Posts tagged SB 256
Federal government reverses course on Florida union law, appeals court holds lawsuit
June 16, 2025 // An appeals court Tuesday put on hold a lawsuit that Florida filed against the federal government, after the Trump administration reversed course on a controversial 2023 state law that placed restrictions on public-employee unions. The law included a series of restrictions, including preventing most public employees from having dues deducted from their paychecks and requiring unions to be recertified as bargaining agents if fewer than 60% of eligible employees pay dues. The lawsuit deals with interplay between the state law (SB 256) and a longstanding federal law designed to ensure that transit workers’ collective-bargaining rights are protected before federal transit money is provided to local agencies.
Florida Continues to Lead the Nation on Labor Reform and Worker Freedom
December 10, 2024 // In 2023, Gov. DeSantis led the effort on a transparency bill (SB 256), otherwise known as the Teachers’ Bill of Rights. Our organization, Workers for Opportunity, was proud to help support this legislation through testimony before the Florida Legislature, newspaper essays helping explain the legislation and other advocacy efforts. We also utilized educational materials provided by The James Madison Institute.
Judge finds Florida’s anti-union law union unconstitutional and ‘unreasonable’
November 12, 2024 // U.S. District Court Judge Mark Walker ruled that public teacher union members in Pinellas and Hernando counties had been damaged by the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission after the passage of SB 256, which had a component banning payroll deductions for the purpose of paying dues. Hernando United School Workers and the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association argued that prohibiting payroll deductions was unconstitutional, violated their right to be free from the state impairment of contracts. The state argued the law was necessary to promote transparency and “allow union members to decide how to pay their dues and understand how much they were paying.”
Under New Florida Law, Eight Adjunct Unions Are Dissolved
August 13, 2024 // The eight unions represented adjunct professors at Broward College, Hillsborough Community College, Miami Dade College, Seminole State College, St. Petersburg College, University of South Florida, Lake-Sumter State College and Valencia College.
Ranking Member Cassidy Blasts DOL Retaliating Against Florida, Illegally Withholding Federal Dollars on Behalf of Labor Unions
June 7, 2024 // U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, blasted the Department of Labor (DOL) for illegally withholding $800 million in federal funding from the State of Florida as retaliation against the state’s recent efforts to protect workers from union coercion and abuse. This illegal action has serious implications for other states that are considering similar legislation.
Biden accused of playing politics with Florida funding in pro-union push
June 7, 2024 // "The Florida statute merely ensures that the state’s public employees can freely choose whether to join or remain in a union. In fact, the right to join a labor union and bargain collectively is enshrined in the Florida Constitution," Cassidy echoed in his letter. In addition to asking for the department's legal analysis, the senator further requested the criteria the DOL uses to determine what "fair and equitable" means in this circumstance, communications regarding the decision to withhold funding, and its reasoning as to why a temporary waiver can't be issued.
Tens of thousands of workers in Florida have just lost their labor unions. More is coming.
February 22, 2024 // The numbers are not being tracked or published by the state or any labor organization, so WLRN requested the records and created a public database to track the fallout of the law. Most affected employees perform core public sector jobs like teaching in schools, doing clerical work for state and local government, repairing engines and machinery for government agencies, answering 911 calls at call centers and working at city parks.
THOUSANDS OF FLORIDIANS DECERTIFY THEIR GOVERNMENT UNIONS
February 11, 2024 // “This is a major victory for workers across Florida, who now have more dollars in their pockets and have the option of better representation.” “As the Orlando Weekly put it,” concluded Withe, “this is just the first purge of government employee unions – and the Freedom Foundation is going to do everything in our power to make this a reality, helping tens of thousands of public employees exercise their right to freedom from union bosses who don’t even know their names.”
Miami-Dade’s Largest Teachers Union, Faces Decertification after Failing to Meet New Membership Law Requirements
December 21, 2023 // The UTD is now compelled to demonstrate that a minimum of 30% of its members desire union representation by collecting "showing of interest cards," a move in pursuit of certification eligibility. In a statement obtained by CBS News Miami, UTD described its ongoing activities: "From the strongest position regarding union solidarity and the fight for our collective wellbeing, we are now gathering Showing of Interest cards to be on the PERC Ballot to be certified as the union for education professionals in order to maintain our contract, wages, and benefits."
Florida teachers’ union accused of strong-arming educators to join in effort to boost lagging numbers
December 3, 2023 // “I used to be a UTD building steward, and I was so disgusted with the union that I left it,” the teacher responded, according to the complaint. “Why would I want to pay dues?” The second complaint alleges that an organizer at a Miami-Dade public school made “loud and shaming remarks” about a teacher “in the presence of her colleagues” in an attempt to “verbally pressure” her into paying union dues. The teacher was approached as she was trying to use the faculty lounge’s restroom and made “repeated assertions that she d[id] not want to pay dues or be a member” of UTD, the filing states.