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The Florida Senate approved a bill targeting public unions on Friday.

But it received pushback from the general public and from Senators on both sides of the aisle.

Among other things, Senate Bill 1296 would make the threshold for public sector union certification and recertification more difficult.

Republican Senator Johnathan Martin is the bill’s sponsor.

“This bill exists to make sure that if you don’t have that 60% membership in your bargaining unit, that you don’t have a monopoly and an exclusive right to tell every other coworker of yours to shut up, to go to the back, to be quiet, while you go and negotiate with your administration.” Sen. Martin said.

Various senators criticized the fact that requirements would not apply to police, firefighter, and corrections officers’ unions.

Republican Senator Clay Yarborough voted in favor of the bill, citing the arrest of Duval County teacher’s union leaders for fraud last month.

“In order to ensure stronger accountability, and hopefully avoid any future events anywhere in our state similar to what took place in Duval County, I am strongly compelled to support the bill.” Yarborough said.

Republican Senator Ileana Garcia represents a portion of Miami-Dade County.

“The unions there are as much, as the Senator mentioned, Republicans as they are Democrat and Independents. And they are just not comfortable with the language in this bill, they feel they are being targeted, and for that reason I’ll be a no vote today.” Sen. Garcia said.

A couple of weeks ago, demonstrators gathered in Tampa to speak against the bill.

Many of them were union workers, including flight attendant and union member Lauren Pinero.

“If we allow them to continue to attack public workers, decertify public sector unions, and privatize these industries, they will not stop there. An attack on one is an attack on all, and it is up to us to rise up for our rights and fight back to protect workers across all industries.” Pinero said.

The bill passed the Senate in a 20 to 14 vote.

According to CBS News, the leadership from right-wing think tank Freedom Foundation, took credit for writing the bill.

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