Florida – Privatization Schemes Blocked, Drug Testing Stopped
Members of Local 3293 (Council 79) worked tirelessly this summer to beat back a plan to privatize sanitation services in North Miami Beach, Fla.
Members of Council 79 are celebrating victories on several fronts: two the result of aggressive member-driven campaigns against privatization; and the other of a battle over drug testing the council championed through the courts.
In a privatization fight this spring, members of Local 2009 (Council 79) blocked an attempt to privatize the Hallandale Beach Building Services Department, which monitors building safety. AFSCME members fought back because they understood that privatizing the small department would have a domino effect on other city services, said Local 2009 Pres. Paulemond Mompremier.
Members of the local set up on a community street twice monthly and put out the AFSCME banner, cleaned up litter and distributed brochures explaining the services they provide. The commission decided to keep the department’s services in-house.
In another privatization fight, members of Local 1363 (Council 79) and their allies mobilized rapidly to beat back a hasty attempt to privatize the entire Miami-Dade Jackson Health System. The outsourcing scheme was derailed at a June task force meeting by an outpouring of opposition.
Finally, the drug testing case demonstrated AFSCME’s determination to fight for justice in every arena – this time in a court of law. AFSCME and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Gov. Rick Scott over his 2011 executive order requiring random drug testing for some 85,000 state workers. In April, U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled that the order violated the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.
