New Organizing and Union Election Results in Florida | July 2024
A monthly round-up of new organizing and union election results in Florida. Highlights this month include organizing efforts by some public sector workers whose unions were recently decertified.
Florida, like other states in the South, is regularly described as a “nonunion” state, where decades of anti-union policies, and deep-rooted resistance to unions, has stunted and degraded union power. Today, only six percent of Florida’s workforce has union representation, and less than five percent are dues-paying members.
But new organizing does happen here in the Sunshine State, maybe more often than you think.
Here’s a roundup for this 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 and election results across the U.S. South.
Organizing in the private sector
*Pulled from the National Labor Relations Board website
Journalists and other editorial staff at the Sun Sentinel in Deerfield Beach announced this month that they are unionizing with the News Guild-CWA and requested voluntary union recognition (dare I call this big news?). They subsequently filed a petition with the NLRB, which states that 31 staff would be eligible for representation. You can find their initial statement, signed by over two dozen editorial staff, here. If they do unionize, they’ll be in good company with fellow union journalists, also represented by the Guild, at the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Times-Guild, Miami Herald, The Ledger, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and the Miami New Times. (UPDATE: According to the union, all 23 employees at the Sun Sentinel who voted in their union election Monday voted unanimously to unionize with the News Guild!)
Sales support specialists and in-home experts for AT&T Mobility in Tampa filed a petition to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in early July — then withdrew their petition about a week later. The reason why is unclear, but the union does represent AT&T workers elsewhere in Florida who are currently bargaining for a new contract.
Dining hall workers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, employed by Chartwells Higher Education, have reportedly launched a unionization drive, although it’s unclear which union they are organizing with, or if they are organizing independently. According to The Alligator, a student newspaper at UF, workers have alleged unfair treatment and “management abuses,” in addition to retaliatory measures for speaking out against such behavior. They’re also protesting layoffs by the third-party contractor.
MBM Logistics filed a petition for a union election after a majority of their delivery drivers demonstrated support for unionizing with the Teamsters Local 385 in Orlando. According to the employer’s petition, there are 115 drivers at their Orlando location on Benford Rd. who would be eligible to join the union, if the union prevails. Under federal rules, an employer is required to file a petition for an election if they are presented with evidence that a majority of employees want to unionize, but choose not to grant them voluntary recognition.
Election results:
Starbucks workers in Pinecrest voted to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, after filing a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board last month. The location’s 15 workers will join over 10,500 Starbucks employees at more than 400 stores across the U.S. that have also voted to unionize, including seven other locations in Florida. (Note: I don’t know the exact vote count because the NLRB has not yet posted those results online).
Employees of the Florida Public Utilities Company in Winter Haven voted against unionizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625. This was a RM petition, meaning the employer filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board after employees asked for voluntary recognition. The boss filing the petition means they wanted an election instead. (Same as above: Vote count has not been publicly posted, but there were just three workers eligible to vote, so I imagine it must have been 1—2 against)
Retail workers at an H&M clothing store in Lakeland narrowly voted 2—3 against unionizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625, a NLRB spokesperson confirmed. There were 8 employees who were eligible to vote. UFCW Local 1625 president Ed Chambers told me over text that while he’s not sure whether they will object to the election results (their deadline to do so is today, July 29), they may file unfair labor practice charges in objection to the company’s conduct.
Security officers in Tampa employed by Universal Protection Services/Allied Universal voted 14-9 in favor of unionizing with the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA). According to the NLRB, there were 70 eligible voters total, all of whom will be covered by the union.
Divers and dive supervisors employed by Underwater Mechanix in Jacksonville appear to have unanimously voted 17—0 against unionizing with the Deep6Divers Union, a new, independent union formed by one of the divers. According to an order from the NLRB, the employer tried to argue that Deep6 wasn’t a real union — an argument rejected by the NLRB. The union president, Christopher Martin, told NLRB staff that he was “friends” with the other divers and taught some of them how to dive. Ouch. Personally, I’m confounded by their Instagram, which looks more like a right-wing meme account than anything else.
Schedulers employed by Lee County Electric Cooperative in North Fort Myers voted 5—1 to unionize with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1933. It was a 100% voter turnout, for a bargaining unit of six employees.
New organizing in the public sector
Pulled from the ancient vaults of Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) website and/or obtained through a public records request:
Police sergeants employed by the Sarasota County school district were granted voluntary recognition of their unionization with the International Union of Police Associations after providing evidence to their employer that a majority of sergeants eligible for union representation were in favor of unionizing. According to Commission documents, the employer recognized and accepted the sergeants’ desire to unionize and granted them voluntary recognition — a relatively rare occurrence — now formally acknowledged by the state.
Blue and white collar workers employed by the city of Jacksonville — ranging from mosquito control, to maintenance, and park rangers — are re-organizing with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). According to state documents, this is essentially the same group of workers that belonged to a bargaining unit that was decertified in January, after the union failed to file a petition for recertification (according to the Commission). A recertification filing is now required under Florida’s anti-union law for unions where fewer than 60% of employees are dues-paying members. The union filed a petition to re-organize with AFSCME in February, after they were decertified. Commission officials only just issued their order OK-ing an election in July.
School psychologists for Brevard County’s public school system are unionizing with the Brevard Federation of Teachers Local 2098, which currently represents teachers, guidance counselors, media specialists, and other school staff. From a statewide perspective, psychologists are also covered by teachers unions in other counties, so this isn’t unusual (if anything, it’s odd they’re not covered by the union already).
