In honor of the recent passing of Brian Wilson we hope you are having a great summer whether restful, adventurous, or otherwise. And while we hate to burst your summer bubble we do have some important FUSA news.
We’d hoped to have bargaining wrapped up in early May, however administration could not agree to economics proposals due to the Florida Legislature’s inability to finalize the budget before the end of session. But, after an extension into June, there is now a new budget approved and signed by the governor.
Next bargaining session
Though we can’t bargain an endless summer, we can bargain better wages and working conditions. If you are in town, we urge you to attend bargaining Tuesday, July 15, 9 am – 4 pm in YLRC 305 (Ybor Campus). Even if you can only stay for a portion of the negotiations a steady stream of faculty in attendance speaks volumes about our solidarity. Please see the bargaining update recently sent to email by FUSA President Sherry Sippel for the status of all proposals thus far.
While there was little suspense, FUSA easily bounded the hurdle of union recertification with a clear signal that legislative union busting attempts will not win the day! Voting closed April 1, 2025, and the ballots were tallied and reported by PERC, the Public Employees Relation Commission.
As FUSA President Sherry Sippel noted, “A resounding 99.2% of voting faculty were in favor of continuing to be represented by FUSA as their collective bargaining agent! In addition, almost 70% of the faculty voted! That sends a strong message to the legislature that their next union-busting tactic of requiring more than half the bargaining unit to vote will surely fail here at HCC.”
UFF President Teresa Hodge added, “Please join me in congratulating the Faculty United Service Association of Hillsborough Community College on their PERC election win today…Our bargaining unit members are continuing to make it clear that they want to keep their collective bargaining rights and their union by voting ‘YES for UFF!’ UFF now has nine (9) chapters that have won their PERC elections. So, let’s celebrate each PERC win as we continue to thrive against all the odds!”
On behalf of the FUSA Council, our sincere thanks to everyone for casting their vote! United we are stronger!!
Bargaining – round 3
Our third of four scheduled bargaining sessions will take place April 4 at 9am – 1pm in YLRC 305 (Ybor Campus). As agreed to by both Admin and FUSA, this is the last session at which article proposals can be presented. Here is a Bargaining Summary of the proposals presented thus far and their status after the first two sessions.
All faculty are encouraged to attend bargaining sessions and stay involved! When we pack the room with faculty it really makes a statement–much like our PERC victory–that your contract is important and so is your union.
Legislative updates and action
Advocacy in Tallahassee by faculty and educators, with the help of UFF, FEA, and Working Families Lobby Corps, is making an impact. So is FEA’s weekly power hour Zoom meetings and legislative actions which have resulted in thousands of emails and phone calls each week to legislators on proposed legislation.
For instance, the perennial “guns on campus” zombie bill is dead once again! And this year’s union busting bills are having a hard go of it, seeming to be stalled in both chambers. Meanwhile, the Higher Ed “Presidential searches in the sunshine” bill is getting closer to becoming reality and would fix a terribly politicizing change made to a once open process.
Keep up the pressure with these actions (select “United Faculty of Florida” as your local union):
A lot is going on both locally for FUSA and at the state and national level regarding education and higher ed in particular. Your union is committed to helping safeguard and improve working conditions and pay for faculty. And there are times when we need to call on all members to lend a hand in these battles because our strength is in our numbers. Looking out for each other is the true meaning of solidarity.
Ballots
By now you should have received a FUSA Fire notification in your HCC email from FUSA President, Sherry Sippel, outlining the frustrating background behind the union recertification vote we are required to hold.
You should have also received your ballot by now at your home address. If you haven’t yet received your ballot, contact us as soon as possible. You may also email FUSA_President at hccfl.edu or jbullian at hccfl.edu.
It is imperative we get not only all FUSA members but every single HCC faculty member to vote YES to keep the union. This will send a strong message to Tallahassee that these unwarranted bureaucratic hurdles recently mandated for teacher unions, among others, are both a waste of time and taxpayer money.
Bargaining
Our second of four scheduled bargaining sessions occurred Feb 21. Both Admin and FUSA presented article proposals. Here is a Bargaining Summary of the proposals presented thus far. The next bargaining session is slated for April 4 at 9am – 1pm in YLRC 305 (Ybor Campus). All faculty are encouraged to attend and stay involved! We had a good faculty turn out last time. Let’s try and improve on it and get even more faculty to show up!
And now for the B.S.
Not only are we in the midst of the 2025 Florida Legislative session, we also are witnessing unprecedented attacks on government and education that have come with the new presidential administration. The “move fast and break things” approach has been callous, chaotic and incompetent.
If you are feeling powerless and looking for a way to stand up and fight for education and the institutions that have made this country great, your union is here to help. In fact there are large national alliances that are pushing back on these attacks.
A great example of union power and solidarity happened on Feb. 25, 2025 in D.C. at a rally held by Labor for Higher Education, a group consisting of higher ed labor unions banding together to oppose the targeted attack on workers and funding at colleges and universities. Concurrently, an online meeting was held during which participants called their legislators and other officials and urged them to oppose these unprecedented attacks on academic workers across the country. If you missed the rally you can watch the video below (note the audio clears up at about 0:1:40 or so).
The event featured:
CWA Vice President, Public, Healthcare & Education Workers, Margaret Cook AAUP President Todd Wolfson UAW 2750 President Emilya Ventriglia AFT President Randi Weingarten AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride UAW Int’l Executive Board – Region 6 Director Mike Miller Rutgers AAUP/AFT member Annika Barber UE General President Carl Rosen NEA Council for Higher Education Alec Thomson HELU Chair Levin Kim/UAW
The next FUSA Council meeting will occur Fri. Jan 24, 2025 at 9am in YLRC 305. All Faculty are welcome to attend.
Member benefits
Are you taking advantage of all of your union benefits? FUSA members are part of a larger labor movement for educators specifically and workers in general. In addition to the provisions and protections in our contract, or collective bargaining agreement (CBA), there are many other benefits members can choose to tap into. Learn more about the benefits of membership.
Legislative session
The 2025 Legislative session will begin in March. Your elected UFF Senators and the FUSA Council will keep abreast of the potential impacts to higher ed. Take a look at how you can get involved in and contact us:
Join the FUSA Government Relations committee
Become a member of the Higher Ed Regional Outreach (HERO) team for West Central Florida.
Faculty United Service Association 
You must be logged in to post a comment.