DeSantis’ war on unions targets public education in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared open war on the state’s largest public employee union, United Teachers of Dade, on Monday, a hyperbolic, tactical offensive part of the administration’s broader effort to transform Florida’s public education into a decentralized network of K-12 schools and private schools and tilt the program teaching in a decidedly conservative direction.

During a winding press conference in Hialeah to discuss teacher pay raises, DeSantis characterized United Teachers of Dade and teachers unions more generally as outdated, corrupt organizations that indoctrinate children and do not represent the best interests of teachers. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez called union leaders “activists masquerading as union hacks” who abuse their members, and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. he said unions should “stop focusing their energy… on woke ideology (and) protecting pornographic materials.”