UFF-USF

April 6, 2007, UFF-USF chapter meeting draft agenda
Beginning noon, EDU 258

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UFF/USF Chapter Meeting

March 23, 2007

Attendance: J. Martin, S. Ramírez Wohlmuth, J. Noonan, M. Klisch, S. Permuth, B. Welker, G. McColm, S. Dorn, S. Singh, R. Weatherford, P. Terry, M. Karlins, M. Gibbons, S. Johnston, S. Lang

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A faculty union in the U.S. is different from most other unions in a variety of ways. First, except for a very few situations, faculty unions represent faculty at public colleges and universities, not private. In that regard, faculty unions are like K-12 teachers unions (with whom a number of faculty unions are fellow affiliates of state and national entities) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

But faculty unions also operate at institutions that have a commitment to academic values in widely varying and changing circumstances. Yes, K-12 schools operate in a variety of circumstances, but higher education is even more varied than K-12 in resources, mission, and the attitude of institutional officers. Yet we all lay claim to some core academic principles about the freedom to inquire and write, the integrity of our work, and the opportunities we provide students. The job of a faculty union in the U.S. has typically involved both “bread and butter” issues and also issues unique to higher education. I think of them in three groups:

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