Media Hit
This Labor Day, ask yourself: Are unions living up to their promises?
Originally published at The Hill
Within days of signing legislation protecting the rights of public employees, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sued twice by the state’s most powerful public sector unions. While attorneys battled in courts of law, those running the state’s largest teacher union appealed to the court of public opinion. Union executives claimed DeSantis’s reforms would destabilize educators’ job security and defund public education.
This Labor Day marks the end of a busy season for labor legislation nationwide. This year, 20 state legislatures enacted 34 laws governing public sector unions — roughly the number of measures passed in the previous two years combined.
The Florida law, for example, protects the rights of teachers and other public employees. It requires unions to notify members of their rights, including their right not to join the union. Members now sign a state-created document acknowledging their understanding of these rights. The law requires unions disclose the total dues collected and union executive salaries. And when employees want to terminate their membership, unions must respect that decision and process the request as soon as possible.
Read more at The Hill