Florida's Police Benevolent Association expressed "disappointment" Thursday at election results that showed the state's corrections officers had chosen the Teamsters to replace the PBA as their bargaining unit.
The two unions had waged a high-profile campaign throughout the fall over which would better represent many of the state's corrections and probation officers, with the PBA scoring a big victory in a court case fighting the Legislature's move to privatize 29 correctional facilities in South Florida and the Teamsters filing a complaint with the federal Department of Labor claiming guards were not being paid fairly because of security practices at some prisons.
That ruling, by a Leon County Circuit judge, has been appealed by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Of course we are disappointed in the result but nevertheless plan to continue to fight for the rights of corrections professionals, James Baiardi, president of PBA Corrections, said in a statement. We will continue to serve our corrections and probation members through legal defense and grievances. It has been an honor to represent these officers and we wish them well.
The PBA intends to continue pursuit of its lawsuits against the Legislature on behalf of its members, the statement said.
In announcing the payment complaint during a news conference last month, before balloting began, Michael Filler, national director of the Teamsters Public Service Division, said the union being against the Florida Department of Corrections was based upon the advice of its legal counsel. The coming vote, he said, was a coincidence.
