Michael Moline
The House approved legislation Thursday that would require the decertification of any public employee union unless at least 50 percent of the eligible workers in a unit pay dues.
HB 11 passed on a vote of 75-41, with many Democrats calling it union busting.
“It amazes me that we constantly come up with bills that are disguised, but that actually weaken the unions,” Broward Democrat Richard Stark said.
“In this day and age, we forget how important unions were in keeping America great. They had a lot to do with the rise of the middle class in this country,” he said. “And we need to respect unions and stop trying to come in with back-door ways to weaken them.”
Sponsor Scott Plakon insisted the point was accountability.
“If you believe, like I do, that public sector unions should have to operate in a more transparent fashion, and under time-honored, Democratic, majority-rule principles, where the union has to be more responsive to its members, and the individuals in the bargaining unit are empowered and respected by this process even more, you should vote ‘Yes.’ If not, you should vote ‘No.’ ”
Florida’s right-to-work law encourages workers to stint on union participation, Tallahassee Democrat Loranne Ausley said.
“The union negotiates the contracts, handles the grievances, but they don’t have to pay dues. Now under this bill we’re going to penalize unions for lack of due-paying members,” Ausley said.
“This bill targets teachers, state and local government employees, nurses, bus drivers, and many others who serve us and care for us every day. And we’re targeting them because these organizations make political decisions that some people don’t like,” she added.
Matt Willhite, a fire captain and 22-year union member from Wellington, argued the bill would massively disrupt organized labor. His objections included the exemption for public-safety unions.
Even with low participation rates, he said, unions are “still representing good, hard-working people who are the foundation of this state and are working to benefit their families and the labor organizations that they represent,” he said.
“It’s more bullying,” Democratic leader Janet Cruz said. “Stop bullying teachers. Stop bullying teachers’ right to organize. Stop bullying teachers’ voices.”
10 comments
Dean Parkerson
March 31, 2017 at 5:55 pm
This is a terrible attack on unions! Those units that are effected should be allowed to strike!
Bruce Dennis
April 1, 2017 at 10:15 am
Nobody should be allowed to freeload……That is to refuse to pay Union dues, but enjoy the Union wages, Union pension plan, Union medical plan and benefits of a Union collective bargained contract. If you don’t want to pay Union dues……Then go get a non- Union job and make room for someone who really wants and appreciates a Union job.
Judy R.Petrie
April 1, 2017 at 8:35 pm
Another union busting attack by the republicans. Unions are the reason we have decent wages, safe work conditions. The unions do not make politic decision they present all sides views and let every person make up their own mind. This is disgusting and I resent the hell out of it for the people in Tallahassee making this type of decision and the members from my district need to remember union members vote and so do their families.
Jim
April 2, 2017 at 9:22 am
I think this will backfire. When the unions are decertified and pay/benefits/treatment go in the toilet, the apathetic will realize why they had it so good in the first place.
Marsha
April 3, 2017 at 6:40 am
By that time it will be too late to reinstate their usefulness…:(
Dorn Hetzel
April 3, 2017 at 10:07 am
I think it’s fine if people don’t want to join a union at their workplace, but then I don’t see any reason why they should receive the pay and benefits the union negotiates. If they aren’t in a union, their employer should be able to provide whatever pay and benefits are individually acceptable. If they want the union deal, they should join the union.
Jose Galeiras
April 3, 2017 at 10:06 pm
I was a member and proud of it thank u represented. me in a arbritration in fdoc 2011 union. the only reason. I haven’t started because I had to wait for a entire year. I took my investment money officers that don’t join are uneducated my name is. Jose Galeiras worked for SFRC for 13 years
Drew
April 4, 2017 at 12:39 pm
What did you expect working for the Florida Dept. of Corruption (Corrections)? They are by far the most crooked and backstabbing law enforcement agency in the state of FL. Why do you think senior staff are retiring early and new hires quit with less than two years service? It is a revolving door that will not change until change is made at the top of the agency and corrupt leaders are terminated. They preach following policy and procedure then don’t do it themselves.
Take sick leave and holiday comp. time for example. In your contract when you hired on, it was part of your compensation. Now they try to penalize you for using it! I’m holding onto documentation of personal experiences with these assholes and turning it over to media like Miami Herald and Tampa Tribune that will expose just how nasty they treat employees.
Sergeant
April 4, 2017 at 8:39 pm
Current FDC employee. The shady and out right criminal behavior of leadership, administrators, and political heads serves to swell the accounts of Departmental leaders; especially the criminal in the Governors office. This is done on the shoulders of the Officers in the fray, while they punish and beat down those same Officers for not doing more with less in a shorter period of time. There is no whistle blowers protection. If there was, many would come forward and expose FDC for crimes against its staff and those under their supervision.
LT
April 7, 2017 at 1:04 pm
The media doesn’t care about employees of DOC. They care about inmates. And as far as change at the top, there has been change at the top. The Sexretary has never even worked in corrections before yet conditions for employees arecworse than ever, thus, the turnover rate never seen before.
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