New Organizing and Union Election Results in Florida | August 2024
Catch up on what's going on in Florida's labor movement this Labor Day.
Happy Labor Day!
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 union power. Only 6.1 percent of Florida’s workforce has union representation, and less than five percent of workers are dues-paying members.
But new organizing does happen here in the Sunshine State, maybe more often than you’d think.
Here’s a roundup of organizing drives that launched 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, election results, and labor updates across the U.S. South.
Organizing in the private sector
*Pulled from the National Labor Relations Board website
A small group of financial associates, produce inspectors, and other workers in Medley, Florida employed by Sysco, a wholesale food and manufacturing distributor, are seeking to unionize with the Teamsters Local 769, according to a petition filed by their employer. According to the employer’s petition, there are 16 employees who would be eligible to join the union, if the union prevails. Under federal rules, an employer is required to file a petition for a union election if they are presented with evidence that a majority of employees want to unionize. Their election is scheduled for Sept. 6.
Going deeper: This comes just a few years after two groups of Sysco drivers and other Sysco employees in Medley voted to unionize with Local 769 in 2019. Their employer had opposed the effort. That year, Sysco paid Peter List, a “union avoidance” consultant, nearly $150,000 in an effort to kill off union support among those organizing workers, according to federal records. And that was after Sysco paid List’s union avoidance outfit $69,817 in 2017 to bust an earlier effort. Sysco has more recently been up to some union busting elsewhere, so I wouldn’t be surprised by any new manipulative shenanigans in Medley, too.
Just over 100 on-board attendants for Brightline, a high-speed rail line running from Miami to Orlando, have filed a petition with the National Mediation Board to unionize with the Transport Workers Union. According to union president John Samuelsen, the union has also been in talks with other workers for Brightline, too, but has declined to share which ones in order to protect them from potential employer retaliation (a common occurrence during union drives, unfortunately).
Employees of Veolia Water North America in Tampa — including electricians, operators, maintenance techs, and utility techs — filed a petition to unionize with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30. According to the NLRB, a date for the union election for the 23 employees eligible to vote has been set for Sept. 11.
Employees of TransDev, a private transportation company, in West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach filed a petition to unionize with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1577. There are 18 employees eligible to vote in the union election, according to the NLRB, which also states that the ATU “seeks an Armour-Globe self-determination election to add these employees to the existing unit at the facility.”
Breakthru Beverages has filed petitions for union elections in Tampa, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and Orlando after a majority of their delivery drivers in these parts demanded voluntary recognition of their union. The employer’s filing of the petitions signals that Breakthru did not grant voluntary recognition, and asked for an election process instead.
Going deeper: The same employer has recently hired an anti-union labor relations firm (union avoidance specialists) to break up an organizing campaign out in California, also involving the Teamsters. Last year, the company paid out roughly $420,000 to the same firm, Action Resources, for a job targeting the same local, Teamsters Local 166. The same firm has also been hired by trucking company MBM Logistics targeting their drivers here in Florida who are similarly looking to unionize with the Teamsters.
Rail transportation company Parsec filed a petition for union election after a majority of their 69 drivers, groundsmen, operators and leads at their Jacksonville facility demonstrated they wanted to unionize with the Teamsters local 512, based in Jacksonville.
United Natural Foods (UNFI) drivers in Sarasota marched on the boss this past week to demand UNFI — a wholesale distributor partnered with Whole Foods Market — grant voluntary recognition of a union they’ve formed with the Teamsters. A demand for voluntary recognition indicates that a majority of the workers have signed cards in support of unionizing.
Going deeper: Despite pouring literally millions of dollars into “union avoidance” services in recent years, UNFI has seen more than 1,500 of its employees across Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and Illinois join the Teamsters this year alone, according to the union. Over 200 warehouse workers in Georgia also demanded voluntary recognition last month.
Election results
Rental care sales agents for SIXT Rent A Car in Miami voted 12-19 against unionizing with the Teamsters Local 769. The company’s legal representative is a Littler Mendelson guy, and that’s never a good sign for labor.
Going deeper: Later in the month, after the election, Nekeya Nunn — president of the Orlando-based anti-union firm, the Labor Pros — filed a report with the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards, disclosing that her firm had been hired to union bust for SIXT. Nunn enlisted one of her regular consultants, Luis Alvarez — based in Hollywood, Florida — for the job. He spent just over a month holding captive audience meetings (“educating employees,” per Nunn), and was paid an hourly rate of $425 an hour per working day, according to her report. Alvarez, whom I’ve mentioned in reporting before, is often hired for jobs involving Hispanic or Spanish-speaking workers. The Labor Pros is a POC-led firm, and is part of a growing movement in the industry to leverage diversity initiatives and social justice language as a tool to combat union drives.
Starbucks workers in Clearwater voted 8-1 in favor of unionizing with Starbucks Workers United, establishing the first unionized location in Pinellas County. This comes just a couple of months after a Starbucks in Tampa voted to unionize, establishing that store as the first unionized location in the Tampa Bay region. This latest vote brings them into good company with nine other unionized Starbucks locations in Florida. Altogether, more than 480 Starbucks locations across the U.S. have unionized since 2021, according to the union, covering 10,500+ workers.
“For all the times my coworkers, my friends, have been belittled and screwed over by people who clearly see us as workers before people. For all the false promises, manipulation, and tears shed from understaffing, inadequate workplace conditions and stressful shifts. Winning this election means tangible, positive change for the partners now and in the future that keep Starbucks running for the customers and community,” said Ethan Best, a barista of 1.5 years at the Clearwater location, in a statement
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:
City of Clearwater employees have filed a petition to re-unionize with the Communications Workers of America (albeit, I’ve heard it’s a different local than the one that represented their recently-decertified bargaining unit). According to their petition, obtained through a records request, the proposed bargaining unit would cover 680 city employees, from library assistants, to custodians, customer service reps, and solid waste workers.
