Legal Services Litigates Away Thousands of Farm Labor Jobs
After two decades of litigation, legal services has succeeded in destroying
nearly 10,000 jobs in Florida’s sugar cane industry. As recently as 1988,
more than 10,000 Jamaican guest workers would migrate to Florida to cut
sugar cane as part of a special government program to bring in essential
foreign workers. These workers were given free housing, free transportation
to and from Jamaica, health care and guaranteed wages of nearly $7 an hour.
Yet, each year, Florida Rural Legal Services would haul sugar growers into
court alleging a myriad of labor violations. A series of suits culminating
in a $51 million judgment handed down in 1992 forced the growers to switch
to mechanization. In 1993, only 2100 workers were employed in the harvest.
When warned four years ago that the companies might tire of the ceaseless
litigation and switch to mechanical harvesting, a legal services lawyer
said it was a bluff and that they would eventually negotiate.
See Jon Jefferson, “Cane Workers Accord Means Big Job Loss,”
The National Law Journal, November 8, 1993, pg. 9; Rosalind Resnick,
“Sugar Companies and Cane Cutters Battle in Florida,” The National Law
Journal, April 1, 1992, pg. 1
Florida Cities Harassed Over Electoral Voting Systems
Since 1990, Florida Rural Legal Services has sued eight local governments
demanding that they abandon their at-large electoral systems for single-member
districts on the grounds that at-large voting unfairly dilutes black voting
strength. County and city governments, including DeSoto County, Hendry
County and the cities of Arcadia, Ft. Pierce and West Palm Beach, have
spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting what they regard as unfair
allegations that they deliberately weaken black voting strength. The city
of Arcadia, for instance, has had to spend more than $100,000 fending off
a FRLS lawsuit even though two of the city’s five council members are black.
DeSoto County officials, who have accrued more than $100,000 in legal bills,
complain that FRLS wants them to count minorities in prisons and mental
hospitals in assessing the number of minorities eligible for representation.
See Ian Trontz, “Voting Rights Suits Cost over $300,000,” The
Tampa Tribune, June 2, 1995, pg. 1; Bill Douthat, “Voting Rights Pioneer,”
The Palm Beach Post, April 3, 1994, pg. 1B
Jail Sued for Trying to Prevent Spread of AIDS
In 1994, Greater Orlando Area Legal Services (GOALS) forced the Orange County Jail in Orlando to stop segregating AIDS-infected inmates from the general population. The jail started the policy in 1989 to protect other inmates and employees from possible infection. Immediately, GOALS filed a lawsuit which dragged on for nearly five years. Legal services lawyers contended that the jail was denying inmates counseling and medical treatment. Ed Royal, deputy corrections director, called the charge “a bunch of bunk” and said the jail consistently provided treatment and medication. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 5000 prisoners per year contract the AIDS virus.
See Jim Leusner, “Jail Will Stop Segregating AIDS Inmates,”
The Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 30, 1994, pg. C1
Fort Lauderdale Sued For Housing Homeless in Tent Camp
The Legal Aid Service of Broward County is currently suing the city
of Fort Lauderdale for housing the homeless in a tent camp. City officials
constructed the camp to get the homeless out of public parks where there
had been many complaints about them urinating and defecating in public.
The camp, which houses about 300 people, provides three large open air
tents, cots, running water, toilets and 3-by-7 foot sleeping
spaces. The camp is also regularly inspected by health authorities. Nevertheless,
Legal Aid says the facility is inadequate. They claim the camp violates
the homeless’ constitutional right to privacy and subjects them to cruel
and unusual punishment. Legal Aid demands that the city either build a
better facility or let the homeless roam freely as they did before.
See Tao Woolfe, “Legal Aid Suit Blasts Homeless Site,” Sun-Sentinel,
March 31, 1994, pg. 1B
Legal Services Demands Foster Care for Illegal Immigrants
Legal Services of Greater Miami is suing the state for refusing to admit
illegal immigrant children into the state foster care system. The state
took the step after Governor Chiles announced that Florida is under no
obligation to subsidize services for illegal immigrants and would sue the
federal government to recoup the money it has spent to date. Currently,
Florida spends $739 million a year on immigrants.
See Larry Rohter, “Florida Opens New Front in Fight on Immigrant
Policy,” The New York Times, February 11, 1994, pg. 14
Orange County Schools Sued for Expelling Violent Students
In 1992, Greater Orlando Area Legal Services sued Orange County Schools on behalf of several students expelled for violent behavior. Legal services claims that the students have behavioral problems and it is the obligation of the school district to provide them with special education programs. One of the students GOALS wanted readmitted was expelled for breaking another student’s arm and nose. The suit was dismissed on procedural grounds, but not until Orange County had modified its expulsion policy to take into account “special needs” children.
See Sandra Fish, “Suit Challenges Expulsion Policy,” Orlando
Sentinel Tribune, April 27, 1992, pg. B1