The future of Florida's largest teachers union, United Teachers of Dade (UTD), hangs in the balance after a membership audit revealed the organization did not meet the state-mandated threshold for dues-paying members. The recent audit uncovered that UTD fell short of the 60% mark, necessary under a controversial new state law, kicking off a decertification process that could potentially remove the collective bargaining agent for roughly 30,000 public school educators in Miami-Dade.
Details emerged yesterday when UTD confirmed to the Miami Herald, that their application to renew union certification was submitted to Florida's Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC). Despite to swiftly recruit more than 800 new members in five months, an effort described as "unprecedented," the union acknowledged it did not "achieve the new 60% membership density mandated by the onerous anti-worker law." The reference was clear to Senate Bill 256, which raised the membership dues requirements and stopped the practice of pulling dues directly from teachers' paychecks.
The UTD is now compelled to demonstrate that a minimum of 30% of its members desire union representation by collecting "showing of interest cards," a move in pursuit of certification eligibility. In a statement obtained by CBS News Miami, UTD described its ongoing activities: "From the strongest position regarding union solidarity and the fight for our collective wellbeing, we are now gathering Showing of Interest cards to be on the PERC Ballot to be certified as the union for education professionals in order to maintain our contract, wages, and benefits."
Even if successful, the union faces an uphill battle as they will have to prove once again next year that they can surpass the 60% threshold to stay certified. Critics of Senate Bill 256, including the UTD leadership and Democrats, label it as a legislative assault designed to dismantle unions. In particular, teachers' unions have been at loggerheads with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican legislators over educational policy changes, which have placed restrictions on classroom discussions. The UTD further criticized the law in a statement reported by the Miami Herald, saying the legislative tactics are aimed to "eradicate our union" and negatively impact those “who helped Florida’s largest school district achieve another A-rating.”
UTD must now await the decision from PERC on whether they're eligible to proceed with a certification election. In the interim, the school district has agreed, according to the Miami Herald, to honor the current contract including the pay raises negotiated this year, varying from 7% to 10%. They confirmed maintaining "the status quo" until a clear decision on the union's certification emerges.
