Florida city paying a consultant $2,500 a day to discourage workers from unionizing

By Joseph Freeman, Orlando Sentinel
10:51 a.m. EDT, May 10, 2011


Winter Park is paying a consultant $2,500 a day to help the city's staff dissuade about 150 city workers from joining a union.

Employees in the public works, parks, fleet maintenance and water departments are likely to vote in June or July on whether to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, known as AFSCME. In the past few years, the city has done away with longevity bonuses and pay increases because of the economy.

In late April, city commissioners voted 4-0, with Commissioner Carolyn Cooper not in attendance, to approve a contract with Kulture LLC, a firm specializing in labor relations. Under the agreement, the city will pay Kulture $2,500 a day, plus expenses, up to about $100,000.

Dressed in green AFSCME T-shirts, about a dozen employees showed up at Monday's City Commission meeting to state their position. Andrew Jordan, 24, who has worked in utilities for five years, said he and his co-workers just wanted "the same rights as the police and firefighters," who are unionized. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-winter-park-union-dispute-20110509,0,11562.story

But I am not surprised. The anti-union culture here is very strong.

This links to a city commission agenda item which has the letter attached.

http://www.cityofwinterpark.org/Docs/Government/meeting_agendas/packets/Action_Items/Item_l.pdf