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Election Day is upon us, so are the Rays

This will be the last time you hear from us about the election, though I’m sure you’ll still be getting inundated with candidate flyers, texts, and emails right up until Nov 3. If you haven’t voted yet, make a plan to do so. If you plan to vote at an early voting location in Hillsborough be aware that they are closed on Monday Nov 2. Voting in person on Nov. 3 must be done at the polling precinct listed on your voter registration card, or use the Precinct Finder for Hillsborough County. For voting info for other counties, visit the Florida Division of Elections.

GOTV Resources:

You can still help get out the vote! Register here to phone bank and help get other union members around the state out to vote.

Empty Nest?

By now you’ve likely heard, especially if you are on the Dale Mabry campus, that the concept for “The Nest” has changed, along with the timetable and other details regarding the Rays deal and subsequent relocation and demolition of a majority of the college campus. The plan now includes two remote locations for the majority of face-to-face courses. The Nest concept has been scaled back to primarily include the bulk of student support services among other things. Despite the recent Town Hall meeting with students, faculty, and staff, we are left with many questions.

FUSA will be seeking transparency and clarity from the College on the deal and what it will mean for those that teach and learn at the Nest or these proposed remote locations. We urge DM faculty to bring your concerns, ideas, and feedback to your campus FUSA Council Reps, which will operate as a de facto taskforce during this process to help FUSA make sure the needs of faculty are met and the faculty contract is followed.

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Gearing up for the election

2026 General Election – GOTV

In the weeks leading up to the 2026 General Election we’d like to share some helpful “Get Out The Vote” resources to help you make sure you are prepared to vote. The stakes are considerable for Florida. At stake is the future of education in Florida, and, if the recent past is prologue, higher education will not be exempt from further attacks. It is no secret that one party’s ideology has controlled the conversation around education in Florida. They have attacked academic freedom and the curriculum. They’ve installed loyalists on institution boards. And, thanks to a law that all but eschews transparency in presidential searches, the governor is basically making political appointments for university and college presidents.

The only thing standing in their way of entirely remaking education into a for-profit “education industry,” are teacher unions such as FEA and UFF. So, of course they’ve been attacking us by passing law after law meant to restrict our constitutional right (in Florida) to come together in a union and advocate for better wages and working conditions for our members.

While UFF, FEA, and affiliates are fighting theses attacks when possible in the courts, and despite some recent wins, the legal process is slow. The best, most direct way we can counter these attacks and end the ideological stranglehold on Tallahassee is to turn out and vote for candidates who share our values and support public education and labor unions, and not those who stand to profit from dismantling them.

GOTV resources

The West Central Florida Labor Council has put together a list of candidates that have been screened prior to endorsement, a process overseen each election year by the FL AFL-CIO COPE Convention. The WCFLC encompasses Hillsborough County and surrounding counties. It is a non-partisan process that aims to find the best candidate that supports both labor unions and public education.

Make a Plan

Make sure you are registered and have the information you need to vote.

Get involved

Would you like to get involved and help organize for a better future for education and workers in Florida? Here are some ways to do so in the lead up to the election. (Instructions and guidance will be provided):

Documentary screening and panel discussion

There is a screening of the documentary First They Came For My College on Sun Oct 4 at 2pm (Sun-Ray Cinema in the USF region). This excellent documentary chronicles the hostile takeover of New College of Florida. Catch this limited screening and stay for the a panel discussion afterward. Hope to see you there!

Sun Ray cinema logo and event details

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All about the vote(s)

Contract ratification

We’d like to thank all who stopped by the FUSA table to vote on the contract reopener at Inservice. Not unexpectedly, the 5% raise (on average with 3% raise to the scale plus a step for those eligible) was approved resoundingly by a tally of 201 voting yes, 2 invalid votes, and 0 no votes. For more details on the other economics gains, see this previous post.

We also appreciate those who signed the SOI or “Showing of Interest” cards now mandated annually by the state. This is government bureaucracy at its worst, but you helped us meet the requirement.

Primary Election

The primary election is August 18. If you haven’t yet voted early or by mail, the last day to vote early is Sunday (8/16). Otherwise you will have to vote in person. See the links below if you need help finding your precinct or have other voting questions.

We recommend reviewing the slate of candidate endorsements from the FL AFL-CIO and the UFF Voter Guide Primary 2026. You can visit the Tampa Bay Times Voter Guide for more information on these candidates and many local elections including judges. We will continue to bring you more information as we approach the general election.

It is important to note that member dues are not used to support any candidates, regardless of party. That said, if you’d like to support pro-education, pro-labor candidates you can contribute to the UFF-PAC, which is separate from member dues. Contributions to UFF-PAC support state candidates only.