Maintenance and janitorial workers employed by the city of Florida City have filed a petition to unionize with the Teamsters Local 769. According to the petition, this covers about 30 employees.
A group of civilian employees in the University of Central Florida Police Department, including community service officers and police dispatchers, have filed a petition to unionize with the Florida Fraternal Order of Police. According to their petition, this covers 21 employees.
Blue collar workers employed by the city of Clearwater have filed a petition to unionize (again) with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), after their union was officially decertified in May. While the union had filed a petition for recertification under Florida’s new anti-union law, the Commission said they filed the petition too late.
Fire lieutenants employed by the Haines City Fire Department will vote on whether to join the Haines City Fire Professionals Local 4867. If they vote in favor, the lieutenants would join an existing bargaining unit of fire suppression personnel, according to state records. Apparently, fire lieutenants were previously excluded from the union because they were determined to have a “supervisory conflict of interest” with the other fire employees; however, their duties have “substantially changed” since the other fire professionals first unionized in 2011, according to PERC.
Meanwhile, battalion chiefs for the Maitland Fire Department are unionizing with the Maitland Professional Fire Fighters Local 3590 as a separate bargaining unit because they do have a supervisory conflict of interest with another unit of rank-and-file firefighters. Think of it this way: Imagine how awkward it would be to have your boss or manager — who has the power to discipline or fire you — at your union meetings.
A small group of 17 rank-and-file firefighters, paramedics, and EMTS employed by the Pace Fire Rescue District are unionizing with the Santa Rosa County Professional Firefighters Local 4836. A separate bargaining unit of five fire lieutenants in the district are also seeking to unionize with with the Santa Rosa County Professional Firefighters as well.
Police deputies and corporals employed by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office have filed a petition to unionize with the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
A group of police dispatchers, police dispatcher supervisors, police service technicians, and emergency communications officers employed by the city of West Palm Beach have filed a petition to unionize with the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police — even though they are already unionized with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Florida Public Services Union (FPSU) and have an active collective bargaining agreement effective through Sept. 2026. The FOP claims in their petition the SEIU unit has been decertified, but I don’t see any records indicating this is the case. Furthermore, online records show the SEIU FPSU has joined this case as an “intervenor,” meaning they’re fighting to continue representing the workers (and have presumably obtained signed cards of interest from at least 10% of workers who want to remain unionized with SEIU, as is required for such intervention under law).
A group of 23 communications specialists employed by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office have filed a petition to unionize with the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association, which is kind of rich considering the Coastal Florida PBA have “disclaimed interest” in several of their bargaining units recently (i.e. have requested they be decertified), according to state records.
A group of 105 police dispatchers and police emergency communications officers employed by the city of Jacksonville are seeking to unionize with the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police after their former union, affiliated with AFSCME, was decertified by the state in January due to low membership.
The Commission dismissed a petition from shift commanders and battalion chiefs for the Temple Terrace Fire Department who sought to unionize with the Temple Terrace Professional Firefighters Local 2160. According to the Commission, the union filed showing-of-interest cards (i.e. signed cards by employees in support of unionization) from employees with typed dates, “instead of being personally dated,” which apparently isn’t allowed. The union was allowed 20 days to file an amended petition, but did not. Thus, the petition was dismissed.
The Commission dismissed a petition filed by the Federation of Public Employees, which sought a recertification election for a bargaining unit of Broward County employees. The Commission determined that the union had failed to submit the minimum number of valid showing-of-interest cards needed for an election. The Commission has given the union 20 days “cure” the “defect” in their petition.
The Commission dismissed a petition filed by the Federation of Public Employees, which sought a recertification election for a bargaining unit of workers employed by the city of Miami Gardens. According to the Commission, the union filed 35 ‘showing of interest’ cards from employees, although there are apparently only 28 employees in the bargaining unit. The Commission has thus determined the petition is ‘deficient.’ The Commission has granted the union 20 days to “cure” the “defect.”
Election results
A group of teachers, guidance counselors, school social workers and librarians employed by the Citrus County school district voted 468-27 in favor of re-certifying their union, the Citrus County Education Association. This means their union will stay intact. The union filed a report with the state in December verifying that less than 60% of employees in the union were dues-paying members, triggering the need for a recertification election under state law. There were 1133 employees eligible to vote.
A group of teachers, counselors, and other school staff employed by the Putnam County school district voted 258-7 in favor of re-certifying their union, the Putnam Federation of Teachers/United. It also appears that, through this election, employees in additional job classifications also formally joined the union. There were 654 employees eligible to vote.
A group of teachers, library workers, and other school staff employed by the Escambia County school district voted 1214-47 in favor of re-certifying their union, the Escambia Education Association. This means their union will stay intact. The election was ordered due to the fact that the union filed a report with the state in December verifying that fewer than 60% of employees in the union were dues-paying members. There were 2407 employees eligible to vote.
A group of non-instructional school staff employed by the Hernando County school district — including accounting clerks, secretaries, and teacher aides — voted 106-3 to re-certify their union, the Hernando United School Workers Local 4730. This means the union will stay intact. The election was ordered due to the fact that the union filed a report in December that showed that fewer than 60% of employees in the union were dues-paying members. There were 483 employees who were eligible to vote.
Police officers and sergeants employed by the Village of Key Biscayne voted to join the Dade County Police Benevolent Association (PBA), and thereby ditch their old union, the International Union of Police Associations (Raid alert?). Out of 32 eligible voters, 27 voted to join the PBA, while only three voted to stay with the IUPA. As a result, their old unit has been decertified.
That’s it for this month. Do you like this round-up? Have thoughts or feedback? Drop a comment below.