skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Mark Carney wins new term as Canada's Prime Minister on anti-Trump platform; Without key funding, Alabama faces new barriers to college access; MS could face steep postal privatization costs under Trump-Musk plan; New Hampshire's rail trails ensure accessibility for all.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Major shifts in environmental protections, immigration enforcement, civil rights as Trump administration reshapes government priorities. Rural residents and advocates for LGBTQ youth say they're worried about losing services.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Migration to rural America increased for the fourth year, technological gaps handicap rural hospitals and erode patient care, and doctors are needed to keep the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians healthy and align with spiritual principles.

AFL-CIO: "Pre-Emption Bill" threatens FL Wages, Economic Development

play audio
Play

Monday, April 15, 2013   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers are pushing legislation that could have a far-reaching impact on wages, sick leave and benefits for thousands of Floridians. The "Pre-Emption Bill" passed the state House earlier this month and similar legislation is up for a vote in the Senate. The measure, House Bill 655, would prevent local governments from requiring vendors applying for contracts to offer things such as a living wage or domestic-partner benefits for workers.

Rich Templin with the Florida AFL-CIO explained that the measure would have a wide effect.

"It will definitely impact a lot of cities and counties around the state who are trying to develop their economy by providing good, well-paying jobs," he stated.

The legislation has been linked to the American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC. That national organization writes model bills, generally conservative, with the influence of member businesses and lawmakers. ALEC has been criticized in recent months for what some say is an unfair "pay to play" influence on politics.

Groups such as the AFL-CIO insist that local governments in the state should be allowed to require their vendors to uphold high working standards for their employees, particularly since they are being paid with tax dollars.

"I'm sure a lot of those businesses would like to get the contract, they would like to get those tax dollars, but they'd rather pocket that money as opposed to paying it out to their employees," Templin charged. "So that's a big part of it."

Some residents of Orange County have been fighting to get an ordinance in place that would require earned sick pay for workers. Walt Disney World and Darden restaurants are among the large employers lobbying against such efforts.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A day before Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested, federal authorities apprehended a former New Mexico judge and his wife on charges related to harboring an undocumented immigrant. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Legal experts and advocates are outraged over the arrest of a Milwaukee judge last week who was charged with helping an undocumented defendant avoid a…


play sound

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have proposed privatizing the United States Postal Service by selling it off to a corporation such as FedEx or UP…

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Brett Kelman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Arkansas News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Co…


Advocates from Compassion & Choices attended a hearing for Senate Bill 403 before the State Senate Committee on Health on April 23. (Patricia Portillo/Compassion & Choices)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A bill to make medical aid in dying permanently legal in California goes before the state Senate Judiciary Committee today. The End of Life Option …

Environment

play sound

A major player in the Northwest's energy landscape is considering changes in the future, as extreme climate events make power delivery in Oregon more …

The Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington is the largest in the Bonneville Power Administration system. (Will/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A major player in the Northwest's energy landscape is considering changes in the future as extreme climate events make power delivery in Washington mo…

Social Issues

play sound

On May 1, Oregon labor and immigrants' rights organizations are gathering in Salem calling for justice for immigrant workers and an end to mass …

Social Issues

play sound

LGBTQ+ advocates in South Dakota are reeling from passage of another state law they said harms their community. Now, there is concern possible …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021