Despite lack of support, public sector unions in Florida grew in 2023

Andrew Spar, the President of the Florida Education Association, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the issues plaguing public sector unions in Florida. Spar also talked about the impact of Senate Bill 256 and an active campaign to decertify the United Teachers of Dade County.

In Spar’s 30 years of educating in Florida, he believes the past 12 years have been the most challenging for public school workers. Spar talked about the failure of pay to match inflation during that time and falling from number 32 in the nation to 48. He also discussed problems with school funding and staffing in the state. Despite these negatives, Spar highlighted the organizing success and the workers' desire for increased union representation in Florida.

The Public Employees Commission is trying to fix many of the issues plaguing public union employees in Florida. Unfortunately, there is a backlog of issues the commission must deal with, which Spar said is wasting taxpayer’s money. Among the challenges was the passing of the state Senate Bill 256 in 2023, which changed how public sector unions collect dues from members. Spar discussed how his union responded to the required changes and the associated costs, including the loss of some members.

Finally, Spar discussed the efforts to eliminate public sector unions in the state and the campaign attempting to decertify the United Teachers of Dade (UTD). The UTD includes more than 27,000 members and is the largest teachers union in the state, Spar said. While they missed the original requirement threshold, they met the requirements to avoid decertification established by Senate Bill 256. Spar discussed the next steps and some possible outcomes.

To hear more from Spar on the ongoing battle for public sector unions in Florida, play the show above.