Florida Education Unions Celebrate Collective Bargaining Wins

100-0 Recertification Record Affirms — Workers Want Unions

Today, the Florida Education Association (FEA) is celebrating its 100th consecutive local union recertification election win in the state, reaffirming that workers in Florida not only support but are actively voting to keep their unions. To date, FEA has had no recertification losses. Of the 100 unions recertified, an average 94.3 % of the ballots cast voted YES to keep their unions and preserve their collective bargaining agreements.

“Workers in Florida are reaching a tipping point—inflation is impacting families daily while bureaucrats and billionaires continue to amass wealth,” said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. “The power to fight back comes from workers’ unions. Nearly 125,000 educators in Florida spanning job titles, socioeconomic backgrounds, political parties, religions and more know that when we stand together under our constitutional right as a union, we can make change happen. Nearly two years after a law that sought to destroy a worker’s right to have a union and millions of dollars spent by out-of-state, fringe, anti-worker groups, educators are standing firm and proudly voting to keep their local unions.”

The recertification of teacher and education staff professional unions, as well as higher education faculty and graduate assistants, is a process administered by PERC, the Public Employees Relations Commission, and was made more onerous for educators and costly for taxpayers due to the Governor’s signing of SB 256 in 2023.

SB 256 was an attempt at union busting that removed the decades-long practice of automatic payroll deduction for membership dues payment. Parts of the law were ultimately ruled unconstitutional and in violation of the federal government’s contracts clause. The law also called for extra elections, the cost of which are paid for by taxpayers and include extra staffing and resources that are needed at PERC. In fact, PERC has been so overburdened by recertification election requests that since 2023, there are still more than 15 FEA-affiliated bargaining units awaiting their dates for recertification elections.  

“In Florida, our students are too often cast aside for political clout and fame,” said Spar. “This law was a blatant attempt to try to silence Florida’s educators, so they wouldn’t stand together to fight for better working environments for themselves, and better learning environments for our students. What’s worse, is that millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on this unnecessary and arbitrary law. Students deserve public schools that are fully staffed and resourced with the programs and assistance they need. Parents deserve to know that their communities are stronger because of their public schools. Educators should be able to provide for their families with only one job and not have to struggle to pay bills, buy groceries, or afford rent or insurance. We continue to stand strong –not just for educators and students across the state –but for our hospitality workers, machinists, postal service employees, teamsters, truckers and the more than 500 labor unions in the state with workers who ensure our communities are stronger because of their work.”

Below is the list of units that have been recertified:

• Baker County Education Support Professionals: Education Staff Professionals
• Bradford Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Bradford Education Association: Teachers
• Brevard Federation of Teachers: Teachers
• Broward Teachers Union: Education Staff Professionals
• Broward Teachers Union: Charter School Professionals
• Broward Teachers Union: Technical Support Professionals
• Association of Calhoun Educators: Teachers
• Charlotte County Support Personnel Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Charlotte Florida Education Association: Teachers
• Citrus County Education Association: Teachers
• Citrus County Education Staff Professionals: Education Staff Professionals
• Clay Educational Staff Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Columbia Teachers Association: Teachers
• United Teachers of Dade
• Desoto County Educators Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Desoto County Educators Association: Teachers
• Dixie County Education Association: Teachers
• Dixie County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Duval Teachers United: Education Staff Professionals
• Escambia Education Association: Teachers
• Union of Escambia Education Staff Professionals: Clerical/Para
• Union of Escambia Education Staff Professionals: Education Staff Professionals Non-Instructional
• Union of Escambia Education Staff Professionals: Supervisory
• Flagler County Educators Association: Teachers
• Florida School For the Deaf and the Blind: Support
• Florida School For the Deaf and the Blind: Teachers
• Franklin County Teachers Association: Teachers
• Franklin Educational Staff Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Gadsden Educational Staff Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Gilchrist Employees/United: Education Staff Professionals
• Gilchrist Employees/United: Teachers
• Hardee County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Hardee County Education Association: Teachers
• Hendry Educational Support Personnel Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Hernando Classroom Teachers’ Association: Teachers
• Hernando United School Workers (Blue Collar): Education Staff Professionals
• Hernando United School Workers (White Collar): Education Staff Professionals
• Highlands County Education Association: Teachers
• Highlands County Educational Support Professionals Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association: Clerical
• Holmes County Teachers Association: Teachers
• Indian River County Education Association: Teachers
• Jackson County Education Association: Teachers
• Lafayette Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Lake County Education Association: Teachers
• Leon Classroom Teachers Association: Teachers
• Leon Educational Staff Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Levy County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Liberty Education Association: Teachers
• Madison County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Manatee Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Marion Education Support Professionals: Education Staff Professionals
• Nassau Educational Support Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Nassau Teachers Association: Teachers
• Okeechobee County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Okeechobee County Education Association: Teachers
• Orange County Classroom Teachers Association: Teachers
• Osceola County Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Osceola County Education Association: Teachers
• Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association: Teachers
• Polk Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Polk Education Association: Education Staff Professionals 2
• Putnam Federation of Teachers/United: Education Staff Professionals
• Putnam Federation of Teachers/United: Teachers
• Santa Rosa Education Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Seminole County School Bus Drivers Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Seminole Education Association: Teachers
• Seminole Educational Clerical Association: Education Staff Professionals
• Noninstructional Personnel of Seminole County: Education Staff Professionals
• St Johns Educational Support Professional Association: Education Staff Professionals
• The Education Association of St. Lucie: Education Staff Professionals
• The Education Association of St. Lucie: Protech
• The Education Association of St. Lucie: Teachers
• Sumter County Essential Support Personnel: Education Staff Professionals
• United Teachers of Suwannee County: Teachers
• United Teachers of Suwannee County: Education Staff Professionals
• Taylor Education Association: Teachers
• Taylor County Noninstructional Association: Education Staff Professionals (2 Elections)
• United Faculty of Florida FAMU-GAU
• United Faculty of Florida Chipola College
• United Faculty of Florida Broward College
• United Faculty of Florida FAMU Faculty
• United Faculty of Florida FAU
• United Faculty of Florida Florida Polytechnic University (Fl Poly)
• United Faculty of Florida FSU – DRS
• United Faculty of Florida Pasco-Hernando State College
• United Faculty of Florida St. Johns River State College
• United Faculty of Florida St. Petersburg College
• United Faculty of Florida UCF: Higher Ed – University
• United Faculty of Florida UF: Higher Ed – University
• United Faculty of Florida USF – Faculty
• United Faculty of Florida UWF
• United Faculty of Florida Facutly United Service Association Hillsborough Community College
• Volusia United Educators: Education Staff Professionals
• Volusia United Educators: Teachers
• Wakulla Classroom Teachers Association: Teachers
• Walton County Support Professionals: Education Staff Professionals
• Washington County Education Association: Teachers