It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.—Theodore Roosevelt

Tonight the tumultuous 2011 Legislative Session came to an end with the ceremonial “dropping of the hanky.”  When we began this session, we knew the deck was stacked against us.  The 2010 elections put in place a detached governor, a hostile majority and a veto proof legislature.  Certainly, we have known defeat… but we also know victory.

Against the odds, we beat back an all out assault to take FEA members’ voices out of the legislative and political process.  This was a top priority of Gov. Scott and legislative leaders, BUT WE WON.  SB 830 the Union Gag bill, the union decertification bills and the other anti-union legislation died tonight.

Although we had setbacks and  not everything went as we would have liked, the 2011 Session marked a time of unity and recommitment and dedication as public employees stood together to fight back.

The attacks on public employees, public schools, and our union have been endless, but did not go unanswered.

FEA, worked with a united labor movement— including ALF-CIO law-enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses and others — to fight each and every piece of bad legislation. Hundreds of members came to Tallahassee to talk to lawmakers and testify in committee meetings. Thousands participated in rallies, letter writing campaigns, made phone calls to legislators, educated their family and friends about the issues, and held numerous media events. Everyone came together with a united voice.

Lawmakers know that this is only the beginning for our coalition and that we are going to continue to fight!

Certainly, our losses are frustrating and disappointing. The budget cuts, implementation of SB 736, possible layoffs, course eliminations, 3 percent mandatory pension contribution, privatization, and increased class size will all create an even greater challenge for our public schools and our teachers’ ability to educate our youth.

One of our colleagues always says after a tough fight “Go home, cry, scream, drink heavily, be depressed and do what you need to do for the next 24 hours to get over this. But after that, get up and get ready to fight again.”  The 2012 session is less than a year away and there is much work ahead.   AND the November 6, 2012 election is just around the corner.

If all of us continue this fight together, much of the mess created by Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Dean Cannon can be undone.

On Monday, we’ll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and look forward.  I want to thank everyone who got in the arena with the FEA leadership, lobbyists and staff and helped us fight back one of the largest assaults on public employees this state has ever seen.

This is a time to unite, stand together and show other states that Florida’s educational professionals will not back down. We will continue to proudly educate and nurture Florida’s children and prepare them for adulthood and at the same time we will make our voices heard in Tallahassee and across the state.  Our challenges ahead are great but I know as a united front we will see better days again.

Sincerely,

Andy Ford
FEA President

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