TALLAHASSEE --- Legislation putting new rules on some public sector unions’ certification votes is headed to the Senate floor after passing through committee Monday, but only after some GOP members expressed concern over the measure.
The bill (SB 1296) was also amended to water down the thresholds for union certification and recertification. Instead of requiring more than 50 percent support of all eligible voters in a union vote as in the original bill, the amendment requires 25 percent of eligible voters to vote and for the union to receive 60 percent of those who voted. Current law only requires majority support of those voting.
Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, offered the amendment and voted for the bill but said it needs more changes before he will vote for it on the floor. A former Florida State University football player who played in the National Football League, he cited his membership in the NFL union as providing benefits to him as a worker.
“As part of a union I understood the benefits that came with representation … I understood the process of how the team wasn’t looking out for the player,” Simon said. “My hope is that we will continue to work on some changes that I think would make this bill better.”
The bill passed on an 11-7 vote, with Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, the only Republican voting against it.
The House version of the bill (HB 995) is ready for a floor vote.
Throughout three hours of debate and public testimony, Democrats spoke against the measure’s carveout for unions representing police, firefighters and first responders. Instead, they noted, the bill only targets other public sector unions, such as nurses, teachers and local and state government workers.
“When the constitution guarantees a right the Legislature cannot selectively burden that right based on who is exercising it,” said Sen. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, referring to a provision in Florida’s governing charter that provides the right for public sector workers to collectively bargain.
Dozens of public sector workers from across the state spoke against the bill, claiming it would hurt their ability to be represented by a union.
“This bill threatens my ability to protect my pay, my benefits, my working conditions,” said Elizabeth Wiley, a Marion County school bus driver. “When workers lose the ability to speak up, wages fall behind.”
The bill is also aimed at preventing political activities on public time. Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas recently criticized the Florida Education Association for hosting a speaker at a press conference that spoke in favor of student walk outs as a form of protest.
“Florida’s classrooms are for learning, not political activism,” Kamoutsas said in a released statement on Feb. 20.“When the state’s teachers’ union encourages students to walk out of class to protest, it not only contradicts their claimed support for educators but also sends a harmful message about the role and purpose of public schools. Our focus must remain on students and their academic achievement.”
Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, the bill sponsor, defended the measure as necessary to ensure union leadership responds to all workers they represent, not just those who vote in union elections.
“We’ve got to do better. If the workers of the state of Florida want to be better represented the unions have to do a better job, and right now the status quo we all agree is broken,” Martin said. “Let’s try to fix it.”
A related bill (SB 1298) that would have exempted documents showing union members’ interest in withdrawing their support from a union from Florida’s public records laws failed to pass the committee.
