A federal appeals court has temporarily paused Florida’s lawsuit against the U.S. government after the Trump administration reversed its stance on a state law (SB 256) that restricts public-employee unions. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has put the case on hold for 30 days, allowing parties to assess the impact of this change.
The 2023 Florida law prevents most public employees from deducting union dues from paychecks and requires unions to be recertified if fewer than 60% of eligible employees pay dues.
The Biden administration’s Department of Labor (DOL) had previously stated that parts of SB 256 interfered with collective bargaining rights, requiring waivers for transit agencies to receive federal funding.
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However, in a May 29 letter, the Trump administration’s DOL declared that SB 256 “does not impermissibly impact” transit workers’ collective bargaining rights. This reversal means current waivers will expire, forcing unions to find alternative dues collection methods and meet new recertification criteria.
Florida initially sued the Biden administration in October 2023, alleging the federal law protecting collective bargaining rights was unconstitutional and the DOL’s determination was “arbitrary and capricious.”
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian dismissed the lawsuit, affirming the DOL’s authority. Following the Trump administration’s policy shift, both sides requested the appeals court to pause the case, which was granted.
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