What Can You Do?

Identify Talking Points

• This bill (H.B. 25) comes as no surprise as we have seen efforts like this before in Florida – and numerous nationwide attempts -- to take away workers’ rights. This politically motivated legislation is a solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist in Florida.
• We are a union of members who choose to participate – no one can be forced to join our union. Florida is a right-to-work state where union membership or payment of union dues cannot be compelled.
• The Florida Constitution gives employees the right to join a union to give them a strong voice regarding wages and working conditions. This measure would take away that right.
• The bill is also potentially unconstitutional as it exempts first responder unions and is a direct attack on FEA unions and displays strong gender bias since 75% of FEA members are women.
• This bill is not needed. Florida is a right-to-work state, which means people join only because they want to join.
• Our union is the voice of our members and their students – every student, every school, every college, every university, and every day. Our teachers’ working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. You cannot separate the two.
• As was stated by FEA in 2011, “Florida law permits public employees to obtain an election to decertify an exclusive bargaining representative. Any employee or group of employees which no longer desires to be represented by the certified bargaining agent may file with the commission a petition to revoke certification. FEA believes legislative proposals that target unions representing public employees by requiring recertification of unions with membership below 50 percent of the employees is unconstitutional. These measures are simply to make life more difficult in as many ways as they can so in the end member unions go away.” NRTW Legal Defense Fund

Make Some Calls

• Find committee member contact information and call them at their district office or their Tallahassee office Monday or Tuesday morning and ask them to vote NO on HB 25.
• Calling is more effective than e-mails, but any contact is needed now.