Today, despite the ever-changing obstacles put in their way, educators in the state of Florida—for the 200th consecutive time—voted to recertify their local union.
To date, locals of the Florida Education Association have had no recertification losses. Since the passage of anti-freedom, anti-worker SB 256 in May 2023, more than 50 locals have undergone two recertification elections. Across those elections, an average of 94.5% of the ballots cast voted “YES” to keep their unions and preserve their collective bargaining agreements.
This state-mandated process is partly funded by taxpayers in agency staff time, resources, and printing and preparation costs. The recertification of teacher and education staff professional unions, as well as higher education faculty and graduate assistants, is a process overseen by the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) and was made significantly more burdensome and costly after the Governor’s signing of SB 256. The law was an attempt to silence educators and other public employees, eliminating the decades-long practice of allowing teachers, staff, professors, graduate assistants, and other public employees the option of choosing to pay their union dues through automatic payroll deduction, while imposing additional, taxpayer-funded recertification elections. Key provisions of the law have been challenged in court and blocked or limited, with courts raising serious constitutional concerns.
Floridians are facing an affordability crisis that has made it harder for many educators and workers to thrive in our state. While the costs of healthcare, childcare, food, property insurance, and more continue to outpace wages that fail to keep up with inflation, anti-freedom, anti-worker policies are not only costing taxpayers millions, but they are also making it harder for all workers to achieve the American Dream.
When educators and education workers are given the opportunity to vote, they vote overwhelmingly to keep their unions. They know that when they come together in a union, they can advocate for a better life, better wages, and better benefits. Florida’s educators want what all working people want: to pay their bills with a single job, access affordable healthcare, work without political interference, and retire with dignity after a lifetime of service. We will continue to stand together for Florida’s public school students, our families, and our communities. After nearly three years of asking why they keep making it harder for us to pay our bills and ensure that our children are getting the education they deserve and need, it is time for lawmakers to focus on helping every Floridian achieve a better future.
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CONTACT: FEA Press, feapress@floridaea.org, (850) 201-3223
The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with 120,000 members. FEA represents PreK-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers and retired education employees.
