Florida Senate - 2020 SB 804
By Senator Brandes
24-00723B-20 2020804__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to employee organization dues and
3 uniform assessments; amending s. 447.303, F.S.;
4 revising the requirements for an employee to authorize
5 the deduction and collection of dues and uniform
6 assessments by an employer; revising when such
7 deductions commence; providing requirements for forms
8 that authorize such deductions; reenacting s.
9 110.114(3), F.S., relating to employee wage
10 deductions; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 447.303, Florida Statutes, is amended to
15 read:
16 447.303 Dues; deduction and collection.—
17 (1) An Any employee organization that which has been
18 certified as a bargaining agent has shall have the right to have
19 its dues and uniform assessments deducted and collected by the
20 employer from the salaries of those employees who authorize the
21 deduction of said dues and uniform assessments. The
22 authorization must be on a form prescribed by the department,
23 meet the requirements under subsection (2), be renewed on an
24 annual basis, and However, such authorization is revocable at
25 the employee’s request upon 30 days’ written notice to the
26 employer and employee organization. Said deductions shall
27 commence when the employer receives the signed authorization
28 form from the bargaining agent and is able to confirm with the
29 employee, electronically or by other means, that he or she
30 authorized the deduction of dues and uniform assessments upon
31 the bargaining agent’s written request to the employer.
32 Reasonable costs to the employer of said deductions are shall be
33 a proper subject of collective bargaining. Such right to
34 deduction, unless revoked under pursuant to s. 447.507, is shall
35 be in force as for so long as the employee organization remains
36 the certified bargaining agent for the employees in the unit.
37 The public employer is expressly prohibited from any involvement
38 in the collection of fines, penalties, or special assessments.
39 (2) The form required under subsection (1) must be signed
40 by the employee and contain the following acknowledgment in bold
41 letters and in at least a 14-point type:
42
43 I acknowledge and understand that I have a First
44 Amendment right, as recognized by the United States
45 Supreme Court, to refuse to join or financially
46 support a union, that union membership and payment of
47 union dues and uniform assessments are voluntary, and
48 that I may not be discriminated against in any manner
49 should I refuse to join or financially support a
50 union.
51 Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
52 made by this act to section 447.303, Florida Statutes, in a
53 reference thereto, subsection (3) of section 110.114, Florida
54 Statutes, is reenacted to read:
55 110.114 Employee wage deductions.—
56 (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) and
57 (2), the deduction of an employee’s membership dues deductions
58 as defined in s. 447.203(15) for an employee organization as
59 defined in s. 447.203(11) shall be authorized or permitted only
60 for an organization that has been certified as the exclusive
61 bargaining agent pursuant to chapter 447 for a unit of state
62 employees in which the employee is included. Such deductions
63 shall be subject to the provisions of s. 447.303.
64 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.