Faculty should have received separate FUSA Flash emails from FUSA President Sherry Sipple concerning, respectively, the Impasse Hearing held March 2 and an announcement regarding the upcoming confidence vote.
Impasse
Briefly, the Impasse Hearing was held March 2nd. We appreciate all the faculty who came out to hear FUSA witnesses and our UFF advocate argue our case for a long overdue for raises to the step pay system and lab point equity. What our President failed to mention in her update was that she, too, testified expertly on your behalf. While we don’t have a specific timeline for the magistrate’s decision, we are hopeful it will come in by the end of Spring term, May 8.
Confidence Vote
The FUSA President followed up with an additional announcement regarding the confidence vote planned for March 8-10, using, as we have so before, the secure electronic voting platform, Helios. As discussed in the FUSA Town Hall meeting last week, we didn’t come to this decision lightly, rather only after protracted bargaining and faculty sentiments at the Town Hall, FUSA Council meetings, and Board of Trustees meetings revealed an overwhelming dissatisfaction with Dr. Atwater’s leadership. More information will follow by email and on this website.
More updates
Take action – the 3-7 CHallenge
March 7 is the start of Florida’s 2023 legislative session, and some elected officials have promised to pass legislation that will limit the fundamental freedoms of Florida’s students, teachers, education staff professionals, and higher education faculty.
In response, we are asking all Florida Education Association (FEA) and United Faculty of Florida (UFF) members to participate in a statewide public education day of action that we are calling the 3-7 Challenge to show support for educators and the future of education in our state. Take Action and Participate in the 3-7 Challenge:
- Make 3 phone calls and 7 emails to Florida’s elected officials
- 3-7 Challenge page includes details, prompts, and contact info
E-dues
Another topic discussed at the Town Hall meeting concerned the E-dues campaign prompted by legislation filed in the Florida Senate (SB 256). Simply put this is a union-busting bill and a blatant attack on educators and your right to organize and speak collectively. We need to be ready to act should this legislation become law. For more information, download the flyer below or visit our E-dues Campaign information page.
Faculty United Service Association 