Fla. Stat. § 447.301 — Florida Code / Title XXXI / Chapter 447 / Part II / Section 447.301
447.301 Public employees’ rights; organization and representation.
Status: in_force

(1)(a) Public employees shall have the right to form, join, and participate in, or to refrain from forming, joining, or participating in, any employee organization of their own choosing. (b)1. A public employee who desires to be a member of an employee organization must sign and date a membership authorization form, as prescribed by the commission, and submit the executed form to the bargaining agent. 2. The membership authorization form must identify the name of the bargaining agent; the name of the employee; the class code and class title of the employee; the name of the public employer and employing agency, if applicable; the amount of the initiation fee and of the monthly dues which the member must pay; and the name and total amount of salary, allowances, and other direct or indirect disbursements, including reimbursements, paid to each of the five highest compensated officers and employees of the employee organization disclosed under s. 447.305(2)(d). 3. The membership authorization form must contain the following statement in 14-point type: The State of Florida is a right-to-work state. Membership or non-membership in a labor union is not required as a condition of employment, and union membership and payment of union dues and assessments are voluntary. Each person has the right to join and pay dues to a labor union or to refrain from joining and paying dues to a labor union. No employee may be discriminated against in any manner for joining and financially supporting a labor union or for refusing to join or financially support a labor union. 4. A public employee may revoke membership in the employee organization at any time of the year. Upon receipt of the employee’s written revocation of membership, the employee organization must revoke a public employee’s membership. The employee organization may not limit an employee’s right to revoke membership to certain dates. If a public employee must complete a form to revoke membership in the employee organization, the form may not require a reason for the public employee’s decision to revoke his or her membership. 5. An employee organization must retain for inspection by the commission such membership authorization forms and any revocations. 6. This paragraph does not apply to members of a bargaining unit the majority of whose employees eligible for representation are employed as law enforcement officers, correctional officers, or correctional probation officers as those terms are defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), or (3), respectively; firefighters as defined in s. 633.102; 911 public safety telecommunicators as defined in s. 401.465(1)(a); or emergency medical technicians or paramedics as defined in s. 401.23. 7. The commission may adopt rules to implement this paragraph.

(2) Public employees shall have the right to be represented by any employee organization of their own choosing and to negotiate collectively, through a certified bargaining agent, with their public employer in the determination of the terms and conditions of their employment. Public employees shall have the right to be represented in the determination of grievances on all terms and conditions of their employment. Public employees shall have the right to refrain from exercising the right to be represented.

(3) Public employees shall have the right to engage in concerted activities not prohibited by law, for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. Public employees shall also have the right to refrain from engaging in such activities.

(4) Nothing in this part shall be construed to prevent any public employee from presenting, at any time, his or her own grievances, in person or by legal counsel, to his or her public employer and having such grievances adjusted without the intervention of the bargaining agent, if the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement then in effect and if the bargaining agent has been given reasonable opportunity to be present at any meeting called for the resolution of such grievances.

(5) In the case of community colleges and universities, the student government association of each community college or university shall establish procedures for the selection of, and shall select, a student representative to be present, at his or her discretion, at negotiations between the bargaining agent of the employees and the board of trustees. Each student representative shall have access to all written draft agreements and all other written documents pertaining to negotiations exchanged by the appropriate public employer and the bargaining agent, including a copy of any prepared written transcripts of any negotiating session. Each student representative shall have the right at reasonable times during the negotiating session to comment to the parties and to the public upon the impact of proposed agreements on the educational environment of students. Each student representative shall have the right to be accompanied by alternates or aides, not to exceed a combined total of two in number. Each student representative shall be obligated to participate in good faith during all negotiations and shall be subject to the rules and regulations of the Public Employees Relations Commission. The student representatives shall have neither voting nor veto power in any negotiation, action, or agreement. The state or any branch, agency, division, agent, or institution of the state, including community colleges and universities, may not expend any moneys from any source for the payment of reimbursement for travel expenses or per diem to aides, alternates, or student representatives participating in, observing, or contributing to any negotiating sessions between the bargaining parties.

History: s. 3, ch. 74-100; s. 9, ch. 77-343; s. 191, ch. 79-400; s. 6, ch. 83-214; s. 154, ch. 97-103; s. 1007, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2023-35; s. 2, ch. 2024-23.