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State Employees Attorneys Guild (SEAG) History The State Employees Attorneys Guild was formed in 1993 by Florida state attorneys from Pensacola to Key West so as to protect our rights as state employees and promote our professional interests. As SEAG, we affiliated with the Federation of Physicians and Dentists (FPD) with our own charter as a Guild. The State Attorney General fought our right to organize, and after six years in the courts, in May of 1999, SEAG succeeded in winning the right to organize and attain collective bargaining rights for Florida’s public employed attorneys. Now that we have the right to organize, we are proceeding to build a strong Guild, to win representation and a collective bargaining agreement with the state. Over the years we have seen increased caseloads, growing inequity in pay, no rational structure for pay raises or career progression and no procedures that can effectively address other workplace issues. There is no voice defending our interests. This is why we are organizing: to collectively speak for our interests. Currently, we are preparing for a representation election. We are collecting "Authorization for Representation" forms that authorize SEAG to petition the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) to conduct a secret ballot election. When we have collected a strong majority of authorization forms, we will present them to PERC. PERC will hold hearings to ascertain the bargaining unit parameters and set the process for the election. The election will be secret ballot mail vote. A vote of 50% plus 1 of returned ballots will decide the election.You will receive an "Authorization for Representation" form through the mail. Please take time to fill out the form and promptly return it to ensure that there will be an election soon. The forms are valid for one year from the date of signature, so you may need to return a new form. Remember that "Authorization for Representation" forms are strictly confidential. This is not an application for membership form; it is a form required by PERC that will allow SEAG to petition for an election. Questions & Answers How are we associated with FPD? We approached FPD because it represents state physicians whose situation and issues with the state are akin to ours. FPD is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) and NUHHCE, in turn, is affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), part of the AFL-CIO.Within this overall structure of affiliations, the State Employees Attorneys Guild will receive the resources and support of the national and international unions in organizing, collective bargaining and representation and legislative advocacy . SEAG will formulate its own structure and bylaws and exist as an autonomous guild within FPD.Who will be included in the bargaining unit? State employed attorneys in all state agencies who work for the Governor, including the Department of Legal Affairs (Case No. SC94427)How will the interests of this diverse unit be represented? When we prepare for negotiations, a bargaining team of unit members represents interests at the bargaining table. It will be up to you to make sure your agency’s interests are represented.What are the Guild dues? SEAG dues are two hours pay per month with a cap of $520.What do dues cover? Dues cover negotiations, representation, grievance handling, legislative advocacy and hearings before the Florida State Bar. They also cover resources and assistance from the national and international unions.Why is the Attorney General opposing our organizing? It is a simple question of control. At present, State employed attorneys have no control over wages and working conditions. Whatever the AG, Agency Secretaries and legislature unilaterally determine is what we get. With a contract and representation, our employer will be required to bring any changes in wages benefits and working conditions to us, as SEAG, and negotiate with us, just as they currently do with state employed physicians in the Federation of Physicians and Dentists. Remember that we have the legal right under Chapter 447 to organize for our mutual aid and protection.Since we are considered Select Exempt, can we still unionize effectively? Yes. Select Exempt Status was instituted about nine years ago essentially to provide improvements in wages and benefits for state attorneys and physicians while at the same time, take away security of employment. SES functions in the same way that "employment at will" works in the private sector. More often than not, we have seen it wielded as a threat rather than as a means of firing staff. While the state physicians have retained their SES status, FPD has been successful in representing its members in cases of unjust termination. A collective bargaining agreement guarantees in writing wages and benefits that currently can be changed from one moment to the next. It also provides representation in cases of unjust discipline or termination as well as setting criteria for basic fairness and equity in the workplace. Again, your legal right to organize as public employees under Chapter 447 supersedes Chapter 110. Part V.
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