WASHINGTON, DC – Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 256, a bill targeting labor unions representing the state’s public sector workers.
“By signing the harmful, anti-worker legislation SB 256, Governor DeSantis is taking aim at a broad swath of public workers who serve Florida’s communities in essential roles – nurses, teachers, school bus drivers, sanitation workers, higher education workers and even those providing emergency services. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to rob one group of workers of their freedom of speech and right to join together in unions – a group that he thinks might stand in the way of his political ambitions. Working people will not be divided and we stand together in condemning the Governor’s draconian actions.
For generations, unions have provided the best opportunity for working people of all backgrounds to bargain better wages and build a brighter future. By undercutting the ability of public workers to pay their union dues from their paychecks, Governor DeSantis is breaking the backs of working families at a time when many are still recovering from the pandemic, and destabilizing every community in Florida.
This is just the latest attack from the desk of Governor DeSantis, who has already bullied immigrants, LGBTQ kids, people of color and women by taking away our basic freedoms through a series of extreme laws. SEIU’s 2 million members and not-yet-union service and care workers across the nation stand with working people in Florida who are fighting back against Gov. DeSantis.”