The Florida Education Association (FEA) has announced a significant milestone, celebrating its 100th consecutive local union recertification election win. This achievement underscores the ongoing support for unions among workers in Florida, as they continue to vote in favor of maintaining their collective bargaining agreements. The FEA reports that none of its affiliated unions have faced recertification losses so far. On average, 94.3% of ballots cast have been in favor of keeping the unions.
Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association, remarked on the broader implications of this trend: “Workers in Florida are reaching a tipping point—inflation is impacting families daily while bureaucrats and billionaires continue to amass wealth,” he said. He emphasized the role of unions in empowering workers across various demographics to enact change collectively.
The process for recertifying teacher and education staff professional unions, as well as higher education faculty and graduate assistants, is overseen by PERC—the Public Employees Relations Commission. However, recent legislative changes have made this process more challenging and costly due to SB 256 signed into law by the Governor in 2023. This legislation removed automatic payroll deductions for membership dues and required additional elections funded by taxpayers. Some parts of SB 256 were later deemed unconstitutional.
As a result of these new requirements, PERC has faced an increased workload with more than 15 FEA-affiliated bargaining units still awaiting recertification election dates since 2023.
Spar also criticized the political motivations behind SB 256: “In Florida, our students are too often cast aside for political clout and fame,” he stated. He described the law as an attempt to weaken educators’ voices at a time when they are advocating for better working conditions and educational environments.
He further stressed that public schools should be adequately staffed and resourced to meet student needs while ensuring educators can sustain themselves financially without multiple jobs.
The FEA’s efforts extend beyond educators; Spar highlighted solidarity with other labor groups including hospitality workers, machinists, postal service employees, teamsters, truckers, and over 500 labor unions statewide contributing to community strength through their work.
