A bill that would increase teacher pay by a record amount was signed into law by the governor.
Teachers would have to send a check to their unions every month instead of deducting dues from their paychecks under a plan outlined by the school board.
The Florida Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, called the proposal "anti-freedom" and "anti-educator" when it was first proposed.
The president of the Florida Education Association said that it puts big government between educators and their constitutionally guaranteed right to join in union.
In the fall of 2020 the teachers' unions resisted his push to reopen schools during the Pandemic and after he banned mask mandates in the classroom.
The Miami-Dade teachers' union boss was chosen by Charlie Crist as his running mate.
The right to work status of organized labor in Florida is already included in the state's constitution. Unions can't collect dues from employees who benefit from negotiated worker protections under current law in Florida.
The anti-union bills the legislature considered in the past would have extended to other public employees. They would have to recertify unions with less than half of workers in their ranks if they gutted automatic deductions.
It would be a more accurate reflection of who wants to be a part of this or not if the plan was framed as paycheck protection for teachers. The biggest increase in teacher pay the state has ever done was included in his remarks.
He said at the retreat that it was more of a guarantee that the money would go to the teachers.
The Florida Education Association told Insider that it would not be possible to combine the two proposals because the teacher pay would be in the state budget.
30 days before the legislative session starts, the governor's budget will be due.
The office of the governor's press secretary will give more information when it becomes available.
The average teacher salary in Florida is 48th in the nation. According to the Florida Education Association, state lawmakers and the governor increased pay for new teachers.
If teachers aren't paying dues then they should be decertified according to the speaker.
He said that you shouldn't be able to continue as a zombie organization that doesn't have the support of the people you're supposedly negotiating for.
The last two versions of the anti-union were killed in committee. Kathleen Passidomo, who is now the president of the Florida Senate, declined to take it up.
Passidomo's office didn't respond to a request for comment on whether she would be receptive to the proposal.
In November, Florida voters reelected Ron DeSantis by a 20-point margin, giving him a GOP supermajority in both the House and Senate. After he is inaugurated a second time on January 3, 2023, the Florida legislature is expected to be mostly deferential to his priorities.
Should he decide to run, he would be considered the most formidable challenger for the Republican nomination.
One of the top priorities of the November elections was to reorganize the school boards. More than 200 people were in the audience on Monday, including school board members who were endorsed by DeSantis, according to the campaign.
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