http://unionreview.com/node/100In Sunny South Florida there is a great little town called Davie, where Nova Southeastern University has its main campus. As many other beautiful university campuses in Florida and across the country, the grounds need to be kept, the toilets cleaned, and floors mopped.
Janitors, landscapers, and basic service workers at NSU have always been loyal to the university - even with very low wages, no sick-time allowed, and not one single benefit to write home about, and eventually the workers at NSU set out to unionize. For over a year they tried to get better wages, affordable healthcare, and representation. The workers at NSU were truly following the examples set out of for them at the University of Miami and Florida International Union - both institutions have a fully-unionized janitorial crew.
As many following the campaign knew, the workers pulled off a successful union drive - and they truly looked forward to a new life at work.
In an interesting turn of union-busting events, NSU pulled a doozey! The 12 year-old contract the university had in place with Unicco, one of the largest facility maintenance companies in the country, and which directly employed all the NSU workers - had expired - and NSU did not renew.
Instead of keeping with Unicco and its experienced workforce, some of whom worked at NSU from day one, the university went about contracting with a number of different maintenance companies that sprung out of nowhere. All of the experienced NSU workers were ultimately fired in that one decision - the union was bust.
The university then said all of the displaced workers should re-apply for their jobs - but that was easier said than done. You see, NSU failed to tell the workers where to apply for the jobs, or with whom; again ... there were a number of different companies replacing Unicco. Chaos ensued.
Now months have gone by, Florida prepares for another hurricane season, and NSU has awarded students their hard-earned degrees. While many of the workers were able to get re-hired for fewer wages and still no affordable healthcare, more than 100 workers remain unemployed.
The most active and vocal union supporters were left jobless, and while they are still seeking new work, they remain dedicated to regaining and improving their jobs at Nova.
In an interesting side note to all this, Senator Mel Martinez opposes the Employee Free Choice Act. Though Mel touts himself as BEING the American Dream come true, having had come from Cuba, pulling himself from his own bootstraps, and making his way in the new world - he cannot or will not see that the mostly immigrant community that cleans NSU deserve the same break by organizing a union to speak for their own American Dream.
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