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UFF Biweekly
United Faculty of Florida -- USF System Chapter
23 January 2014
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Chapter Meeting Tomorrow Noon on USF Tampa

The Chapter will meet tomorrow Friday at 12 noon in EDU 316 (notice the change in location). Here is the spring schedule for upcoming Chapter meetings.

  • January 24 on USF Tampa in EDU 316.
  • On February 7 in USF Tampa and on February 21 in USF Sarasota / Manatee.
  • On March 7 in USF Tampa and on March 21 in USF St. Petersburg.
  • On April 4 in USF Tampa and on April 18 in USF Sarasota / Manatee.
  • On May 2 in USF Tampa.
There will be sandwiches, soda, and chips. All UFF USF employees - UFF members and non-members alike - are invited.

$ 500 Travel Grants for New UFF Members - and for UFF Members Who Recruit New Members

Last semester, the USF Chapter of the UFF offered four $ 500 travel scholarships for this spring and summer for UFF recruitment. At the January 10 meeting, the Chapter selected four applications (from a hat) and awarded scholarships to Diana Hechavarria, Valerie Janesick, Jennifer O'Brien, and David Rogers. The Chapter decided to conduct the program again this spring.

The USF Chapter of the UFF will award four $ 500 Travel Scholarships for next summer and spring.

  • UFF USF employees who join UFF this spring (i.e., joined after January 9 and who join no later than May 1) are eligible for one of two scholarships to be randomly selected at the May 2 UFF USF Chapter Meeting. For information on how new members (or non-members who would like to join UFF) may apply, see the flyer for new and prospective members. Non-members wishing to be eligible must have their membership forms in our hands by May 1. In addition, proposals must also be in our hands by May 1. Two proposals from new members will be randomly selected for funding.
  • Current UFF members who recruit at least one new UFF member are eligible for one of two scholarships to be randomly selected at the May 2 UFF USF Chapter Meeting. For information on how UFF members may apply, see the flyer for UFF members who would like to recruit new members. Notice that recruiters should put their name on the membership form for the new member. If a new member is recruited, the new member is eligible for one of the scholarships for new members and the recruiter is eligible for one of the scholarships for current members. Again, membership forms and proposals must be in our hands by May 1, and two proposals by recruiters will be randomly selected for funding.
This initiative is part of our membership campaign. If you would like to become active in the UFF USF Membership Drive, contact the Chapter Secretary.

Join UFF Today!

Download, fill in, and mail the membership form. Benefits of membership include the right to run and vote in UFF chapter and statewide elections; representation in grievances (UFF cannot represent a non-member in a grievance or litigation); special deals in insurance, travel, legal advice, and other packages provided by our affiliates; free insurance coverage for job-related liability; and the knowledge you are supporting education in Florida. AND YOU CAN JOIN NOW AND AS A DUES PAYING MEMBER, YOU WILL RECEIVE A $ 100 REBATE NEXT FALL. Come and join the movement.

IN THIS ISSUE

Election Time

At tomorrow's Chapter Meeting, the Election Committee will propose a schedule for UFF USF Chapter Elections this spring. Shortly afterwards, the Chapter will broadcast a UFF Biweekly Extra calling for nominations.

  • So how does UFF work? UFF is a participatory democracy within a system of participatory democracies. The key word is participation. For more, see below or click here.
  • What offices and seats are up for election? The UFF USF Chapter has offices and representative seats. For more, see below or click here.
Only UFF members may run for offices and seats, and only UFF members may vote in the chapter election. So if you would like participate in the democracy, join today!.

This is also evaluation time, so it is time to get your materials in order for the annual evaluations. Evaluations are used not only to determine merit pay raises, but they also influence tenure and promotion decisions and even retention and renewal decisions. They should be taken very seriously. For more information, see the article on them in the 10 January 2013 Biweekly.

So how does UFF work?

The United Faculty of Florida is a statewide organization representing faculty and professionals at all institutions within the Florida State University System (except for Florida Polytechnic University), eleven of the 28 institutions within the Florida College System, two independent colleges, and graduate assistants in four universities. Every other year, UFF members elect its president and vice president, and there are four staff members who assist the 28 chapters in bargaining and grievances (yes, there's a lot of driving involved).

