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PRESS RELEASE: UFF Files Federal Suit Against University Arbitration Ban

On Tuesday, Aug. 15, the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), the UFF chapter at the University of South Florida and three individual faculty members who were laid off from the University of South Florida filed suit in federal court to challenge the SB 266 arbitration ban and to protect union contracts in Florida’s university system. The SB 266 arbitration ban gives final decision-making authority over personnel disputes to university presidents instead of a neutral, unbiased arbitrator. With this ban, the State of Florida has upended decades of precedent that have ensured the Sunshine State’s university faculty are treated fairly and equitably in our workplaces.

In this case, we collectively challenge the university’s refusal to arbitrate layoffs, despite local contractual requirements to do so, and we fight for the property rights of public employees in their continued employment under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The full filing can be accessed here.

UFF and its members continue to believe that it is a fundamental right of every American to receive a fair hearing before a neutral decisionmaker when their rights are under attack, in the workplace and beyond. Today, we continue our fight to protect our members and their families, all of whom work every day to make Florida a better place for all people of all beliefs and backgrounds.

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eDues NOW AVAILABLE!

It’s Time to Take ACTION – eDues is Here!  

The Florida Legislature voted to outlaw public employer payroll deductions for union members Wednesday and we expect the Governor to sign it soon. We will no longer be able to pay union dues through our paychecks, a benefit workers have had in Florida for over 40 years, and to keep our contract we must maintain 60% membership. (Note that police, fire and corrections officers are excluded from these new “protections”). We have a plan to save our union and control our own fate, no matter what politicians throw at us!

We are very excited to invite you to join our new union eDues system! eDues is a new mechanism for payment of your union dues through direct bank draft transfer that you can set up on the same schedule as your current regular deductions from your paycheck. UFF is partnering with the Florida Education Association (FEA) to offer eDues to members through Plaid, a third-party technology platform that facilitates communication between your bank account and your union’s bank account to complete an ACH payment (The Automated Clearing House network).

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Annual and Promotion Credit

We are excited to announce that the Second Union Award of Distinction was awarded to Nicolette Mason. She received a plaque and a monetary award for her contribution to the academic field. This is an exciting opportunity for our chapter faculty to be recognized for their achievements. We will post a photo of Nicolette receiving her plaque on our webpage and on our social media site. Attached are her nomination materials. Please congratulate Nicolette on being our second award recipient. We would like to thank the committee who read through the nominations and all who submitted materials for the award. Please continue to monitor our webpage for details regarding how to apply for the next union award of distinction. Faculty Union Award of Distinction

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Faculty Union Award of Distinction

We are excited to announce that the Second Union Award of Distinction was awarded to Nicolette Mason. She received a plaque and a monetary award for her contribution to the academic field. This is an exciting opportunity for our chapter faculty to be recognized for their achievements. We will post a photo of Nicolette receiving her plaque on our webpage and on our social media site. Attached are her nomination materials. Please congratulate Nicolette on being our second award recipient. We would like to thank the committee who read through the nominations and all who submitted materials for the award. Please continue to monitor our webpage for details regarding how to apply for the next union award of distinction. Faculty Union Award of Distinction