PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association is fighting a bill that could make workforce union rules stricter.
The bill was debated for hours on the Senate floor on Thursday, and the vote was postponed.
WATCH: Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association fights bill that could make union rules stricter
"The union is my contract, the union gives me salary increases, the union is a family and a community," said Brennen Pickett.
Brennen Pickett is a teacher in Pinellas County Schools and said that without his teachers' union, life would be very different.
"Realistically if we had to do our job without the parameters of the contract, people are already leaving, I have a lot of friends who I taught with who are no longer in the state…I could see a lot more people, including myself, not wanting to be a part of this anymore," said Pickett.
But a new bill could change a union's ability to represent its workers. Under Senate Bill 1296, 60% of workers would need to remain members of their union for it to remain certified.
Currently, the PCTA only requires 43% of workers.
Lee Bryant, President of the PCTA, said that if a union is decertified, teachers will be denied the pay and benefits they deserve.
"If they succeed in knocking down a union, then there is no bargaining, there is no negotiation, they give you a contract and say sign it or don't. Do you want a job or not, and theres no collective bargaining," said Bryant.
According to the bill, to approve contract changes, 50% of the union would need to vote, and 60% would need to vote in favor of the change.
Bryant said it's difficult to get a majority of teachers to get involved.
"Teachers are overloaded, and that's what they've been doing for years. They underpay us, they underfund the school system, but then they keep adding and adding and adding to the point that theres such burnout that at the end of the day, teachers just want to go home and collapse," said Bryant.
The bill is being sponsored by State Senator Jonathan Martin, and its supporters said it would help ensure that unions are supported by the majority of the people they represent.
Tampa Bay 28 did reach out to Senator Martin for comment, but has not heard back.
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