In Florida,
G.O.P. Help for Unions
Published: April 29, 2011 - New York Times
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When State Senator John Thrasher introduced a bill to
weaken the political clout of Florida’s public employee unions, he expected that
it would pass fairly easily, not least because Republicans held 28 of the
Senate’s 40 seats.
But now it looks as if the bill could falter before the legislative session
ends next week. Unions representing teachers, firefighters, the police and other
public employees say they have persuaded nearly half of the Senate’s Republicans
to oppose the bill by reminding them that in Florida, far more than in most
states, organized labor has supported Republicans.
“We have traditionally been a Republican-based organization,” said James
Preston, president of the Florida Fraternal Order of Police. “How much more
conservative can you get than the police officers? Who wants to go against the
cops and firefighters on these matters?”
Still, the unions’ success is surprising, especially since Republican
lawmakers in traditionally labor-friendly states like Wisconsin and Ohio have
passed far tougher antiunion legislation this year. In Florida, just one in 20
of workers in the state belongs to a union.
By some counts, 12 of the 28 Republican senators are against the latest
version of Mr. Thrasher’s bill, which would require public employee unions to
get each member’s permission each year before they could use that person’s dues
for political purposes. Senate Democrats are unified in opposition to the bill.
Republican and business leaders — noting that Florida’s state employees
contribute nothing toward their pensions — have praised Mr. Thrasher’s bill
because it would reduce unions’ leverage over health coverage and pensions.
“These are government unions that are negotiating oftentimes against the
taxpayers,” said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s not fair that the taxpayer-funded payroll system is collecting union dues
that are used politically against the taxpayer.”
But Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a Republican representing Miami, said
the bill was too punitive. “I don’t think it’s necessary legislation,” he said.
“It doesn’t do anything to create jobs. It creates a lot of discord
unnecessarily.”
He said the fact that unions in Florida were weak had forced them to be
bipartisan. Using Wisconsin as an example, he said, “You just don’t have the
animus between union and antiunion here that you have in some other places.”
Indeed, some of the bill’s Republican opponents have enjoyed labor’s campaign
support and worked with unions on numerous issues.
Mr. Thrasher’s bill originally had two main provisions. In addition to
requiring members’ permission for using dues money for politics, the legislation
would have barred the state or any community from deducting union dues from
workers’ paychecks and forwarding that money to unions.
Union lobbyists repeatedly said the bill would cripple the payroll deductions
that fuel labor’s political efforts while continuing to allow similar deductions
at 360 organizations and private companies, including insurers, that spend money
on politics.
Unions also said they were being scapegoated for Florida’s budget problems.
They argued that the recession and Wall Street, not union-negotiated pay and
benefits, caused Florida’s $3.6 billion deficit.
Those arguments resonated with lawmakers.
Rene Garcia, a Republican senator who represents Hialeah, said he saw little
need for the bill because Florida’s public employees were already not required
to join the unions that represent them or to pay dues. “I don’t like this bill
because it’s not fair when you single out one group,” he said.
Mr. Thrasher, former chairman of the Florida Republican
Party, saw that he did not have the votes for his original legislation even
though the House had already passed a similar bill. So he dropped the provision
eliminating the dues check-off.
Mr. Thrasher did not respond to interview requests. But Senator Don Gaetz, a
Republican from Destin, said the bill was revised to make clear that it did not
intend to cripple unions.
“There’s no intent to stop unions from using funds for other very legitimate
purposes,” he said. “The issue is, should the taxpayers of Florida be collecting
money from public employees to be used by a union for direct partisan purposes?
And the answer to that is no.”
Unions continue to fight the watered-down bill. “It could make unions in
Florida a toothless tiger in politics,” said Rich Templin, chief lobbyist for
the state A.F.L.-C.I.O.
In a sign that the bill is in trouble, Governor Rick
Scott, a Republican, personally lobbied four Republican senators on
Wednesday to back it, according to Mr. Diaz de la Portilla.
Gary Rainey, president of the Florida Professional Firefighters, said there
was not enough Senate support to pass the bill in an up-or-down vote. But he
feared that Republican leaders would secure passage by attaching it to another
bill.
“It’s been a continuous battle shoring up support,” he said. “It’s not over
until the fat lady sings.”