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Florida labor activists along with some 30 members of the IAM Union gathered recently in Melbourne for a rally focused on rising living costs, fair wages, workplace protections and the need for stronger political representation for working families.
The rally highlighted the growing economic pressures facing Florida workers, with union members calling for an economy that puts working people ahead of wealthy special interests. Speakers emphasized the importance of living wages, safer workplaces and protecting the fundamental right to organize.
“While working people make Florida run, everything else keeps getting more expensive — Homeowners insurance, auto insurance, groceries, bills, rent,” District 166 Business Representative Ed Grabowski told the crowd. “Workers are doing their part, but they’re getting squeezed from every direction.”
The event featured Angie Nixon, IAM-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Also attending in the crowd was Cornelius Fowler, an IAM member running for the Florida House of Representatives in District 77.
Nixon was recognized as a candidate with working-class roots who understands the challenges facing everyday Americans. Her platform emphasizes fair wages, stronger labor protections, the right to organize and making the economy more affordable for working families.
Fowler, a IAM union member from Fort Myers, is seeking to bring a working-class perspective to the Florida Legislature. He stressed that working people have struggled for too long without their voices being heard and called on communities to take an active role in shaping their future.
“Florida working-class people have been taking a beating for far too long and now is the time for their voices to be heard,” said Fowler, emphasizing the rally’s message of community involvement and collective action.
IAM leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting pro-labor candidates at the local, state and national levels, highlighting the importance of political engagement in advancing workers’ rights and protecting union jobs.
Throughout the rally, speakers stressed that the people who keep Florida’s economy running deserve a fair share of the wealth they create—not policies that leave wages behind while living expenses continue to rise.
The gathering concluded with a powerful expression of union solidarity, reinforcing the IAM’s commitment to standing together for working families.
The message was clear: working people deserve a voice, a fair wage and a seat at the table. Through union solidarity and political action, Florida IAM Union members are working to ensure that the interests of working families remain at the center of the state’s future.
