This Friday the University of South Florida Board of Trustees will take a vote on leasing land to Publix for a supermarket on the Tampa campus. But activists for the fair treatment of farmworkers are organizing against it because Publix has refused to join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers‘ Fair Food Program which guarantees certain… Read more »
A 23-year-old law, the Agriculture Worker Protection Standard (WPS), is being updated to enhance protections for people exposed to toxic agricultural pesticides; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is also proposing a ban on the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos for use in agricultural fields. On MidPoint we talked about pesticides and these protections that could benefit farmworkers with guest Lisa Garcia. She’s Vice President… Read more »
Experts from the UN Working Group recently concluded their 10-day study of how U.S women’s rights compare to the international community and the results don’t look too good. Big surprise, right?! Visiting Alabama, Oregon and Texas, here’s what they found: In a global sense the U.S. is behind international standards in public and political representation,… Read more »
Many retail stores will have extended hours this holiday weekend. For many workers it means a choice between spending time with families and earning money to make ends meet. Walmart will be open all weekend, but is planning for a major sale that begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Aaron Powell, the store manager of the… Read more »
By Rob Lorei Today in Tampa, low wage workers will be walking out of their jobs and rallying at Lykes Gaslight park as part of a nationwide strike organized by Fight for 15 movement, which advocates for a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage and union representation. Joining us to talk about the ongoing push for… Read more »
By Rob Lorei Hillsborough and Pinellas counties will soon be joining several South Florida counties in passing local ordinances aimed at protecting workers from wage theft. Wage theft is when employees are withheld rightly owed wages or benefits, sometimes through forcing workers to work off the clock, denying paychecks, or garnishing employee tips. It especially affects service… Read more »
Hillsborough County now has a way to help employees who are getting short-changed by their bosses; the County Commission unanimously passed a “wage recovery ordinance” Wednesday morning to resolve disputes when a worker claims wage theft. During public comment, Tampa resident Mike Reedy told commissioners the ordinance would help keep disputes over wage theft by workers… Read more »
By Rob Lorei This Saturday the fifth annual St.Petersburg Science festival will be held from 10 am to 4 pm on the Bayboro waterfront at the USF St.Petersburg campus. One of the festival’s organizers,E. Howard Rutherford from USF St.Pete’s College of Marine Science, joins us to talk about the festival that aims to engage children… Read more »
Today we talk to three local lawmakers who are living on 17 dollars a day to bring attention to how much minimum wage workers have to live on daily after paying for rent and utilities. Representatives Darryl Rousson, Dwight Dudley from St. Petersburg and Amanda Murphy from Pasco County took on the challenge to live by this… Read more »
throughout most of Bernie Sanders presidential run, a lot have attention has been drawn to the fact that he is a self-described democratic socialist. But what exactly is democratic socialism? Joining us is Maria Svart, the National Director of the Democratic Socialists of America, to give insight into the this ideology that pairs democratic political… Read more »
Last night local elected officials and minimum wage advocates met at the Seminole Heights Library in Tampa for a dialogue on the poverty-level wages of childcare workers. The town hall meeting was held by the local fight for 15 chapter, which is part of a national movement for a 15 an hour minimum wage. The… Read more »
By Rob Lorei The presidential race so far has brought a lot of attention to illegal immigration and its affect on low wage jobs, but there is growing attention on the practice of major companies using the H1B work visa to replace US workers with imported, cheaper foreign workers. The H1B visa was originally intended… Read more »
Today Host Rob Lorei talks with two Tampa area workers who just returned from a trip to Brazil to testify at a global hearing on the working conditions of McDonald’s workers from all over the world. Bleu Rainer, a McDonald’s employee for three years, and Nadaije Pail Jajoute, a childcare worker and wage advocate, are part of… Read more »
Last night, dozens of Bernie Sanders supporters gathered at Atwater’s Best Barbeque in south St.Pete to hear the Vermont senator make his case for the presidency via streaming video.The gathering was a part of major grassroots effort to mobilize his base and attract new supporters. It was one of more than 3000 independent watching parties across… Read more »
Tampa fast-food workers will travel to Mcdonald’s HQ to protest working conditions
Fairness Doctrine tackles the minimum wage debate
food service advocacy group pushes for raise of $2.13 federal minimum wage for tipped employees
Local workers call for increase of minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Letter Carriers union work to increase vote-by mail participation
Coalition for Immokalee workers ramp up for Fair Food parade and concert in St.Pete
