DeSantis’ union-busting tactics are reprehensible

Mariantonia Mejia | Staff Writer

Consistent with his labor-bashing administration, Ron DeSantis continues to attack unions.

On May 9, 2023, the Florida governor signed Senate Bill 256. As the bill becomes more and more practical in its application, the effects are clearly bad. 

This bill is incredibly damaging to unions, thanks to a pair of amendments to Florida’s Public Employees Relation Act. 

The first? The removal of payroll deductions, forcing employees to make entirely separate payments. This section of the bill went into effect on July 1, 2023

The second, which went into effect on Oct. 1, 2023, requires public employee unions to share their data regarding the number of dues-paying members in the newest renewal cycle to the state. If the number of members paying dues is not 60 percent or higher, the union is decertified. 

This inflammatory law further prioritizes law, probation and correction officers and firefighter unions who are exempt from this law. Naturally, the organizations that have consistently shown support towards Republican candidates like DeSantis won’t be targeted in what is a clear attempt to weaken unions. 

It’s unwise of our governor to bite the hand that feeds him. 

This egregious act of union busting by our governor and all other supporters of this law cannot be ignored. Though there have been many attempts to shut the law down, they have been denied at every turn, and the road ahead for unions is treacherous. 

The effects of this law could be catastrophic, with many public employees losing the basic right of job security if a union is decertified. 

It is worth pointing out how deeply calculated this bill is. 

It targets the ability of workers to pay their dues without having to jump through paycheck hoops. This is bound to affect the number of dues-paying union members simply because they either forget to pay or cannot be bothered to complete the extra steps. 

Then, with the number of dues-paying members weakened, they swoop in and decertify unions that don’t reach their desired number. 

This level of Machiavellian scheming can only be for the purpose of union busting. 

Unions are a wonderful resource for workers to fight for their right to fair wages, working conditions, and other benefits. Therefore it is critical to understand why union-busting laws are detrimental.

Though not public employees, we can turn to recent work done by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), in which a 148-day strike forced studios to give them a fair deal, and greatly improve their working conditions. 

In August, the National Labor Relations Board issued a new framework stating that companies found to have committed unlawful acts during or leading up to unionization elections will be forced to bargain with the union, rather than the previous standard conduct, which was to hold the election again. 

These small examples of unions persevering through the adversity placed on them by the very institutions they keep alive should help give public employee unions in the state of Florida some hope. 

During this scary time, when the future of public employee unions in Florida is not promised, I urge you, as a laborer, to join a union, because the people united will never be defeated.