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<\/p>\nFlorida public employee union representatives are warning a Florida bill gaining momentum this legislative session would undermine their organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will hurt doctors like me, and ultimately, it will hurt our health care system,\u201d said Dr. Casey Mohrien, a resident physician at Miami\u2019s Jackson Memorial Hospital, at a press conference near the Capitol on Monday. \u201cIf we can’t bargain for better and safer workplaces, no one else will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa Bush, a Jackson Memorial trauma nurse, added: \u201cIf you get rid of unions, and you get rid of negotiations, then you could possibly get rid of everything that’s in the contracts which safeguards what I’m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Lisa Bush, a Jackson Memorial Hospital trauma nurse, and Dr. Casey Mohrien, a resident physician at Miami\u2019s Jackson Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n
Supporters say they’re trying to make unions more accountable to members.<\/p>\n
There has been some compromise, with a toned down version of the bill, SB 1296<\/a>, passing its last Senate committee on Monday.<\/p>\n But it would still change elections to require higher participation and stronger support for certification, one of union representatives’ biggest concerns.<\/p>\n A union would be certified only if at least 25% of the bargaining unit participates in the election and 60% of those who vote support the union. Right now, only a simple majority of votes is needed.<\/p>\n Another provision generating debate would limit when public employees can be paid while performing union activities, such as restricting it for advocacy.<\/p>\n These provisions wouldn\u2019t apply to police, firefighters and other public safety unions, another source of controversy.<\/p>\n Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, says many unions in the state aren\u2019t doing enough to engage with and represent their members.<\/p>\n \u201cThese unions are all over the state of Florida, these collective bargaining groups, where the class that they represent doesn’t want to be a member of that class,\u201d said Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, the bill sponsor. \u201cThey don\u2019t. They\u2019re not voting. They don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIf the workers of the state of Florida want to be better represented, their unions have to do a better job.\u201d<\/p>\n