The union representing teachers in Florida’s largest school district has hit a new milestone in its fight to keep its contract.
United Teachers of Dade announced on Tuesday that more than 30% of its members have signed statements, known as showing of interest cards, to formally affirm that they want to keep their union. That’s a requirement set by the state agency overseeing labor groups, known as the Public Employees Relations Commission or PERC.
The showing of interest cards are needed after UTD failed to get enough of its members to pay their dues last year, as required by a new state law.
“We have union members, we have Miami-Dade County Public Schools employees that are saying enough!” said UTD President Karla Hernandez-Mats. “I deserve to have rights! I want to have United Teachers of Dade! They are my union!"
READ MORE: Florida's biggest teachers union could lose its contract after failing to get enough paying members
UTD — which represents nearly 30,000 Miami-Dade County Public Schools employees — is facing the prospect of losing its certification and its contract after a new state law raised the bar on the number of dues-paying members that unions need to have.
Last month, UTD announced that it fell short of this new requirement, triggering a multi-step process that could critically weaken the collective bargaining power of educators.
The new law, known as Senate Bill 256, is a kind of double whammy for the labor organizations representing the state’s public employees. The measure requires many public employee unions to certify that at least 60% of their members actually pay dues — while at the same time making it harder for union members to pay those dues, by prohibiting members from having their employers automatically deduct the fees from their paychecks.
The provision, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in May of 2023, notably exempts unions representing law enforcement officers, correctional officers or firefighters. The state’s first responders’ associations have endorsed DeSantis, while he’s positioned teachers’ unions as one of his prime political enemies.
Back in November, UTD said that 58% of members were paying dues, just short of the 60% mark.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Hernandez-Mats estimated the union is still hovering at about 58%. But she says those totals are shifting constantly, due to the revolving door of educators who are overworked, underpaid and fed up with what she says are political attacks on their profession.
“This continual rotation of people coming in and coming out makes it hard for us too. Because that means that while we have members, some of our members are also getting tired and resigning, retiring. They're leaving the school system,” Hernandez-Mats said. “So we're constantly having to speak to new people that are coming in … engaging them, explaining to them the importance of being in the union.”
READ MORE: Miami-Dade teachers' union faces potential decertification
As of Tuesday, UTD has more than 13,400 members, according to union officials. And the group has recruited more than 800 new members in the last few months.
"I feel great about what we've accomplished. But also it's bittersweet. Because why don't they want us to have rights? The democracy seems to be slipping away out of Florida," said UTD member and school social worker Ruth Doriscar. "It's heartbreaking."
What comes next
An attorney for PERC, the state agency that oversees Florida’s public unions, did not immediately return calls from WLRN about UTD’s status. But according to the commission’s website, now that UTD has submitted its showing of interest cards, the union must now petition PERC for a recertification election.
The outcome of that election will be determined by a simple majority of the votes cast. In an example posted to the PERC website, if only five people voted in a bargaining unit of 100 members, then a simple majority of three people would determine the outcome for the entire unit.
If that vote is successful, UTD will still have to prove that at least 60% of its members pay dues — or begin the recertification cycle all over again.
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