Fe
  • We Need Volunteers to Help Table!  Please let us know if you can take a shift September 19th, 20th, or 21st during the day: email info@laborcoalition.org if you can help!
• Sept. 19, 9am: Alachua County Legislative Delegation
  • At Santa Fe Fine Arts Hall
• Sept. 19, 6pm: Just HealthCare Meeting
  • ACLC Office, 901 NW 8th Ave., Suite A1
• Sept. 21, 5:30-6:30pm: Living Wage Committee Meeting.
  • ACLC office, 901 NW 8th Ave., Suite A1
• Sept. 26, 6pm: Regular Membership Meeting, with State Representative Clovis Watson Speaking.
  • Mennonite Church, 1236 NW 18th Ave.
  • We will be hosting State Representative Clovis Watson to speak about the restoration of felon voting rights in the state of Florida.  Rep. Watson will also give a general legislative update, including efforts to expand healthcare coverage for all Floridians. There will be open Q&A time about the upcoming legislative session. Jhodi Polk, a community activist in the Say Yes to Second Chances campaign, will also speak.  Rep. Watson has introduced legislation every year in the Florida House to automatically restore Felon Voting Rights upon release from prison after they have fulfilled their obligations. Florida is one of only three states with a lifetime ban on voting. With the petition drive in full-swing around the state to have a constitutional amendment on the ballot, now is the time to be pushing this issue to the forefront. The ACLC office is the base of operations for the Say Yes to Second Chances campaign to gather petitions to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot for November of 2018.

If you can join us and help out with any of these events, please contact us.

See all events and details on the ACLC Facebook Events page!

For more information, contact the ACLC at:
info@laborcoalition.org
901 NW 8th Ave, Suite A1
Gainesville, Florida
(352) 375-2832