2018-06-29

Jun 29 - Jul 5, 2018 | Orlando Advocate
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Progress Continues in Florida’s
Child Well-Being
Florida Labor Groups Band
Together After SCOTUS Ruling
By Trimmel Gomes, FNS
By Trimmel Gomes, FNS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- This year’s child well-being
index for the Sunshine
State is showing improvements
for kids living in
high-poverty areas, as well
as fewer teen births and
better student proficiency
in reading and math.
But for Florida overall,
the 2018 KIDS COUNT
Data Book released today
by the Annie E. Casey
Foundation is a mixed bag,
showing improvements
in health-care access for
kids thanks to expansion of
health-insurance programs.
While there are some
improvements in the area
of economic well-being,
Florida KIDS COUNT Director
Dr. Norin Dollard,
says the state’s recovery is
still ranked in the bottom
tenth compared with other
states.
“It’s not affecting all
families equally,” Dollard
says. “Looking at these
data, we do have fewer kids
in poverty than we had five
years ago, which is great
- but it’s still one in five kids
in the state living below the
federal poverty rate.”
According to Dollard,
poverty continues to be a
major issue, with persistent
disparities among children
of color and those from
low-income and immigrant
families. She warns that a
potential under-count of
the 2020 Census could put
more children at risk of not
getting the help they need.
The report says the
young-child under-count
has gotten worse with every
census since 1980, and was 1
million short in 2010. Laura
Speer, associate director for
policy reform and advocacy
at the Casey Foundation, is
concerned that it could be
worse for the 2020 Census,
without a coordinated effort
to improve accuracy.
“There’s about 4.5 million
young children who
live in neighborhoods where
there’s a high risk of missing
kids in the count,” Speer
explains. “And it’s important
because the census will
inform federal spending for
the next decade. We really
just have one shot to do this
right.”
The report notes research
showing that by 2020, children
of color will make up
the majority of children in
the United States.
The data show Florida is
above the national average
for preschool enrollment,
and notable gains have been
achieved in third-grade
reading, which is seen as
an important predictor of
academic success.
Florida ranks 34th overall
in child well-being. The
full report is online at aecf.
org.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- Opponents of Wednesday’s
U.S. Supreme Court ruling
freeing government workers
from having to pay into
unions are using Florida as
an example of how bad it
could be for working families
across the country.
The court’s 5-to-4 decision
upends a 41-year-old
ruling that allowed states
to require that public employees
pay some fees to
unions that represent them,
even if the workers choose
not to join.
The decision doesn’t
impact the Sunshine State
because of a right to work
law that makes paying
collective bargaining fees
voluntary.
Mike Williams, president
of the Florida AFL-CIO,
Mrs. Naomi Neeley, formerly of Enchanted
Mirror Beauty Salon, would like to thank
the customers that supported her over the
many years she performed the profession
she loved. Many Thanks and may God
richly bless you all!
says the state already was
crippling working families
with low wages, and now
the rest of the country will
feel the same.
“It continues our nation’s
long race to the bottom
for workers’ rights,” he
states. “It increases economic
inequality and makes
it even more difficult for
America’s workers to make
ends meet.”
Meanwhile, conservatives
are praising the ruling
as a victory for workers
and their First Amendment
Rights, arguing union fees
were being used to fund
political activities.
Limiting the power of
public unions has long been a
goal of conservative groups.
Six states have passed rightto-work
laws since 2012,
and Williams says he’s seen
the impacts.
Florida’s government
has more than 81,000 positions
represented by a labor
union, but fewer than 10
percent of employees are
dues paying members.
“I’ve got to tell you, in
right-to-work states like
Florida, we’ve lived this decision
pretty much every day
in a system that undermines
freedom to have a voice on
the job, be paid less, less
access to health care, and
less opportunities to retire
with dignity,” he states.
The court based its ruling
on the First Amendment, saying
that requiring payments
to unions that negotiate
with the government forces
workers to endorse political
messages that may be at
odds with their beliefs.
Williams contends collective
bargaining is different,
and if a worker reaps
the benefit from collective
bargaining, he or she should
pay.
Williams adds the
union’s more than 1 million
members will stand together
and continue to fight for
working families.