We provide educators with better representation for less

Part of what makes MDEC so unique is our commitment to all types of educators included in our bargaining unit, not just classroom teachers! Educating our children requires a coalition of our entire district, from counselors to office staff to classroom teachers to security guards. MDEC, as the new local union, is dedicated to making sure that all voices are heard and represented.

Unlike UTD, MDEC’s founding principles protect our independence from outside affiliations. This principle of independence is enshrined in our bylaws. MDEC has accepted outside resources solely for the duration of the campaign. MDEC is its own legal entity, and no outside organization has control over our local union. To that end, any outside organization contracted by MDEC operates at the direction of our members. Join us and see for yourself!

When MDEC wins the election against UTD and becomes the certified bargaining agent for M-DCPS educators, the status quo contract terms in place under the current contract will remain in place until MDEC negotiates a new contract with M-DCPS and the new contract is ratified. The status quo doctrine is well established in Florida law. See, e.g., City of Ocala v. Marion Cnty. Police Benevolent Ass'n, 392 So. 2d 26 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980); Florida Police Benevolent Ass'n, Inc. v. Sheriff of Orange Cnty., 67 So.3d 400 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011); Duval Tchrs. United v. The Duval Cnty. Sch. Bd., 6 FPER ¶ 11, 150 (1980).

MDEC’s dues will be at least 50% lower than what educators are currently paying to UTD. UTD sends almost 50% of the dues it receives to the FEA, NEA, AFT, and other outside organizations. UTD also has an extensive bureaucracy of employees on its payroll and pays six-figure salaries to its leadership out of our dues money. As our new local union, MDEC will provide its members with a great product at less than half the cost of UTD dues by keeping our dues at the local level instead of handing them to state and federal organizations, and by curtailing internal bureaucracy and bloated union salaries.

After MDEC becomes the certified bargaining agent, MDEC will enforce the terms of the current contract until the new contract between MDEC and M-DCPS is ratified. MDEC commits to employing outside, independent legal counsel to enforce the contract and ensure our individual members are served.

For a thorough list of our negotiation positions, please check out our platform. MDEC negotiations will focus on substantially improving salaries, health benefits, and working conditions.

MDEC is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the bargaining unit are fairly represented in union negotiations, regardless of their job title.

The Executive Board of MDEC and its designated representatives will conduct negotiations on behalf of the bargaining unit, in coordination with the Collective Bargaining Committee. The Executive Board will consist of the Executive Officers, one Senior Site Representative, the Immediate Past President of MDEC (once applicable), and, beginning two years after the establishment of the MDEC, five additional non-elected Board members.

• Executive Officers are elected by the members of MDEC.  
• MDEC members at each worksite will elect one Senior Site Representative and one alternate. One Senior Site Representative will be randomly selected from a pool of nominations to serve as a member of the Executive Board.
• The five non-elected Board members will include three Educational Level Representatives (consisting of one high school teacher, one middle school teacher, and one elementary school teacher), one Degreed Student Service Employee Representative, such as a counselor or a similar role, and one Support Staff Representative from the non-degreed support staff.  
  

MDEC members will be included in negotiations by participating in the election of Officers and Site Representatives, and through the non-elected Board members who will represent different groups of MDEC members. Members may provide their ideas and feedback to the Collective Bargaining Committee, which will advise the Executive Board on matters related to negotiations. 

MDEC is dedicated to providing a fair and transparent voting process for its members to ensure the integrity of our elections. Elections will take place at each worksite on the dates recommended by the Committee on Elections and approved by the Executive Board. Elections will take place in a manner consistent with the procedures developed by the Committee on Elections and consistent with the guidelines in the Landrum Griffith Act.

The Senior Site Representative and a designee at each worksite will maintain a membership roster to be used as a sign-in sheet to obtain a ballot. All ballots will be tallied for each worksite, and the results will be conveyed to the Committee on Elections. The Committee will tally the ballots from all worksites and report results to the President, who will immediately notify candidates of the election results, and report to the general membership within thirty (30) days of the election. In the event a simple majority vote is not received for an office, a run-off election will beheld.

Once sufficient funds are acquired within the MDEC budget, voting for officer elections or any other large-scale organizational decisions such as referendum votes and contract ratification will be conducted by third-party election providers, which will be evaluated and selected by a committee appointed by the Executive Board.

Executive board elections will be staggered to ensure continuity and effective leadership change, with the President and Vice President serving for 2-year terms ceasing in even-numbered years, and the Secretary and Treasurer serving for two-year terms ceasing in odd-numbered years. The founding President and Vice President will serve initial 3-year terms.  

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MDEC is committed to ensuring that our leadership never has bloated union salaries. Union leadership should be in their positions to advocate for educators, not to collect huge paychecks! To that end, officers will never be paid more than an annual classroom teacher salary in the school district during any given year.

Check out the “Compare and Contrast” chart to see how MDEC compares with UTD as a quick reference guide, but the word that captures the essence of the difference is transparency. It’s a prerequisite for building a constructive, trusting organizational culture. It fosters open communication and accountable behavior in the leadership and its members.

When it comes to an organization's values and behaviors, the best disinfectant is sunlight.