A federal judge heard arguments Friday in an attempt by teachers unions to block key parts of a new Florida law that places additional restrictions on public-employee unions.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker did not immediately rule on a request by the Florida Education Association and three other unions for a preliminary injunction. The unions contend that the law, signed May 9 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, violates First Amendment and contract rights.

Walker peppered attorneys with questions during the more than three-hour hearing, which focused on parts of the law that would require union members to fill out new government-worded membership forms and prevent union dues from being deducted from workers’ paychecks.

As an example, the lawsuit contends the required forms violate First Amendment rights because they include information about issues such as Florida being a “right-to-work” state. The unions argue that the forms would compel them to, as Walker described it, be a “courier” for state messages about such issues.

“It is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, which gives you the right to free speech,” Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar told The News Service of Florida during an interview Friday. “The government can’t tell you what to say and how to say it.”
At one point in the hearing, Walker asked, “Is there anything more controversial in the labor movement than right to work?”

But Bryan Weir, an...

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