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Mission extremely possible

Please come by the DM Cafeteria (DSTU building) tomorrow 8/13 at Faculty Inservice during morning refreshments or during the annual FUSA Lunch and membership meeting (12:30-1:30) to complete the following important yet very manageable tasks:

  1. Vote on the Contract Reopener — all full-time faculty (even brand new faculty) can vote!
  2. Sign the “Showing of Interest” card — now required annually after passage of SB 1296. Argh!
  3. Not a member? JOIN NOW or tomorrow at the FUSA table — IMPORTANT REMINDER: faculty must join the union to receive contract representation and other member benefits. We do offer a new member incentive!
  4. Pick up some cool new FUSA swag available to members!

Help FUSA make this Mission Accomplished!

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The new academic year is upon us…

Yes, another summer has come to an end…

…but a new academic year is starting with our Fall Faculty Inservice. Please join FUSA at Inservice on Aug 13 at the Dale Mabry Campus for the annual FUSA lunch! We look forward to seeing everyone, hopefully refreshed from summer. As usual, the FUSA president and our chief negotiator will provide some timely updates and announcements.

And, in addition to voting on the economics reopener (woo-hoo!), we will have FUSA swag for members and membership reps available to answer questions and help sign up new members.

Election Season

The primaries are almost upon us (August 18), but there are a number of deadlines and dates to be aware of for both the primary and general elections. For instance, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot, now required after each general election, is August 6 for the primary and Oct 22 for the general. Check the following links for more information:

One question we sometimes get concerns recommendations on candidates. Our state affiliates are hard at work on our behalf during both the legislative session each year and election season. In fact, the Florida AFL-CIO does a lot of work to screen candidates that are both pro-education and pro-labor. Each election season there is an endorsing convention, at which delegates from around the state, including from both UFF and FUSA, participate in selecting candidates that share our values as working Floridians and as educators. Take a look at the slate of candidate endorsements from the FL AFL-CIO and the UFF Voter Guide Primary 2026. An endorsement of a democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate primary race, i.e. Nixon or Vindman, was not made prior to the this posting. You can visit the Tampa Bay Times Voter Guide for more information on these candidates and also many local elections including judges.

It is important to note that member dues are not used to support any candidates, regardless of party. That said, if you’d like to support this slate of candidates you can contribute to the UFF-PAC, which is separate from member dues. Contributions to UFF-PAC support state candidates only.

New FUSA reps, senators and delegates

Congratulations to our new and returning FUSA representatives, UFF Senators, and FEA delegates. For the 2026-2028 list, please see our FUSA Council page and remember to reach out to them!

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Reopener, closed and other FUSA news

If you haven’t seen FUSA President Sherry Sippel’s recent announcement of a tentative agreement to the economics reopener for 2026-2027, here is a summary:

Article 14.1-14.4: Economics 

  • The 2026-2027 step pay system and salary schedule will be increased by 3% across the board.
  • All full-time faculty will receive a step increase for 2026-2027 (if employed as of December 2025).
  • The combined salary schedule and step increase is approximately 5%
  • Overload pay will increase from $78 to $80 per load point.
  • There will be a wage reopener for 2027-2028.

For more details, please read the complete proposal with mark-up changes. All members of the bargaining unit are eligible to vote on the tentatively agreed upon (TA’d) contract changes. The contract ratification vote will be in person during Faculty In-service on 08/13/2026. This tentative agreement is contingent on the state budget, which has yet to be finalized and signed by the Governor.

This is an example of the hard work of your union. If you are not a member, we ask you to join with your colleagues to support HC Faculty.

April FUSA Council meeting

The FUSA Council will hold its monthly meeting on Friday, April 24, 9 – 11 am (Ybor campus, YLRC 305). All faculty are welcome to attend.

Graduation

Faculty are invited to the annual FUSA breakfast prior to commencement (May 1, 7:30am-9:30am). We hope to see you there where we will also recognize this year’s retiring faculty.

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Wrapping up the week

There’s been a lot going on this week, from election results earlier this week to capping off this Friday afternoon with bargaining. And in between we have an action for Sociology and the Emeritus Luncheon.

Sociology and the Gen Ed Curriculum

The State Board of education is meeting Friday 4/17 to vote on, among other things, removing Sociology from the FCS Gen Ed curriculum. Here is the agenda (see item 10) and here is the action item. We need to let them know this is an attack of academic and intellectual freedom.

Please take a moment to sign this petition and circulate it to others to sign. Share it wide and be loud!

Emeritus Luncheon and Bargaining

Also happening Friday April 17, the Emeritus luncheon where awards is happening at the Ybor Campus. This is a reservation only event meant to honor new Emeriti Faculty and to gather with past Emeriti, current faculty, administration, and even students. If you got a ticket in time we’ll see you there!

