The Alachua County Wage Theft Task Force strongly condemns the practice of wage theft by Representative Keith Perry’s business and his pro-wage theft voting record.
The Alachua County Community has taken steps to address the important issue of wage theft over the past year. Alachua, and several other counties throughout the state, have passed wage recovery ordinances. These give workers who aren’t paid what they’re due a quick, fair, and practical way to collect the money they are owed. These ordinances have helped workers across the state collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages. Alachua County’s own ordinance has already resulted in $12,000 in recovered wages, and is still in its first year. We at the Alachua County Wage Theft Task Force feel that as this election approaches, it is important that people know where their elected officials stand on this issue.
Keith Perry was the only business owner who spoke out during public comments against the passage of the Alachua County Wage Recovery ordinance (Perry speaks at the 1:44:45 mark). In 2012 he voted for and actively supported the passage of HB 609, which would have prevented any municipality or county in the state from being able to enact ordinances protecting citizens from wage theft. He again supported similar legislation in 2013 with HB 1125. In 2014 he spoke out against the Alachua County Wage Recovery Ordinance to the Gainesville Sun.
While Perry was busy fighting local wage recovery ordinances, his own company, Perry Roofing, was the subject of numerous wage theft complaints. Perry Roofing has been taken to federal court five times for not paying workers what they were owed, including paying workers below minimum wage (complaints attached.) These complaints against Perry show a pattern of wage theft that help to explain his voting record. Many or his largest campaign contributors, such as the Florida Retail Federation; Koch Industries; and Monsanto, are also the same lobbyist that advocated for the pro-wage theft measures that Perry voted for.
It is important for the working families of Alachua, Dixie, and Gilchrist counties to know just whose interests Keith Perry represents.
[via the Alachua County Wage Theft Task Force]
