A day before the official 2011 legislative session begins in Tallahassee, officials with the Florida Education Association held a conference call to set the stage in what could be a nightmarish two months for the union and its members before it's all over.
A teacher tenure bill (SB 7 36) is awaiting a vote in the state Senate later this week. But just as problematic is SB 830 sponsored by St. Augustine Republican John Thrasher. That bill would prohibit dues deduction for any union, as well as prohibit the use of dues for political activity unless there is written authorization from each member each year.
Attorney Ron Meyer told reporters on the call that one of the first things that everybody needs to keep in mind is that Florida is a right to work state, meaning that membership in a labor union is completely voluntary, "unlike some of the northern states where you have union shops." He also said that in Florida, collective bargaining has truly been a collaborative process between management and labor.
Meyer called these and other anti-union proposed bills byproducts of a national agenda that has its roots in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's recent attempts to eliminate aspects of collective bargaining. He says on the other hand collective bargaining has been a positive for Florida teachers and school districts, because he says there haven't been any extensive work stoppages or labor disputes over the past 40 years.
In Wisconsin, teachers were hurt in the battle for public opinion when it was seen that some had left their classrooms to participate in demonstrations. FEA spokesman Mark Pudlow and Meyer emphasized that teachers will only be protesting after school, on weekends or evenings, or on holiday (such as spring break). But Meyer said it's understandable why teachers would want to protest.
"Teachers don’t care about political motivations, but when they see what’s happening to public schools, the demoralizing of the profession of education, driven by a national agenda, imposed on Florida. That’s creating anger, that has to manifest itself somehow…America still permits demonstrations, and allows them to express their concerns."
Emphasizing that all Florida teachers want to do is educate kids, Meyer predicted "an awakening of the masses that’s going to allow them to make their voices heard." He also said that the NEA's 140,000 members all vote and won't forget what's been happening this session in Tallahassee.
However, as one reporter on the conference reminded Meyer, similar sentiments were expressed a year ago after Charlie Crist vetoed SB 6, a similar teacher reform bill. And what happened in the fall? More Republicans elected to the Legislature.
