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Q&A – The Battle Over CRT & Florida’s Laws Regarding Public Sector Unions – Part 2
Bottom Line: The key difference between private sector unions and public sector unions, aside from public sector unions dues being a direct byproduct of taxpayer dollars – is legal oversight. Private sector unions are governed federally through the National Labor Relations Act, while public sector unions are governed by state law. This is why, for example, you’ll see teacher’s strike in some states but not others, like Florida. That wasn’t always the case. In 1968 a massive teacher’s strike happened in Florida in which 40% of Florida’s teachers left the classroom. That shaped Florida’s current policy. Under Florida’s Constitution, as amended following the ‘68 strike, it was made illegal for public sector employees to strike in Florida. This has been reinforced through the legislature as well.
Under Florida Statues (447.505)Strikes prohibited.—No public employee or employee organization may participate in a strike against a public employer by instigating or supporting, in any manner, a strike. Any violation of this section shall subject the violator to the penalties provided in this part. The penalties include immediate termination. This takes me back to the root of the original question. It was asked if there’s anything we can do about the teacher’s unions, representing 78% of Florida’s public-school teachers, encouraging teachers to teach Critical Race Theory in Florida’s schools, in violation of law - while pledging to legally support those who do. The answer is clearly yes, as Floridians did in 1968.
Floridians could choose to alter public sector union influence however they’d like, up to and including the banning of them altogether. Something so severe would likely need to happen through a proposed constitutional amendment, while legislative changes could likely alter the terms under which public sector unions operate in our state. For example, the ability to use dues to pay for political advocacy, or to push agendas which run counter to Florida’s law. One way the teacher’s unions have worked to usurp laws like Florida’s is through the MLM model that exists. Look for political donations for the Florida Education Association and you won’t find any in over a decade. Look at the American Federation of Teachers on behalf of all Florida’s teachers' unions, and you’ll see they’ve donated greater than 99% of their political donations to Democrats for decades.
The prevailing point is this, if you want to see the influence of Florida’s teachers' unions reigned in or even eliminated it’s possible. Advocacy aimed at your state senator and state representative are good places to begin the conversation. In addition to the ability to amend law, legislators have the ability to directly place proposed constitutional amendments on our ballots.