Fla. Members Stand up to Anti-worker Candidates

Ask a labor activist in Florida what he thinks of Senate candidate Marco Rubio, and you’re likely to hear something like this:

“His election would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to our state,” said Tampa Local 915 Assistant Business Manager and registrar Randall King. “We have high unemployment – workers are concerned about being able to eat and keep their homes, and Rubio’s attitude about helping only the rich makes him no friend of ours.”

A strident opponent of the Employee Free Choice Act, Rubio also supports extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. He advocates ending stimulus spending that reversed job loss in a state with nearly 12 percent unemployment and promotes raising the retirement age for Social Security benefits.

In a three-way contest for the Sunshine State’s open Senate seat, Rubio is facing Gov. Charlie Crist – an ex-Republican running as an independent who has the backing of some labor unions – and Rep. Kendrick Meek, who activists say is a bona fide fighter for workers facing hard times.

IBEW activists are working to get out the vote for Senate candidate Kendrick Meek, center.

Jason Smith is the state coordinator for the IBEW’s political operations in Florida. The Tampa Local 824 member and Verizon employee is pounding the pavement for Meek – knocking on doors, leafleting and hitting construction job sites to speak face-to-face with voters about the Democrat’s support for working families:

Kendrick is a definite friend of labor. And in a time when anti-worker candidates like Rubio are trying to use wedge issues to divide us, we need to not get pulled aside. We have to focus on the most important thing – our jobs. Meek’s record shows he’s got our interests at heart.

Along with a heated Senate battle, Floridians will go to the polls to decide between labor-friendly state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and businessman Rick Scott for governor.

When Scott served as CEO at the for-profit medical company Columbia/HCA in the 1990s, the company was involved in the largest Medicare fraud case in U.S. history. After the company paid out $1.7 billion in settlements, Columbia/HCA’s board of directors forced Scott out.

King said the choice for governor is easy:

We’ve been Sink fans for a long time. She’s tough, she’s got a good head for business and she always returns our calls whenever our local has needs assistance. And Scott? Not only does he have the Medicare fraud hanging around his neck, but he supports a ‘race to the bottom’ blueprint for wages. If you’re a working person in Florida, there’s no choice but Alex Sink.

Both races are close, which is why Smith stresses the importance of union members getting out the vote.

We need every voter who supports working families on board this November. It’s the only way to stop the possibility of our economy heading back down the wrong track that got us into this mess in the first place. Meek and Sink have shown their support for us. It’s time we show our support for them.