Local teachers worried about future of unions after membership decline, new state law
Action News Jax |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local teachers’ union says it fights to protect district employees, but new numbers given to Action News Jax show declining members in Duval County.
Duval Teachers United is the collective bargaining agent for staff at Duval County Public Schools and works to secure the best working environment for teachers and students, but a new state law could threaten its future.
That’s why Chris Guerrieri, a veteran DCPS employee, is part of the union.
“The union gives teachers work protections. It makes sure they’re not burdened with too much to do or picked on,” Guerrieri explained.
A new state law signed last year, however, could threaten all public sector unions except for law enforcement, firefighters and correctional officers.
“The state goes, ‘Hey, let’s punish teachers. Let’s take away their right to collective bargaining. Let’s take away their right to protection,’” explained Guerrieri.
The district told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant that it no longer collects data on the percentage of employees in the union, but the most recent numbers show a drop in membership from about 40% in the 2021-2022 school year to just more than 24% during the 2022-2023 school year.
A new Florida law requires public sector unions to meet a threshold of 60% of members paying dues to stay active. If the threshold isn’t met, unions have one month to prove the majority of members still want to be represented.
Duval Teachers United told Grant, “Despite challenges like Senate Bill 256, which threatens teachers’ rights to unionize, DTU remains strong and resilient.”
But, the law raises concerns about the union’s future.
“If we don’t have those things, how many more teachers are we going to lose?” asked Guerrieri. He said that will ultimately affect students in the end.
Supporters of the bill say it provides paycheck protections, but Guerrieri worries about his protection if unions disappear.
“Are we going to be at the whims of the school board? Of the state?” he asked.
DTU said it still represents the majority, and its membership continues to grow and thrives on communicating the benefits of belonging.
