Time and place. The meeting was conducted at 12 noon on Zoom.
Attendance. Sixteen members, including seven members of the Council, and two staffers.
New Business.
- Consultation. In preparation for our consultation with the interim vice provost of labor relations and space on Friday, January 13, interested UFF members will meet for breakfast that day at 8 am at the Village Inn at 11302 N. 30th Street in Tampa.
- Spring Schedule. We would like to schedule socials in St. Petersburg (Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill), Sarasota / Manatee (location TBD), and Tampa (Mr. Dunderbak’s Biergarten).
- Chapter Election. The UFF USF Chapter will conduct its annual election.
- Motion made and seconded that the Election Committee shall consist of Debbie Sinclair (chair), Emily Mann, and Cynthia Patterson. Motion approved.
- Grievance Training. We are receiving a steady stream of requests for witnesses for meetings between faculty and supervisors with disciplinary potential, and the grievance process at USF has reached the point that we have three grievances approved for arbitration. We need additional members of the Grievance Committee, and towards that end, we will schedule a grievance training this spring.
- Membership. One bill before the Legislature this session would bar the USF Payroll from handling dues deductions. And there are reasons why UFF would prefer FEA to handle dues payments. But this would require considerable logistics, and UFF members should be prepared for it. We will also need to prepare the logistics.
- Survey. Karin Braunsberger conducted a climate survey and is preparing a report to the chapter.
- Hiring. USF has experienced a number of failed searches, and this reflects Florida’s increasingly dismal reputation in education.
- Visits to local elected officials. There is a rumor that there may be a special session prior to the opening of the regular session in March.
These minutes were respectfully submitted on 6 January 2023.