TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s new governor, Ron DeSantis, recently proposed the largest budget in the state’s history. While the $91.3 billion “Bold Vision for a Brighter Future” has received praise from some unlikely sources, it doesn’t include a much-needed, across-the-board pay increase for all state employees.
AFSCME Florida members, who are once again at impasse with the state in contract negotiations over fair wages, are redoubling their efforts to ensure that state-worker pay keeps pace with inflation.
“In a state where the cost of living for many workers increased by well above 3 percent in 2018, this is simply not enough to ensure the financial security of the people who work tirelessly to make Florida happen day in and day out,” said AFSCME Florida Executive Director Jana Weaver. “With a proposed spending increase of $2 billion, there should be an across-the-board pay increase for hard working state employees across the Sunshine State.”
As Tallahassee gears up for the 2019 legislative session, AFSCME members have been a regular sight at the State Capitol as they work to promote key legislation that will affect workers across the state. State worker pay is just one of the issues on our agenda.
From fighting to ensure that hundreds of members jobs are secure in the Miami-Dade Clerk of Court System to pushing for the recognition of the dedicated men and women who perform vital and dangerous work at Florida's State Hospitals, we will continue to strongly advocate for fairness and respect for workers who have dedicated themselves to public service and making Florida a better place to live.