Cortes v. Public Employees Relations Commission

**What Happened** Union members at Miami-Dade County's Transportation Department filed complaints claiming their employer violated their contract by improperly placing them on seniority lists. The Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) quickly dismissed their complaints without holding a hearing, saying the workers needed to file a grievance through their union first before bringing an unfair labor practice charge. **What the Court Decided** A Florida appeals court disagreed with PERC and overturned the dismissal. The court ruled that PERC was wrong to require workers to go through the grievance process before filing unfair labor practice complaints. The case was sent back to PERC with orders to hold a proper hearing where both sides could present evidence about whether the county violated the union contract. **Why This Matters for Workers** This decision protects union members' right to file unfair labor practice complaints directly with state agencies when they believe their employer broke their contract. Workers don't always have to exhaust internal grievance procedures first. This gives employees an additional pathway to address workplace violations and ensures they get a fair hearing when challenging improper treatment by their employer.