NCLR, ROC-Miami, Organize Now and SF Jobs With Justice Host Briefing on Worker Standards in Florida

MIAMI, Fla.—Today, May 2, NCLR (National Council of La Raza), ROC-Miami (Restaurant Opportunities Center), Organize Now and SF Jobs with Justice will host a telephonic press briefing to discuss Florida state legislative efforts to take away local control and undercut workers’ rights.  Florida is the latest in a string of states, including Michigan, Mississippi and Wisconsin, to introduce legislation which preempts local efforts to ensure that workers are entitled to earned sick time and a living wage.  Last week, the Florida Senate approved a measure that would strip local control from communities that have or wish to enact worker benefits, including earned sick time.  The Florida House of Representatives passed an earlier, even more egregious bill that would also ban local governments from passing living wage ordinances; it has since been amended.

Miami-Dade County was the first county in Florida to enact a living wage ordinance in 1999.  After a hard-fought battle, Orange County voters are set to weigh in on an earned sick time ordinance on the August 2014 ballot, if the state measure does not render it moot. 

Research has shown that earned sick time policies contribute to higher productivity and lower employee turnover.  A study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute regarding the effects of a San Francisco earned sick time measure contradicted naysayers who claimed that the law would hurt business.  In fact, since the law took effect in 2007, employment has grown more than twice as fast as in neighboring counties that lack an earned sick time policy. 

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT:       Telephonic briefing:  “The Latest on Earned Sick Time for Florida Workers”

WHO:    Moderator:  Stephanie Porta, Director, Organize Now

               Speakers: 
               •    Erica Summers, Worker, who worked while sick with typhoid and will share her personal story
               •    Natacha Seijas, Former County Commissioner, Miami-Dade County, and champion of the Miami-Dade Living Wage, Domestic Violence and Wage Theft Ordinances
               •    Natalie Carlier, Regional Coordinator, Florida, NCLR
               •    Other speakers TBA

WHEN:     Thursday, May 2, 2013
                  1:30–2:30 p.m. EDT   

WHERE:     Participant:  (866) 952-1907
                   Conference ID:  FLORIDA
                   Program Title:  Importance of Paid Sick Leave for Florida Workers

To RSVP for this event or get more information, call Camila Gallardo at (305) 215-4259 or email cgallardo@nclr.org.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

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