Collective Bargaining

Our desire is to inform all faculty not only of their rights under the CBA, but to inform all faculty of the value of being a UFF member. Our CBA is the outcome of years of dedicated UFF Bargaining teams who see value in protecting our rights. This is a legally binding agreement and must be adhered to by all parties.

Weingarten Rights guarantee your right by law to union representation in a meeting if, at any point, the discussion becomes disciplinary in nature or if you feel the discussion affects your working conditions. You are entitled, by a Supreme Court ruling, to invoke this right at any point during the meeting. By law the meeting must end until union representation can be ensured. If you should find yourself in this situation, please contact UFF-USF’s grievance chair, Karin Braunsberger at karin.braunsberger@gmail.com.

You may want to print out the following and take it to any meeting:

The union will not provide individual grievance representation to non-members. Unless you are a member of UFF at or before the time of any incident that violates your rights under the BOT-USF Collective Bargaining Agreement, UFF will not represent you in your grievance. You have a right to represent yourself or to hire an attorney to represent you. And, just as you cannot obtain an insurance policy after an accident happens, you cannot obtain union representation in a grievance over something that happened before you were a member by joining the union after the incident that violates your contract rights and leads to the grievance occurs.

Non-members are not entitled to the $1 million insurance policy that covers liability for work-related lawsuits or claims against a faculty member. This has always been another important protection offered automatically to UFF members and paid for by their dues.

It is the choice of an individual faculty member or librarian as to whether or not to join UFF. That choice not to join means the individual is opting out o a right to have the assistance of trained UFF grievance representatives, the union feels it is important for all faculty members and librarians to be notified of this policy.

Your union’s collective bargaining team (made up of in unit employees who are UFF members) negotiate the contract with the USF Administration and Board of Trustees. It is important to emphasize that since it is a mutual agreement, both the UFF and the USF leaderships must agree to the proposed contract language, after which it is put to a vote of all in unit employees, not just union members, and the BOT.

Collective bargaining is very difficult in Florida. The employees can not strike. If the parties can not come to an agreement, either party may declare impasse. A neutral third party is appointed to hear the positions of each party and then make a recommendation which does not have to be accepted by either party. If not mutually accepted, the university can then impose its terms which may not be consistent with its last collective bargaining proposal. The parties are only required to bargain in good faith.