The United Faculty of Florida is your collective bargaining agent, which means that the UFF bargains and enforces your contract, the Collective Bargaining Agreement. While the UFF state office assists the USF Chapter of the UFF, it is the Chapter that handles most of the bargaining and grievance work.

  • The Bargaining Committee. The Bargaining Committee consists of fellow faculty and professionals who have volunteered their time to help bargain the contract. (Bargaining for the successor of the current 2010-2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement is underway. Meanwhile, the terms and conditions of the current 2010-2013 contract remain in force.) The Bargaining Committee is led by our Chief Negotiator, Bob Welker of the School of Accounting.
  • The Grievance Committee. The Grievance Committee consists of fellow faculty and professionals who have volunteered their time to help colleagues who get in trouble. If the contract is violated, the Grievance Committee represents the grievant in the grievance process defined by the contract. UFF may only represent UFF members in grievances. The Grievance Committee is led by the Grievance Chair, Sonia Wohlmuth of the Department of World Languages.
The chairs and these two committees are nominated by the UFF USF Chapter President, and confirmed by the Chapter Council, which brings us to the elected officers and representatives of the Chapter.

But before moving on, a few words about our affiliates. UFF does not stand alone, which is good because without our affiliates, UFF would not exist much less be able to effectively defend its members and constituents. Just over a decade ago, Governor Jeb Bush attempted to get rid of UFF, but UFF got over a million dollars and logistical support from the Florida Education Association, and now UFF not only is still here but it has more members and more influence. In addition, some grievances can cost tens of thousands of dollars (and some court cases can cost hundreds of thousands); the FEA's lawyers - whose fees come from union members' dues - make contract enforcement possible.

What offices and seats are up for election?

There are four elected officers of the Chapter:

  • The President represents the chapter and appoints committee chairs and representatives. Paul Terry of Education & Leadership was elected last spring, but because of a stroke (from which he is recovering), the chapter is being led by the vice president.
  • The Vice President assists the president and assumes presidential duties in the absence of the president. Arthur Shapiro of Education & Leadership is the current vice president.
  • The Secretary keeps the records of the Chapter. Greg McColm of Mathematics & Statistics is the current secretary.
  • The Treasurer keeps the books and manages the finances of the Chapter. Sonia Wohlmuth of World Languages is the current treasurer.
The Chapter is its own legislative body. All UFF members are welcome to attend the biweekly UFF USF Chapter Meetings, where policy is determined. All attending UFF USF members may vote on business at those meetings.

But the UFF USF Chapter is part of a larger community of organizations, and the Chapter elects representatives to serve in the legislative bodies of those organizations.

  • UFF Senators attend the biannual UFF Senate Meetings (the Senate is the primary legislative body of UFF), and serve as members of the UFF USF Chapter Council, which oversees the administration of the Chapter. The number of seats is to be determined, based on the membership of the Chapter.
  • FEA Delegates attend the annual FEA Delegate Assembly (The Delegate Assembly is the primary legislative body of FEA). The number of seats is to be determined, based on the membership of the Chapter.
These offices and seats will be on the spring ballot, and newly elected officers and representatives will assume their positions on April 1.

There will shortly be a Biweekly Extra announcing a schedule for the election and a Call for Nominations. We strongly encourage all UFF members to participate. We need YOU.

LOGISTICS

Chapter Meeting tomorrow Friday, January 24, at 12 noon on USF Tampa in EDU 316.

There will be free sandwiches, chips, and soda pop. All UFF members are invited to attend. Non-members are also invited to come and check us out. Come and join the movement.

Membership: Everyone in the UFF USF System Bargaining unit is eligible for UFF membership: to join, simply fill out and send in the membership form.

NOTE: The USF-UFF Chapter website is http://www.uff.ourusf.org, and our e-mail address is uff@ourusf.org.

About this broadcast: This Newsletter was broadcast from uff.ourusf.org, hosted at ICDsoft.com, and is intended for all members of the UFF USF Bargaining unit (USF faculty and professionals at most departments). A (usually identical) version will be broadcast to USF-News and USF-Talk from mccolm@usf.edu.

If you do not want to receive the UFF Biweekly, you can unsubscribe below. If you do not receive the Biweekly, but want to, e-mail a message to gmccolm@tampabay.rr.com.