After all the press Scott Walker has gotten for the protests in Wisconsin, the news I saw seemed to suggest many other prominent Republicans were backing off from such obvious union-busting. For example, over at Firedoglake, they had this article suggesting that Rick Scott would not be joining Walker in trying to break public employee unions.
Not so fast! Florida's legislature is quite happy to bash unions with the best of them, thank you very much... More below the fold...
I've just been out walking halls on campus trying to drum up membership in the University of Florida's faculty union. I've done it a few time in my short time here, but I'm doing it a lot more right now. Why? Specifically because of HB1023, which has just been introduced in the legislature by Rep. Scott Plakon (R-Longwood). The remarkably short little bill aims to decertify all -public- -unions- (actually all unions, whether public or not) (excepting police and firefighters) that do not have at least 50% membership as of July 1, 2011
Florida, as you likely know, is a right-to-work state, so membership in the union is not required. Currently, here at UF, we've got about 30% membership, and so we're desperately recruiting to gather in at least 20% more of the faculty before this summer. If the union is decertified, our collective bargaining agreement is gone. This is pretty important here, as the union has fought for and saved many jobs just in the last few years of the economic crunch, including tenured faculty.
HB1023 is just one of the several bills being discussed in committees right now, although it's the one I'm most concerned about. Two (SB830 and HB1021) look to remove the ability of members to have dues automatically deducted form their paychecks, while another (HB1025) requires unions to send out annual financial statements including information about how members can go about getting their unions decertified.
On a bright solidarity note, the President of the firefighters union in Orlando has released a statement protesting their exclusion from HB1023:
Dear Representative Plakon
I'm writing in response to House Bill 1023 (HB1023) which you have sponsored. First, I want you to know I oppose this Bill for all the obvious reasons. More importantly, I want you to withdraw firefighters as an exclusion from your Bill. As a firefighter for almost 30 years and the President of Orlando Professional Fire Fighters IAFF L-1365, a labor union, we do not wish to be excluded from your attack on unions. Although I do not speak for the entire State of Florida and it's firefighters, I do speak for Orlando Fire Fighters IAFF L-1365 and know that many firefighter union leaders share the same opinion of HB-1023 and object to the exclusion of firefighters unions.
Professional Fire Fighters are proud labor unionist and we stand with the rest of labor during this unjust and ideological attack by you and the right wing of your party. To exclude us is a mistake, we will not show favor to those who attack labor and the working class, excluded or not. I would prefer you not hide behind firefighters in your ideological and self serving attack on labor and the working class of this State.
Sincerely
Steve Clelland, President
Orlando Professional Fire Fighters IAFF 1365
Anyway, I'm a scientist, not a writer, and I've not posted any other diaries on DKos before. But after the press last week suggesting that Florida lawmakers may be abcking off based on the Wisconsin protests, I wanted to make sure everyone knew the Legislature is still happily union-busting with the rest.