Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law that’s expected to weaken public sector unions’ bargaining power.
The measure, which is set to take effect July 1, will raise the bar that public employees need to clear in order to win and maintain a union, requiring at least 50% of workers in a bargaining unit to vote in the election; previously there was no such participation threshold. More than 50% of those workers must also vote in favor of the union.
Additionally, unions will be required to undergo recertification if more than 60% of workers in the bargaining unit—a term that describes the group of workers represented by the union—haven’t submitted membership forms or paid dues.
The law is likely to affect employers in sectors like education, public utilities, and healthcare. There are exceptions for unions representing police and firefighters.
Targeting teachers’ unions. DeSantis specifically called out teachers’ unions when signing the bill into law, arguing they deduct dues from paychecks with the promise of improving working conditions, only to engage in “partisan political activism.” Florida’s teachers’ unions have historically endorsed and donated money to Democratic candidates, whereas the unions exempted from the law (police, firefighters) skew Republican.
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