04/15/2026
Florida teachers, and especially teachers in Miami Dade Public Schools, how do you think this will play out? SB1296 passed. The Miami Dade Education Coalition does not support this bill or endorse it, but we understand why it happened—and how it can be overcome. This bill requires any public‑sector union that falls below 60% membership to trigger a retention election in which at least half of the bargaining unit must vote, and a majority of votes cast must choose to keep the union over no union.
Since the passage of the earlier SB 256, more than half the unions that were able to recertify did so with less than 30% of bargaining unit members actually voting. We cannot speak to what happened in other places, but in the MDEC vs UTD election our message was clearly suppressed. While UTD was celebrating the district’s assistance in blocking our message, they didn’t realize they may have been playing into their own demise by sending a signal that voters are largely uninterested, except those that support UTD.
At MDEC, we know it would be dishonest to lay the blame entirely on message suppression. Apathy and learned helplessness among bargaining unit members clearly played a role as well. As a result of these forces, roughly 2/3 people did not participate in the election, AT ALL. MDEC had plenty of spies, mercenaries and cheerleaders, but not enough soldiers to have the tough conversations with their colleagues to inspire a vote. The message lawmakers took from all this was simple: requiring greater voter participation might be a way to eliminate public‑sector unions. SB1296 is a direct product of that message.
We understand why these bills were written: the increasingly partisan, left leaning positions taken by public‑sector unions and the use of members’ dues to the funding of those positions. Because of these partisan stances, UTD and FEA now face laws that jeopardize their stability and their members’ livelihoods. They must ask themselves what takes precedence: the pursuit of broader political agendas outside the classroom? Or the wages, benefits, and working conditions of the educators they represent?
There is a solution, and it is within reach.
The Miami Dade Education Coalition is ready to help UTD and FEA adopt it: separating from national parent unions and committing to a truly non‑partisan platform focused solely on members’ economic and workplace needs in the state of Florida. This shift would significantly reduce dues and rebuild trust among conservative and independent educators, as well as with Florida’s majority‑Republican legislature. That trust is what can raise membership above 60%, avoid recertification elections, and signal to lawmakers that these unions are not working against them. Realistically, how can a Republican‑dominated state government be expected to improve teachers’ working lives via pay increases when their unions publicly advocate against them using the dues that came from that money?
In the current landscape, Republican lawmakers hold the advantage—and these unions have little chance of surviving without change. Terminating this affiliation is not surrender. It is a return to the core principles of unionism. It is a path to survival, stability, and renewed strength. If they care about their members, employees, and legacy, withdrawing from partisan parent unions preserves all of that.
Our message to UTD and other local unions is this: While ending affiliation may seem overwhelming, MDEC has access to resources that can support you and provide several effective methods to accomplish it. Our message to FEA is this: You have a chance to lead on this issue. There is also a path forward as a non-partisan independent state level organization. We can assist you in finding this path and restoring your legitimacy as an effective force advocating for teachers at the state level.
Einstein wrote, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” UTD and FEA cannot solve its crisis by clinging to the same ideological commitments that contributed to it. If it collapses under this weight, it will have been entirely avoidable—and a devastating signal that once again leadership failed to protect its members. Veterans of this system have seen negotiations tilt toward state and district interests again and again. This would be the final concession.
If past behavior predicts future behavior, bargaining‑unit members have reason for concern. But there is still time to change course. Members who want to preserve their unions must call on leadership to act: drop the partisan positions, cut ties with partisan political affiliates, reduce dues, and focus on wages, benefits and working conditions. Doing so will restore trust, raise membership above 60%, and rebuild a productive working relationship with legislators who no longer feel threatened by partisan public service sector unions.
