Our FOPE Union is important to my family. In the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma we had 18 days with no power. Because of FOPE the Broward School Board continued to pay the employees. During COVID the FOPE also negotiated for us to continue to get paid and fought to get us Personal Protection Equipment.

I  joined the union because I think of it as having car insurance, you never know when you need it. In my case, I was falsely accused of stealing and falsifying paperwork at Broward County School Board. Some of my co-workers and Forman were against me, but my business representative Jim Silvernale stood by my side encouraging me not to worry. “We (FOPE) have your back” It was hard to believe why things were happening. All my legal fees were paid by FOPE. I am here to tell you that having that insurance really paid off.