Soon thereafter, the second bargaining session of the economics reopener will occur in YLRC 305 at 1:30. All faculty are welcome to attend this open meeting to bargain for fair compensation. Of course, the Florida Legislature has not produced a budget yet, so we are likely looking at future bargaining sessions to hammer this out.

Elections

While we had a nominating period, we had uncontested races for all FUSA Council representative positions and eligible officer positions (President and Vice President). Uncontested races are considered won by acclamation. We welcome the new faces and those returning to serve the faculty at our five campuses. In addition, we have new and returning UFF Senators and FEA Delegates. Here are the full election results.

The new two year term for these positions starts August 1. We encourage those that are curious about your union to attend meetings as a guest (always welcome). Consider getting involved. There are many ways to do so, just talk to your campus rep, senator, delegate, or FUSA officer.

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March FUSA Meeting moved to DM

Join us Friday March 27 as FUSA returns to the site of a future ballpark (presumably): the Dale Mabry Campus. We moved the meeting to DSSC 123, from 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. to accommodate those who would like to attend Dr. Atwater’s forum on the Rays at 10am in the DM Auditorium.

If you’ve been at HC for some time, long before it lost a “C”, you may recall FUSA Council meetings were almost always held on the Dale Mabry Campus. The Council voted to move the meetings to Ybor City campus in an effort to be a little more central for faculty at the other campuses east and south of the county.

FUSA meetings are also held in-person, with limited Simulcast exceptions for Council reps with extenuating circumstances and our UFF Senators and FEA delegates who are encouraged to attend but aren’t voting members. The in-person meetings are important for solidarity and engagement and we encourage all faculty to attend when they can to see the how your union operates. You may end up wanting to get involved! Which is a nice segue to…

FUSA Nominations

FUSA’s Supervisor of Elections, David Flanigan, recently sent out a call for nominations to faculty via HC email. All officer positions, campus Council Reps, UFF Senate positions, and FEA delegate positions. The deadline for nominations is March 31st. If you are interested in running or nominating someone for one of these positions please respond to his email or contact one of your campus reps before the deadline.

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When did we become the enemy?

While the Florida Legislature has been woefully unproductive this session, unable to produce any meaningful legislation to help Floridians in this difficult economy or even produce a budget on time, they did manage to find the time to attack workers and public sector unions again. As both the Senate and House have now passed SB 1296, we are left to wonder, “When did when did we become the enemy? And why?”

Of course, it is no secret what has been occurring in both Higher Education and public schools here in Florida. Yet while the last 30 years of single party control in Tallahassee has presided over a slow and deliberate erosion of our K-20 public education system, in the past 5 years or so we’ve been witness to an accelerated and hostile takeover of many of our institutions of higher learning, the hollowing out of the schools in our communities, and the demonization of educators and the values for which we stand.

As we await analysis of the final bill and what it will mean in practical terms for Florida’s unions and specifically for FUSA and HC Faculty, we want to thank all of those who took the time to email or call (or both) legislators to voice opposition to this attack and to speak up for public sector workers in Florida. This opposition forced amendments that weakened the worst elements of the bill. Indeed, while this is a setback, it could have been much worse. FEA points out “one of the substantive changes to the bill is related voting thresholds in union recertification elections. The chart below shows the original impact and the current impact with the amended language.

“SB_1296_chart”

If you recall, SB 256 (2023) also represented a direct attack on educator unions. But through hard work and organizing we overcame every obstacle that was put in our place. In fact, there are more local unions affiliated with FEA today. And this highlights what we’ve known to be true all along. Our strength is in our unity. And if we stand together, they will not break us. It will require a redoubling of our efforts to grow FUSA membership even stronger. This is the only way to safeguard our contract and the protections and benefits it provides us.

In closing, we should recognize those legislators that did stand with the workers of Florida in opposition. Members from both parties in both chambers spoke passionately on behave of educators and to public good we provide.

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Urgent action needed again!

As many of you know, the Florida legislature, through bills in both the Senate (SB 1296) and House (HB 995) are trying to bust public sector unions like FUSA (though exempting first responder unions) and diminish your rights under the Constitution (freedom to associate) and the Florida Constitution (the right to collectively bargain). Over 200 union members, including FUSA, joined in Tallahassee to try and stop SB 1296 while still in committee. Despite vocal testimony of approximately 100 members, another 100+ waiving in opposition to the bill, and peeling two Republicans over to vote NO while two others strategically stayed home, the bill passed 10- 8.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends!

FEA and UFF have sent out messages this morning alerting everyone that the SB 1296 will be heard on the floor tomorrow (Thursday) We need everyone responding and letting both your own senator and other key senators they need to support Florida’s workers and to Oppose SB 1296.

Here are some tools to take action on SB 1296