Charlotte FEA

12/13/2023

Nice Work, Charlotte Technical College! Sunseeker drives upward momentum for local graduates to have local careers.

"Cuarta, Foltz and Blackburn all said they are working closely with students and graduates of the Charlotte Technical College’s Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality program in Port Charlotte.

“We are really fortunate to have a culinary arts program so close to the resort,” Blackburn said. “There are at least a dozen graduates we’ve hired. I’m working with a student, Nicholas, who graduates in March. He will have a job here after graduation. This gives them such a great opportunity to work at a world-class resort.”"

11/05/2023

Have you joined CFEA yet? Make today the day!
https://portal.floridaea.org/fasttrack/123

10/26/2023

Ready to join CFEA? Here is the link:

Florida Education Association membership portal.

08/09/2023

Police and Fire would not stand with teachers during the legislative session. They allowed Desantis to divide the House of Labor because it wasn't their problem. Now we are both on the same side of the issue again.

Do their non-certified members have grounds for a "Failure to Represent" claim?

By JIM SAUNDERSNEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA TALLAHASSEE — A statewide fir

06/15/2023

Thank you?

While Ron DeSantis runs for President, he has attempted to excite conservatives nationwide by pushing legislation that makes it more difficult for undocumented students to study in Florida public schools. He also has pushed legislation that limits teaching about diversity and sexual orientation...

04/26/2023

April 26, 2023

FEA: At governor’s bidding, House stands against working people

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House sealed the deal. When it comes to the governor’s political ambitions versus working people, working people lose. Senate Bill (SB) 256, passed by the House today and now set to become law, attempts to take away the right and even the ability of hundreds of thousands of Floridians to have a voice on the job through the unions they have opted to join. Now it’s just a question of how soon Gov. DeSantis will sign the bill his administration authored, and when legal actions against it begin.
“If you stand up for something the governor disagrees with, he retaliates. He’s shown that again and again, with Disney and elected officials, and now with public employees,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association. “If Gov. DeSantis thinks he will silence us, he’s dead wrong. We will do everything in our power to guarantee that Florida’s teachers, staff, professors and all public employees have a voice in their workplaces. No matter the pushback, educators will continue to stand up for our students,
our professions and public education.”
SB 256 is often summarized as a “dues” bill designed to take away the long-standing ability of union members to choose to have dues deducted from their paychecks, as are items ranging from insurance to gym memberships to charitable donations and sports tickets. But dues are the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The bill has several other provisions primed to reduce or eliminate union members’ rights, such as requiring that an arbitrary 60-percent super majority of eligible employees pay dues in order for a union to exist. SB 256 also requires that local unions submit audited financial statements that the Florida Senate’s resident accounting expert, CPA and Sen. Joe Gruters, estimates will cost locals $12,000 to $15,000 each to obtain, which is two or three times the annual revenue of some small unions. “The only intent of the bill is to kill off the unions here in Florida,” the senator observed before his chamber passed SB 256 in late March. Like other targets of Gov. DeSantis’ ire, educators fully intend to fight back. “At this point, we are exploring all legal options, and we will do whatever we can to ensure that the voice of Florida’s hard-working families is not diminished by a dictator want-to-be who throws a fit when he doesn’t get his way,” Spar said.

04/04/2023

SB 256 and HB 1445 FAQ

I hear the legislature is only targeting the teacher’s union and not so much support. So, I’m okay, right?
No. SB 256 applies to ALL public sector unions except police and fire unions who are explicitly exempt. Both of our bargaining units are under attack!

What is "density" in this case? (The bill requires 60% membership density to avoid union de-certification.)
When we talk about density, we mean the percentage of dues paying union members compared to all of the individuals in the bargaining unit who are eligible to join the union. It is one way to talk about the number of paying members in our union. (CFEA is nearly 70%, CCSPA is near 44%)

Even if the union doesn’t exist, I'll still have my contract, right? I signed it so it is my contract, isn't it?
No. Our contract is between each bargaining unit and the school district. You are covered by the contract as a member of a covered bargaining unit (either CFEA or CCSPA). If the bargaining unit (or union) is dissolved the contract no longer exists.

