Florida Commission Rules University Was Wrong For Firing Union Members

LAKELAND (CBSMiami/AP) — A state commission has ruled that a Florida university was wrong to fire union members who had complained about problems or participated in collective bargaining.

The ruling came down last week.

The Public Employees Relations Commission ruled that Florida Polytechnic University unjustly laid of the workers because of anti-union bias.

The commission said last week that the Lakeland, Florida school needs to rehire three employees let go with back pay and cease from making faculty changes without bargaining with the union, United Faculty of Florida.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that university officials are reviewing the order and considering the next steps.

One of those fired, engineering professor Christina Drake, says she isn't optimistic the university will follow through with the order since officials blatantly disregarded the law and employee rights before.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)