Tampa, FL – House Bill 995 is the most recent attack on public sector unions currently going through the legislature in Florida. This bill may be the most recent anti-union bill, but it comes with a history of bills destabilizing public sector unions.

In 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis began aggressively ramping up attacks against public sector unions with Senate Bill 256. Under SB 256, all public sector unions are required to maintain at least 60% of their members to be dues-paying members each year in order to be recertified and maintain their union status. This bill has had a disastrous impact on Florida’s public unions since then, gutting the majority of public sector unions.

Florida is currently a right-to-work state, which means employees must opt into paying their dues, which has already lowered union enrollment. Now, with SB 256, a majority of unions have been unable to hold the 60% line in order to be recertified.

If passed this year, House Bill 995 will once again change the recertification process of public sector unions. Under HB 995, public sector unions would be required to certify or recertify by winning a majority of bargaining unit members, not just a majority of voting members. This means that in a recertification vote with 50% of employees voting, if the recertification was voted for by union members at 61%, it would only count as a 30.5% vote by all bargaining unit members – despite winning a clear majority amongst voting members, the union would be decertified. This bill has the power to decimate any remaining public sector unions within the next recertification cycle if passed.

Thankfully, despite union repression within Florida, the state is still home to many fighting union leaders who are proud to take up the fight for their unions to maintain their certifications. As the bill works its way through the Florida House to be voted on, many union members will fight to see that it is not passed.

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