ANNOUNCEMENTS

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

JOIN UFF TODAY!

Download, fill in, and mail the membership form. You must be a UFF member at the time of an incident (such as a reprimand, non-reappointment, layoff notice, or tenure/ promotion denial) for UFF to represent you in a grievance or future litigation. UFF CANNOT REPRESENT A NON-MEMBER IN A GRIEVANCE OR FUTURE LITIGATION. And if you join UFF by December 9, you will receive a $ 300 dues rebate in spring; it's never been easier to join the movement.

DONATE TO UFF PAC!

With the spring legislative session coming up, the UFF Political Action Committee is making campaign contributions to critical legislators. Dues money does NOT go for campaign contributions, so the UFF PAC relies on donations. Legislators cannot accept campaign contributions during or just before the legislative session, so UFF PAC is asking for donations by December 1. If you would like to make a donation to UFF PAC (and you don't have to be a UFF member or even an employee in the USF UFF Bargaining Unit to donate), you may download and send in our form with the donation. Thank you, and special thanks to all USF employees who are deducting a dollar (or more!) per paycheck to UFF PAC; if you would like to enroll, you may download and send in the form. Alas, as the late Californian House Speaker Jesse Unruh said, "Money is the mother's milk of politics," and we have to be practical.

HOLIDAY SEASON TOY DRIVE

The USF Chapter of the UFF is joining a toy drive this holiday season.

The West Central Florida AFL-CIO, together with the Boy Scouts, the Cub Scouts, and the Venture Scouts of the Lake Region District, are joining the Children Home Society to collect new, unwrapped toys for children ages 0 – 17 in Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties.

UFF is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and we are participating in the toy drive.

We will be collecting toys at the Friday December 2 chapter meeting, at noon, in EDU 313 at USF-Tampa. As always, there will sandwiches, soda pop, and union business (including plans for the next semester). All USF faculty and professionals are invited – UFF members and non-members alike. Come check us out.

OPEN ENROLLMENT DEDUCTIONS

We have been informed that those employees who signed up for new insurance or other programs during the recent open enrollment will see their first deductions on payday in December 16, and then on December 30.

As always, we encourage all employees to check their pay stubs on GEMS to make sure that all is in order.

LOGISTICS

Next Chapter Meeting next week, Friday, December 2, at noon, in EDU 313, on USF –Tampa.

• Click here for the standing agenda
• Click here for the minutes of the previous meeting.

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 mccolm@usf.edu.

The UFF also sends out a biannual hardcopy newsletter, Uncommon Sense, to the entire unit. Past issues of Uncommon Sense are posted on-line. Articles from past issues of the Biweekly are also posted on-line.