Koch Brothers

February 25: UnKoch Our Campus / Student Debt Crisis. The corporatization of the university means much higher tuition rates, a shift in conceptualizing education from being a public resource to being an opportunity for private gain, decreasing commitment of public resources to education, massive student debt, a shift from full-time to part time “adjunct” professors, and increasing corporate dictation of university curriculum and priorities. Continue reading

UnKoch My Campus

  In Granny D’s Footsteps UnKoch My Campus / Student Debt Crisis Project Rhana Bazinni, at the age of 82, walked from Sarasota to Tallahassee in an effort to educate the public and elected officials about the need for a Constitutional Amendment to take control of the nation away from multi-national corporations. A number of national activist groups advocating for a constitutional amendment supported her journey. Rae Claire Johnson of Pinellas County Move to Amend… Continue reading

bargaining.php

  Collective Bargaining Update As we reported earlier, the UFF-FIU and the FIU Administration have concluded negotiations on a three-year contract (2015-2018). We will be scheduling information and ratification meetings in January. Here is a summary of the negotiations: Rights, Benefits, Protections Strengthened Salaries 1% retention raise to the base effective January 16, 2016 for all employees employed before July 1, 2015. 1% of 2014-2015 base salary payroll for Merit raise to the base, to… Continue reading

bargaining.html

  Collective Bargaining Update We have one more scheduled bargaining session for the year (11/23), and both teams are hoping to conclude negotiations soon. The administration is considering union proposals on, among other things, external reviewer letters for promotion and tenure, domestic partnership benefits, overload pay, and summer compensation for tuition-generating activities. As I indicated in a previous weekly update, the union proposed a salary raise of 2% + COLA (thus, 3.3%), and the administration… Continue reading

CBA – Grievance Update 2008

Current Collective Bargaining Agreement Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2011-2014. Grievance Policy AS OF NOVEMBER 4, 2008 THE UNION WILL NO LONGER PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL GRIEVANCE REPRESENTATION TO NON-MEMBERS. Unlike many other unions, UFF has in the past offered grievance representation to all bargaining unit members, whether or not they have chosen to join the union and pay membership dues. To help offset the costs of grievance representation, in the past UFF has required non-members merely to… Continue reading

Elections 2014 – Ballot

  Ballot for 2014 UFF-FIU Chapter Elections, 2014-2015   Senators – Please vote for 20 (omit 1 person)   Alan Gummerson   Senior Lecturer   Economics   Alayne Unterberger   Research Director /Instructor   Center for Labor Research & Studies   Amy Paul-Ward   Associate Professor   Nursing   April Merleaux   Assistant Professor   History   Bruce Nissan   Director of Research   Center for Labor Research & Studies   Florence Keane   Assistant… Continue reading

scott-2012-legislature.html

Governor Rick Scott and a majority of Florida legislators are pushing dramatic reductions in the jobs and benefits of state university faculty while passing new tax breaks for corporations. Last year state university faculty were forced to pay 3% into their retirement. Apparently this was not enough–the Legislature is back for an additional 2% of your salary. Make no mistake, Governor Scott is looking for ways to eliminate union contracts and keep us from functioning.… Continue reading

Higher Education

  Invest in Higher Education: Talking Points for Legislators Investing in higher education is the fastest and strongest way to leave a recession. When people are unemployed, they need access to higher education to upgrade credentials and expand skills. When they enroll in academic or vocational programs, they use their time constructively during a recession, generate revenue for the state through federal student loans and work-study jobs, and are ready for a better job when… Continue reading

uff.government.html

From the President January 2012 Dear United Faculty of Florida Members: Last week – Week Three of the 2012 Legislative Session – UFF-FIU Vice President Teresa Lucas and I spent two full days in Tallahassee advocating for Faculty, FIU, and Higher Education. On Tuesday we visited the offices of all the Senators in the Miami-Dade and Broward delegation as well as the Senators that attended the UFF/UF Miami Dade dinner that we hosted last December.… Continue reading