West Central Florida Labor Council President and Assistant Business Manager/Organizer and President of IBEW Local 915 Shawn McDonnell joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the struggle to get apprenticeship ordinances enforced once they are passed.
The West Central Florida Labor Council has had success getting union-friendly politicians elected in local races, and it has no problem getting apprenticeship ordinances passed, McDonnell explained. However, the enforcement of the ordinances is a challenge, he said.
McDonnell explained how one contractor on the City Center project in Tampa Bay. awarded a steel erector project to a subcontractor who did not have a state approved apprenticeship program.
He then talked about the challenges of organizing in Florida, a So-Called “Right to Work” state. He discussed the differences between top down and bottom up organizing, along with the different approaches required when speaking to both contractors and workers about the benefits of the union building trades. Oftentimes, workers need to be inoculated against anti-union rhetoric, he added.
Lastly, McDonnell addressed Florida House Bill 1197, which would require unions with less than 50 percent membership to recertify every year. It is an annual push by anti-union legislators in the state, but he does not expect the bill to have any legs.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.