New Organizing and Union Election Results in Florida | Oct. 2024
New Organizing and Union Election Results in Florida | Oct. 2024
Catch up on what happened in Florida labor news last month, feat. another win for the Teamsters, a major victory for Florida's largest local teachers union and more.
Florida, like other states in the South, is regularly dismissed as a “non-union” state, where decades of anti-union policies, and deep-rooted corporate and political resistance to unions have stunted and degraded the labor movement.
Only 6.1 percent of Florida’s workforce has union representation, and less than five percent of workers are dues-paying union members.
But new organizing does happen here in the Sunshine State, maybe more often than you’d think. Here’s a roundup of new organizing drives that launched last month:
This roundup is inspired by Jonah Furman’s retired Who Gets the Bird? newsletter (RIP) and The Valley Labor Report’s similar roundup of new organizing, election results, and labor updates across the U.S. South.
Organizing in the private sector
Drivers employed by CBG Express, a DHL service provider, in Fort Myers filed a petition to unionize with the Teamsters Local 79 — however, records show the petition was withdrawn shortly after, and the case is now closed.
Going deeper: This comes about a month after drivers for fellow DHL service provider MBM Logistics in Orlando voted to join the Teamsters Local 385 and less than a month after drivers for Breakthru Beverages, spread across six Florida cities, also voted to join the Teamsters. Both those groups of workers faced off against professional union busters hired by their employers to persuade them against unionization.
Election results
Drivers, groundsmen, leads, and operators employed by Parsec in Jacksonville voted 32-26 in favor of unionizing with the Teamsters Local 512, despite the company hiring an Orlando-based union busting firm to convince them to vote no.
Going deeper: According to reports filed with the Department of Labor, Parsec hired the Labor Pros, a union avoidance firm, to “educate” employees (i.e. confront them with anti-union propaganda). Parsec agreed to pay the firm $4,000 per day, records show, and they were on the job for about a month.
Nearly one year after employer Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. in Tampa filed a petition for a union election (indicating a majority of workers had demanded voluntary union recognition), licensed dock workers voted this month to unionize with the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots. The MM&P won this round as part of a contentious three-way election. Out of 104 eligible voters, 50 workers voted for the MM&P, 30 workers voted against unionizing, and 12 workers voted in favor of joining the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, District No. 1 PCD, an intervenor in the election.
Welders, fabrication associates and drivers employed by Ferguson Enterprises in Riviera Beach voted 5 to 3 in favor of unionizing with the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry Local Union 630.
Nearly 280 warehouse workers employed by United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Sarasota voted in favor of unionizing with the Teamsters Local 79 this month, even after the company allegedly suspended two pro-union workers and demonstrated “outrageous union busting tactics” per the union. UNFI, a wholesale distributor, has historically spent more than $2 million on union-avoidance professionals to obstruct organizing drives.
Organizing in the public sector
Fire captains for the Apopka Fire Department have filed a petition to unionize with the Apopka Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 5293. According to a petition filed with the Public Employees Relations Commission, obtained through a records request, there are three employees in the newly-created position of fire captain who wish to join the union’s existing bargaining unit of Apopka Fire Department district chiefs, who first voted to unionize in 2021. All three fire captains have signed cards in support of unionization, records show.
Assistant fire chiefs for the Orange County Fire Department in Orlando have filed a petition to unionize with the Orange County Fire Fighters Association Local 2057, according to a petition filed by the union, obtained through a records request. According to the union, assistant fire chiefs want to join an existing bargaining unit of battalion chiefs and assistant fire marshals that are already represented by the Fire Fighters Association. There are six eligible employees, and four already signed cards in support of unionization, per their petition.
Election results:
Teachers and other school staff in Miami-Dade County Public Schools voted overwhelmingly in favor of *recertifying the United Teachers of Dade as their union, handily fending off an attempt by an anti-union “union” to displace them or otherwise decertify UTD. Out of 8,456 teachers and school staff who voted, 7,015 (or 83%) voted in favor of recertifying UTD, while 1,205 employees voted for the Miami Dade Education Coalition and 237 employees voted for “no union.”
