Duval Teachers United needs roughly 900 new members by Tuesday, Sept. 8, or it could lose its right to bargain for Duval County school employees. That includes teachers at Mandarin High School, Mandarin Middle School and every other public school in the district.

The union fell short of a 60% membership threshold imposed by a new state law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed May 1. Each of DTU's three bargaining units (teachers, paraprofessionals and school office staff) must clear that bar separately, Action News Jax reported Sunday. This is the first year the requirement has been in effect.

If any unit misses the mark, it faces a recertification vote. Under the same law, 50% of current members would have to cast a ballot for that election to count.

Failure would void DTU's collective bargaining agreement with Duval County Public Schools. That contract is now at risk. DTU President Tammie Brooks-Evans told Action News Jax that losing it would strip employees of negotiated benefits.

"Like having bereavement leave goes away. Being paid for doing some of the extra jobs you do as part of working as a school safety patrol sponsor or band director …" Brooks-Evans said. She added that supplemental contract provisions for extra duties would no longer be honored.

Brooks-Evans said the union negotiated the district's pay offer up from $14 million to $27 million for employee raises in the current bargaining year. She said state lawmakers raised the threshold to make it harder for teachers unions to survive.

Embezzlement shadow

State Rep. Dean Black, a Jacksonville Republican who sponsored some of the new union restrictions, pointed to a different explanation for the membership shortfall. He cited the February sentencing of former DTU President Teresa "Terrie" Brady and former Vice President Ruby George, who pleaded guilty to stealing a combined $2.6 million from the union over nearly a decade.

"Stole millions of teachers' dollars. Stole their money. I think that probably has a lot to do with it," Black told Action News Jax.

Brady, 70, received 27 months in federal prison. George, 82, received 12 months and one day, according to News4Jax. Both hid the scheme from auditors by signing each other's checks and omitting the funds from required financial statements filed with Florida's Public Employee Relations Commission.

What the law changed

The new Florida law requires public-sector unions to petition the state for recertification if they fall below the membership threshold. It also reduced paid union leave and created a new pay incentive program. Corrections officers and first responders are exempt.

DTU represents about 6,500 Duval County school employees and collects roughly $5 million a year in dues.

What comes next

The Duval County School Board had DTU contract settlements for teachers, paraprofessionals and United Office Personnel of Duval on its Tuesday, Sept. 1, agenda. Whether those agreements survive depends on what happens Tuesday.

DTU is urging eligible staff to sign up for membership at dtujax.com before the Sept. 8 deadline.