_L1From:
Sent:
To:
(
Stoddard, Philip K.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 9:26 PM
Menendez, Maria M.; Steven J. Alexander
Subject: Fwd: Open Letter Sent to Miami-Dade State Legislative Chair Rep. Eddy Gonzalez
March26StateDelegationLetter1.doc; ATT00001.htm; Letterto localofficials3.26.2013.doc;
ATT00002.htm
Attachments:
Please include this for discussion Tues.
Philip Stoddard
Mayor of South Miami
305-342-0161 mobile
PStoddard@SouthMiamiFL.gov
(from iPhone, thus brief)
Begin forwarded message:
From: Deborah Dion <dion.deborah@gmail.com>
Date: March 27,2013,3:46:33 PM EDT
To: <PStoddard@southmiamifl.gov>, <JLiebman@southmiamifl.gov>,
<BW@southmiamifl.gov>, <VN ewman@southmiamifl.gov>, <WHarris@southmiamifl.gov>
Subject: Open Letter Sent to Miami-Dade State Legislative Chair Rep. Eddy Gonzalez
Dear Honorable Mayor Stoddard and Honorable Commissioners of the City of South Miami,
Attached is a letter we delivered yesterday to Chairman Eddie Gonzalez expressing our deep
concerns about his recent vote for the Precourt bill HB 655 which stops all current and future
living wage and responsible wage ordinances, employee benefits ordinances and earned sick
time. HB 655 also takes away Miami-Dade County's local elected officials' ability to pass any
future laws for their own local residents.
Also attached is a sign-on letter we are asking local elected officials across the state to sign on to.
The letter will be sent to Florida State Legislators and the letter addresses the problems with HB
655. If you are interested in signing on to the letter please e-mail your signature to
dion.deborah@gmail.com or fax it to 305-324-1119.
Thank you in advance.
Deborah Dion
South Florida Jobs with Justice
dion.deborah@gmail.com
305-213-3165
1
f
Sign-on letter for Miami-Dade Local Elected Officials:
Dear members of Florida Legislature:
I am writing to urge you to reject any legislative efforts to strip away local control from
communities that have or wish to enact local Living Wage, Earned Sick Time, Wage-
Theft or other ordinances. It is not for politicians in Tallahassee to determine what's best
for our local communities and work places.
Living Wage ordinances for public contracts are currently in place in numerous cities and
counties across Florida, including Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, City of Miami
Beach, Orlando, Gainesville, Broward County and Palm Beach County. The contracts
with these cities and counties alone impact thousands of Florida workers who would take
an immediate cut in pay and benefits, undermining local economies.
The "Living Wage" is so named because it is calculated based on the cost ofliving in a
city or county where it is in place. Using a "one size fits all" strategy when it comes to
employee pay especially in areas where the cost of living is higher, will only push more
and more Floridians into poverty.
Localities must also have the freedom to enact Earned Sick Time standards and do what's
best for their people and communities. Millions of workers without Earned Sick Time are
too often forced to work sick, send sick children to school, put off needed health care or
lose pay and even their jobs if they stay home. Local lawmakers are increasingly
recognizing Earned Sick Time policies as both an economic and a public health
imperative, and are learning from the positive experiences with Earned Sick Time
standards in cities across the country.
Orange County voters were denied the right to vote on Earned Sick Time last year, and
now some legislators, at the behest of special interest lobbyists, are attempting to deny
that right to all Florida communities. That's just wrong.
Wage Theft, or non-payment of earned wages, is rampant in Florida with millions of
dollars in uncompensated labor uncovered each year. To further exacerbate the problem,
Florida is one of only a handful of states with no state level Department of Labor and a
large percentage of the Wage Theft cases in the state do not fall under the jurisdiction of
the Federal Department of Labor.
To address the high rates of Wage Theft and virtually nonexistent enforcement of federal
or state wage laws, Miami-Dade County passed a County Wage Theft Ordinance in 2010
to provide an accessible mechanism for workers to recover their unpaid wages. Broward
County has passed an ordinance that went into effect on January 2,2013 and Alachua
County has an ordinance pending. Counties recognize that Wage Theft is a problem
locally and are looking for effective solutions to address this local need.
