Firefighters, police and other government workers are being urged to pull their money out of five banks affiliated with the Florida Chamber of Commerce that is backing the GOP assault on workers in the state.
On Friday, President of the Fraternal Order of Police’s Florida State Lodge, James Preston, whose union represents 20,000 professional law enforcement officers, asked members to withdraw their money from Bank of America, PNC Bank, Sun Trust, Regions Bank and Wachovia.
Executives of these banks sit on the Florida Chamber’s board of directors and the chamber has backed legislation that would prohibit state and local government from collecting union dues and their use for political purposes. The Chamber has also run a misleading TV campaign union members say.
“The Florida Chamber has published media ads in support of the so called “Pay check protection act”, Senate Bill 830,” Preston said in a news release. “The bill is a blatant attempt at “union busting” and silencing the voice of our middle America members to engage in the political process which is our constitutionally protected right.”
Preston added: “The Florida Chamber of Commerce, would deny rights to our members who would dare to be part of their own legislative future. Their media ads are disingenuous and filled with lies.”
The Florida State Lodge, which canceled its membership in the Chamber of Commerce, has also urged all local lodges to withdraw their membership as well.
Earlier Professional Firefighters called for a similar boycott of member banks.
A similar measure aimed at busting Florida unions, House Bill 1021, was recently passed and the companion measure, SB 830 is moving ahead in the Senate.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce lobbied the Republican-controlled legislature hard, in support of both these union-busting bills.