Going deeper: The United Teachers of Dade is Florida’s largest local teachers union and the first public sector union the state of Florida ever officially certified. The union became a target of Florida Gov. DeSantis and the Freedom Foundation, an anti-union group based in Washington that helped draft last year’s anti-union bill (S.B. 256). The group bankrolled the launch of a new “union,” the Miami Dade Education Coalition, to challenge UTD.
Graduate student workers at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee voted 5 to 0 in favor of recertifying the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University chapter of the Graduate Assistants United (FAMU-GAU) as their union. Due to low membership, the union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations set by S.B. 256. There were 184 graduate student workers, including research assistants and teaching associates, who were eligible to vote.
Battalion chiefs for the city of Maitland Fire Department unanimously voted 2 to 0 to unionize with the Maitland Professonal Fire Fighters Local 3590. With this vote, they join their fellow firefighters, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and paramedics in the Fire Department who are also unionized with Local 3590 .
Going deeper: Interestingly enough, it looks like the firefighters and EMTs first unionized in 1995, then voted to decertify their unit in 1997. The union filed a petition to re-unionize in 2000, and the rank-and-file voted 18-2 to re-establish their union. It has remained intact since.
Non-instructional staff for Seminole County Public Schools in Sanford — such as custodians, food service workers, and mechanics — voted 46 to 1 in favor of recertifying the Association of Non-Instructional Personnel of Seminole County Board of Public Instruction as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election due to new regulations under S.B. 256. There were 675 were eligible to vote.
Non-instructional staff for Highlands County Public Schools in Sebring voted 279 to 9 in favor of recertifying the Highlands County Educational Support Professionals Association as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 608 employees eligible to vote.
Paraprofessionals, office specialists and other clerical staff for Volusia County Public Schools in Daytona Beach voted 435 to 17 in favor of recertifying Volusia United Educators as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 1,313 employees eligible to vote.
Non-instructional staff for Hardee County Public Schools in Wauchula — including bus drivers, classroom tutors, tech support, and food service workers — voted 64-4 in favor of recertifying the Hardee Education Association/United as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 215 school staff eligible to vote.
Non-instructional, blue-collar staff for Hernando County Public Schools in Brooksville voted 130-10 in favor of recertifying Hernando United School Workers Local 4730 as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 543 school staff eligible to vote.
School psychologists employed by Brevard County Public Schools voted 25 to 0 in favor of unionizing with the Brevard Federation of Teachers, which already represents teachers and other school staff. There were 29 school psychologists who were eligible to vote.
Blue-collar wastewater, utilities, and maintenance workers employed by the city of Orlando voted 103 to 3 in favor of recertifying the Laborers International Union of North America Local 630 as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 487 city employees eligible to vote.
Accountants, tech workers, and other non-instructional white-collar employees for Duval County Public Schools voted 27 to 4 in favor of recertifying the Laborers International Union of North America Local 630 as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 125 school employees eligible to vote.
Employees of the Jacksonville Port Authority voted 17 to 8 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union. The union was forced to hold a recertification election under new regulations imposed by S.B. 256. There were 65 employees eligible to vote.
*Note on recertification: Under a controversial state law enacted last year (S.B. 256), public sector unions are forced to petition for a recertification election if they report less than 60% membership to the state. Under the new law, unions must maintain a dues-paying membership of at least 60% of employees eligible for union representation. If they do not, they must petition the state for recertification within 30 days of submitting their annual registration renewal paperwork to the state Public Employees Relations Commission (which includes membership information). If they do not file such a petition, they will be decertified (thus, invalidated as a bargaining agent).
That’s it for this month. Do you like this round-up? Have thoughts or feedback? Drop a comment below.