We’ve rallied at the state capitol before. Could we do that again?
The governor signed an Executive Order that nobody may rally or protest at the capitol unless it is in support of his agenda or furthers the interests of the state. So a rally is out right now. Right now our focus is on the things we need to do if SB256/HB1445 passes, which we believe it will (HB256 has passed).

Why are we moving to direct drafts from my bank and away from district dues deduction? It is simple and I like it. I don't want to switch.
The main reason we are moving is because the Florida Senate has passed a bill (SB 256) stripping us of the right to decide for ourselves how to spend our paychecks and how to pay our union dues. We expect the Florida House (HB 1445) to follow suit, and the Governor is anxious to sign the completed bill into law.

Is it safe to use my banking login credentials?
Yes. Plaid (the service provider engaged by FEA) is a leader in account verification and has partnered with your bank to provide this service. Your credentials are not shared or stored with Plaid or any third party. There is a strong possibility that Plaid is the provider behind any other auto-pay arrangements you have with your bank.

What happens if I don't switch to the eDues system?
With no alternative way to pay your dues, you would lose your CFEA/CCSPA membership.

I don't have a bank account, what do I do?
Our Union partner, Suncoast Credit Union, has an account for direct deposit that you can use for eDues. Our contract calls for direct deposit of paychecks (and has for several years) and you will be able to do direct deposit to this account without any extra charges.

03/17/2023

Dear leaders and staff,

Before the news airs on NPR stations, we want to let you know that today the Florida Education Association, the Florida Freedom to Read Project and Families for Strong Public Schools filed a challenge to the DeSantis administration’s actions that shutter classroom libraries and undermine public education. On behalf of teachers, librarians, students and families, the petitioners are seeking an order holding the rules unlawful and directing the Florida Department of Education (DOE) to halt enforcement of these rules and to notify Florida schools that the rules exceed DOE’s authority and will not be enforced.

Our challenge seeks to alleviate the burden on teachers and library staff, mitigate the harm on students and parents, and enable the re-opening of classroom libraries across the state.

The petition filed with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) challenges two DeSantis administration policies, the Training Rule and the Elementary School Rule, that purport to implement HB 1467, which was passed last year by the Florida Legislature. Among the first steps in the administration’s censorship agenda, HB 1467 provided that the DOE could 1) prescribe how certain lists of books are formatted, and 2) develop a specific training program for educators. The DOE has rewritten the law and expanded its censorship efforts through its promulgation of the Training and Elementary School rules, both of which the petition argues unlawfully exceed the DOE’s authority.

The governor along with his commissioner of education have ushered in a new era of censorship — unlawfully attacking the freedom to read, public education and taking away the rights of parents, students, educators and librarians.

Throughout Florida, teachers have been told to pack up books that were not provided by the school. Teachers, using their own money, purchase hundreds or even thousands of books for their classroom library that are age appropriate, academically appropriate and content appropriate. With 50 percent of third graders not reading on grade level, we should expand access to books, not limit it. We are faced with no option other than to seek action on a wrongfully adopted rule that increases the work of teachers and limits access to reading for kids.

We are never going to back down when rights are being taken away from our members, students and their families. By joining together and speaking up, by contacting our elected leaders and holding them accountable, and by taken legal action, we can make this a state where every child has the freedom to learn, grow and thrive.

More details and a link to the filed petition will be available later today in a press release by our partners.

In Solidarity,

Andrew Spar, President

Florida Education Association

02/27/2023

Same old dirty tricks...

Victories at several companies energized organizers, but hostile corporations – and an impotent labor board – stymie negotiations

02/09/2023

National Teachers Union President Announces Half-Million Dollars in Grants to Recruit and Retain Educators, Help Students and Boost Public Schools

02/09/2023

If the Florida Legislature won't do it....

National Teachers Union President Announces Half-Million Dollars in Grants to Recruit and Retain Educators, Help Students and Boost Public Schools