Chapter Council – April 2023

The Chapter Council shall meet at least twice per semester, or whenever called by the President or by a majority of the council, to establish the bargaining agenda, coordinate membership meetings, promote the welfare of the Chapter, advise the Treasurer on the chapter budget, and exercise its powers of advice and consent. April 24, 2023 from 10am to 12pm via zoom. Contact the webmaster for the link. The ultimate authority in the Chapter rests with… Continue reading

Freedom To Teach – Freedom To Learn

Freedom of speech and inquiry, as well as freedom from censorship and intimidation, are essential for the success of all educational environments. With its vague language and abstract prohibitions on what (or how) faculty can teach topics related to race and gender, HB 7 is designed to create a “chilling effect” by silencing discussion of topics that make people in power uncomfortable. The HB-7 Taskforce is hosting a series of meetings where we’ll offer a… Continue reading

End-of-semester Newsletter from the President

Dear Colleagues, I am afraid this email may be a little lengthy, as it has been a while, and a million things have changed, and it’s the end of the semester and more things are changing, and I’m not exactly sure how many actual functioning brain cells are left in my head. I do want to say Congratulations on making it through day 389 of March 2020! It has been a long semester, a long year, and I know… Continue reading

Highlights from the Spring Chapter Meeting

Thank you for everyone who attended our Spring Chapter Meeting via Zoom and made their voice heard as members of the union! If you could not attend, you can find the meeting minutes here. Highlights: Legislative Affairs (Chair, Jim Burns) The 2021 Florida Legislative Session is well underway and anti-union bills are moving through committees and to the floor at a fast pace. We need all of the membership active in contacting their state Senators and… Continue reading

2021 Spring Chapter Meeting & Elections Ballot

The spring Chapter Meeting will be held on Friday, April 2nd from 11 am-1 pm via Zoom. All faculty will be emailed a Zoom link and password to join the meeting to their FIU email. If you are not currently receiving emails from UFF-FIU and you wish to attend, please check your spam folder and then contact webmaster@uff-fiu.org ASAP! Additionally, nominations for union leadership positions for 2021-22 have closed as of March 12th. Below you… Continue reading

UFF Members: Return UFF Statewide Elections Ballot by March 23rd

Please remember that the recommended postmark date to return your ballot for this year’s UFF Statewide Election is Tuesday, March 23rd. The election formally ends on Wednesday, March 31st. Statewide elections are very important, as the outcome determines our statewide union leadership for the next two years. If you have not yet voted, please fill out your ballot and return it as soon as possible. Your ballot should have arrived at your home address within… Continue reading

Stand in Solidarity with UFF colleagues at St. Leo and Pensacola State

Members of UFF-FIU and and FIU community, we ask you to stand in solidarity and take action to support our colleagues at Saint Leo University and Pensacola State College: In October 2020, Saint Leo University’s Board of trustees unilaterally disbanded the union that had existed for forty years. Sign the petition against the actions to erase their contractual rights! Pensacola State College re-opened in January 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and faculty have protested unsafe… Continue reading

Legislative Alert: SB 264 – Academic Freedom

What is SB 264: Higher Education? SB 264 would require Florida’s public colleges and universities to administer an “intellectual diversity” survey every year with results to be published by the State Board of Education. It also has a “companion bill” in the House, HB 233. Why are FEA and UFF opposed to SB 264? For the third straight year, the text of this bill has been introduced. SB 264 is another bill in search of a… Continue reading

UFF-FIU Survey Results

Full Report (PDF) Executive Summary Florida International University Chapter of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF-FIU) aims to bring faculty and professional employees of the University into a relationship of mutual assistance and cooperation in order to obtain for them the rights and privileges to which they are entitled. UFF-FIU promotes the democratization of the University so it will better serve the people of the State of Florida. UFF-FIU strives to achieve and safeguard academic… Continue reading

Legislative Alert: SB 78/HB 947 – Union Busting Bills

What is SB 78: Dues and Uniform Assessments? Currently, a faculty member who wants to join UFF submits a dues authorization form to UFF which is then sent to FIU HR for automatic processing. According to SB 78, once the employer (e.g. FIU HR) receives a signed dues authorization (i.e. membership form), the employer must “confirm with the employee, electronically or by other means, that he or she authorized the deduction of dues and uniform… Continue reading