An Anti-Union Bill

Last week, a bill that would greatly complicate union administration started speeding through the Legislature. House Bill 1197 must go through the certification process (requesting that the employer recognize the union, and if the employer declines, requesting a certification election, etc.). Every year.

Incidentally, about a third of the employees in the UFF USF Bargaining Unit are dues-paying employees, so this would affect us.

In addition, union dues payment by paycheck deduction would be banned.

Interestingly, this legislation would not apply to law enforcement, correctional, or firefighting employees. But it does apply to transit workers, skilled tradesmen, staff, and teachers.

The bill was passed by the House last week and appears headed for the Senate. Florida unions, including UFF, are telling politicians about the consequences of passing this bill. For example, this morning, the Central Labor Council for the West Central Florida Federation of Labor held a brief press conference in front of the Frederick Karl County Center (to view the conference, click the photo):

We understand that the bill may be heard by the Senate Rules Committee tomorrow, although at this time it is not on their posted agenda (!); if approved, it would go to Senate floor.

Chapter Meeting Friday on Zoom

Our next chapter meeting will be on Friday, March 11. Any employee in the Bargaining Unit may attend, but you must have an invitation: contact the Chapter Secretary to get one.

Meetings and events are posted on the Events Calendar of the UFF USF Website. Come and check us out.

Join UFF Today!

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. Here is the membership form. Come and join the movement.

USF United Support Fund for Food Pantries

Many of our students are struggling during this crisis, and the USF Foundation is supporting the USF Food Pantries to help out. They are accepting non-perishable donations, but one can also make monetary donations for the pantries at St. Petersburg, Sarasota / Manatee, and Tampa.

LOGISTICS

Next Chapter Meeting Friday, March 11, at 12 noon, via Zoom: for an invitation, contact the Chapter Secretary.

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 UFF USF members.

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