Across the state of Florida, Education Support Professionals (ESP) are declaring, "I'm sticking with MY union!" and the Hernando United School Workers, Local 4730, won't be left behind!
Since 1990, our union has served as the designated collective bargaining agent for both the blue collar (maintenance, transportation, food and nutrition, custodial) and white collar (paraprofessionals, clerical, specialists) education support professionals in the district. Recent attacks on public sector workers and their unions have threatened our contract protections and our right to collective bargaining. We're rebuilding to create a stronger, more representative, member-driven union, and NOW is the time for ESP in Hernando Schools to unite in support of their collective voice.
We're entering a new day, with a change in local leadership and a new determination to engage every member in their union! We advocate for the interests and professional welfare of the employees who keep our public schools running, because we know that our working conditions are student learning conditions. Together with our national, state, and regional affiliate associations, we offer ESP representation in employment matters, access to legal services related to employment, resources for professional development, scholarships and a wide range of discount programs, and tools for personal and professional success.
The first step in rebuilding is to move membership to an alternative dues payment method. Getting EVERY member reenrolled and growing our membership will put our union on the path to success. Members who received notice of past due payments prior to January 27, 2024, may disregard the invoice and reinitiate membership through the online FastTrack application.
All employees in the blue and white collar units are invited to join -- there is no waiting period, so new hires are encouraged to apply on DAY ONE! We're encouraging every member to join or recommit to through eDues--
eDues is safe and secure. Utilizing Plaid (an industry leader in account verification used by platforms like Venmo), eDues sets up a routine ACH payment that safely and securely processes the payment between member and union account. Our union does not collect or store members' bank information, and members always have access to their eDues set up through our secure membership portal (https://feacms.floridaea.org/portal/signin).
eDues is reliable and consistent. Once set-up, members can be assured that their dues payments will drafted on time to ensure there is no lapse in their membership privileges. eDues are scheduled to follow the district payroll calendar, and because it is the method that most closely mirrors payroll deductions, members will notice little difference in how dues are paid--instead of drafting before the paycheck deposits, it just drafts right after!
An added benefit of eDues is that it won't drive up the cost of membership. Because any other payment method would require costly transaction fees or additional union time and resources to process, eDues is the most economical choice for alternative dues payment.
Members and potential members who are ready to be part of the NEW HUSW, are encouraged to contact Bernie Kemp (bernie.kemp@floridaea.org) for information.
