Florida's Union-Busting Regime: A Report from the Front Lines

[Omaha Steve]

Union activists lined the halls in the state capitol in Tallahassee, protesting anti-union legislation meant to kneecap public sector worker power.

https://labornotes.org/2025/03/florida-union-busting-regime-report-front-lines

March 19, 2025 / Jenn Powell

Organizing in the South has always been challenging, and Florida’s latest union-busting legislation has only made it harder.

Public sector unions had successfully fought off these attacks for years, but the tide turned in May 2023. The new law imposed severe restrictions: requiring public sector unions to maintain 60 percent membership, banning payroll dues deductions, and mandating a cumbersome four-page membership form. Notably, police, fire, and corrections unions were exempt.

We left the State Capitol before the ink was dry and returned home to start organizing. My union, Communications Workers (CWA) Local 3170 in Gainesville, had just over a year to meet the 60 percent membership threshold.

Initially, I was optimistic—by July, we had signed up over 40 percent. I was sure we’d reach 60 percent by September. But I was wrong.

FULL story at link above.