Non-instructional career service employees for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind have filed a petition to unionize with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees. The IAPPE is an independent union launched last fall by former AFSCME Florida staff who were reportedly laid off by the international union last year (after unions entered survival/crisis mode, post-SB 256). According to the petition, obtained through a records request, 289 employees would be covered by the proposed bargaining unit.
A group of blue-collar operational service employees of the city of Pensacola — including airport electricians, maintenance, and traffic control technicians — seek to unionize with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees. According to the petition, obtained through a records request, 106 workers would be covered by the proposed bargaining unit.
Blue-collar workers employed by the University of West Florida, including HVAC specialists, wastewater treatment employees and others, seek to unionize with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees. According to the petition, obtained through a records request, 74 workers would be covered by the proposed bargaining unit.
Florida’s Public Employee Relations Commission dismissed a petition from the Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to represent police deputies and corporals in St. Johns County. According to PERC, the petition was dismissed solely because the union’s registration was not up to date when they filed the petition.
Florida’s Public Employee Relations Commission also (for the same reason) dismissed petitions filed by the Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to represent police sergeants in St. John’s County, as well as police dispatchers employed by the city of Jacksonville.
Citing out-of-date registration, the Commission also dismissed a petition by the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which sought to represent a group of community service officers and police dispatchers employed by the University of Central Florida. After successfully renewing its registration, however, the PBA has since filed another petition to represent the same group of University of Central Florida employees, and has asked PERC to honor the showing-of-interest cards they gathered for the first petition. Under labor rules, unions are required to gather cards of support from at least 30% of employees they seek to represent.
The Southwest Florida Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics, Local 1826 (of the International Association of Fire Fighters) is in a similar boat. Their recent petition for a union election for shift captains employed by the Bayshore Fire Protection and Rescue Service District was previously dismissed by PERC, due to lapsed registration. Records show, however, the union has filed a new petition seeking (again) to represent the shift captains (just three employees, total).
The Public Employees Relations Commission REJECTED the Florida Fraternal Order of Police’s petition to displace (i.e. raid) the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which serves as the bargaining agent for workers employed by the city of West Palm Beach.
Going deeper: According to the Commission’s final order, the FOP’s petition was dismissed primarily because the union filed this petition before it had renewed its registration with the Commission (an annual task) — but also because, under state rules, this kind of petition can only be filed within 90 to 150 days of the expiration date of any existing collective bargaining agreement (i.e. union contract). In this case, the SEIU has an existing collective bargaining agreement with the city of West Palm Beach that doesn’t expire until October 2026. So, we’re obviously outside of that window (but hey, labor lesson for the FOP!)
Election results:
Non-instructional staff for Lafayette County Public Schools — including groundskeepers, teacher aides, school secretaries, bus drivers, and food service clerks — voted unanimously to recertify their union, affiliated with the Lafayette Education Association. Out of 53 eligible voters, 20 workers voted unanimously to recertify their union. The union was forced to petition for recertification after reporting less than 60% membership this year to the state. Under a new (anti-union) 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 for recertification within 30 days of submitting their annual registration renewal paperwork (including membership information). Otherwise, they will be decertified.
Fire Department District chiefs for the city of New Port Richey voted 2-0 in favor of unionizing with the Clearwater Fire Fighters Association, Local 1158 of the IAFF. It was a unanimous vote with 100% voter turnout.
A group of South Daytona city employees — including code enforcement, maintenance, and grounds workers — voted 15—14 against unionizing with the International Union of Police Associations, and there were no challenged ballots.
Public safety officers and police sergeants for the city of Daytona Shores also unanimously voted 0-23 against unionizing with the International Union of Police Associations.
Going deeper: IUPA, headquartered in Sarasota, was exposed as a sham of a group through an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity in 2019. According to the investigation, IUPA (officially registered as a labor organization/union) fundraises money for fallen officers only to spend most of the money raised on telemarketers. Despite its shady tactics, IUPA remains affiliated with the AFL-CIO, despite efforts by some other affiliates to kick them out. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the AFL–CIO rejected demands by unions like the Writers Guild of America, East to expel cop unions, including IUPA.
Battalion chiefs for the Indian River County Fire Department voted 6-2 in favor of unionizing with the Indian River County Firefighter/Paramedic Association, a local IAFF affiliate (apparently the election occurred back in May, but PERC has only now verified the results and publicly posted those).
Police officers for Pensacola State College voted 3-0 in favor of unionizing with the Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA). There were four eligible voters.
Public service workers employed by the town of Bay Harbor Islands voted in favor of recertifying their union, AFSCME Local 966, after reporting to the Commission last fall that their union had zero dues-paying members (according to the union, this is because this was a new bargaining unit that had not yet ratified a contract — and no one has to pay dues until an initial contract is successfully negotiated and ratified/approved). While the Commission hasn’t posted the election results publicly, AFSCME Florida shared in a news release that 81% of workers who participated in the vote were in favor of recertification. According to membership information I obtained through a public records request, the bargaining unit was made up of 32 employees as of November.
That’s it for this month. Do you like this round-up? Have thoughts or feedback? Drop a comment below. Note: This story has been updated to clarify why AFSCME Local 966 had reported a dues-paying member of zero percent as of last fall.