March 26, 2013
By facsimile and e-mail
Dear Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation:
We are writing to express our deep concerns about the recent vote supporting HB 655
cast by State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, Chairman of the Miami-Dade State Legislative
Delegation. HB 655 is a blatant attempt to overstep Miami-Dade County's Home Rule
Charter by preempting all current and future local living wages and responsible wage
ordinances, employee benefits ordinances and sick leave. Rep. Gonzalez's vote for HB
655 undermines local government's ability to pass laws and will interfere in hometown
decisions made by local elected officials and their residents in Miami-Dade's 35 local
municipalities.
Miami-Dade's cities and county know better than the state what is in the best interest of
our residents. The living wage ordinance for public contracts has been on the books in
Miami-Dade County since 1995 and has helped more than 3,000 Miami-Dade workers
and families stay out of poverty. The City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach also
have living wage ordinances. The contracts with Miami-Dade County and these cities
alone will impact thousands of Miami-Dade County workers who would take a cut in pay
and benefits, undermining our local economies. In Miami-Dade County workers making
a living wage could see a $6.16 decrease per hour in their weekly paycheck.
Local ordinances passed in municipalities are enacted with input from local residents. As
Chair of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation, Rep. Gonzalez has a duty to
protect the best interests of Miami-Dade residents. His vote for HB 655 represents an
ominous attempt to remove power from local elected officials and make Miami-Dade
voters mere bystanders in the democratic processes that define the character of our
communities.
Sincerely,
Miami-Dade Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and the Miami-Dade
Wage Theft Task Force Groups (groups listed below).
South Florida Jobs with Justice
ROC-Miami
South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice
South Florida AFL-CIO
Florida Alliance for Retired Americans
Florida Immigrant Coalition
WeCount!
Florida Legal Services
Catalyst Miami
A. Philip Randolph Institute
IBT Local 769
SEIU Local 1991
IBEW Local 349
IUP A T Local 1175
AFSCME Local 1363
AFSCME Local 1542
AFSCME Local 3293
AFSCME Local 199
TWU Local 291
TWU Local 568
CWA Local 3122
UA Local 725
OPEIU Local 100
ILA Local 1416
ILA Local 1922
APWU Local 172
NALC Local 1071
AFGE Local 558
UNITE/HERE Local 355
RISEP/Florida International University
National Council of La Raza
Florida New Majority
Haitian Chamber of Commerce
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
Rainbow Push Coalition
Organize Now
Florida Consumer Action Network
Ron Brown South Dade Democratic Caucus Chapter
Labor Council Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc.
Equality Florida
Miami-Dade NAACP
Florida Legal Services
National Congress of Black Women
Farmworker Association of Florida
Florida Chain
Miami Workers Center
Florida National Organization for Women
Miami-Dade County Commission for Women
Miami-Dade Community Relations Board
Miami-Dade Baptist Ministers Council
Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast
Working America
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Vecinos/Mobil Home Council
Coral Gables Congregational Church
cc: Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners
City of Aventura
Village of Bal Harbour
Town of Bay Harbor Islands
Village of Biscayne Park
City of Coral Gables
Town of Cutler Bay
City of Doral
Village ofEl Portal
City of Florida City
Town of Golden Beach
City of Hialeah
City of Hialeah Gardens
City of Homestead
Village oflndian Creek
Village of Key Biscayne
Town of Medley
City of Miami
City of Miami Beach
City of Miami Gardens
Town of Miami Lakes
Village of Miami Shores
City of Miami Springs
Village of North Bay Village
City of North Miami
City of North Miami Beach
City of Opa-Locka
Village of Palmetto Bay
Village of Pinecrest
City of South Miami
City of Sunny Isles Beach
Town of Surfside
City of Sweetwater
Village of Virginia Gardens
City of West Miami
Local innovation is the lifeblood of progress. Laws that deny local elected officials and
community members from making important decisions about employee benefits violate
core conservative and democratic principles. This misguided approach undermines the
ability of local governments to make determinations based on local needs. I urge you to
reject any effort to block local Living Wage, Wage Theft and Earned Sick Time
ordinances.
Sincerely,
{Name and Title of Local Elected Official}