The next collective bargaining session is October 12, 3-5 pm, in SVC 2070. This is for the purposes of impact bargaining in response to the university’s raising class sizes. (Impact bargaining is when a union and management bargain over the impact of a managerial decision that is within managerial rights.)
At its fall meeting over the weekend, the United Faculty of Florida statewide Senate approved a position that the next state budget should include a raise to the base for all state and university employees. This year, the state legislature provided for a $1000 bonus to state and university employees, and each chapter in the state will be negotiating for more; the United Faculty of Florida will be arguing that given the high turnover among faculty in Florida, university employees need a raise to the salary base.
Longtime higher-education union organizer Israel Kugler died October 1 in Maryland from pneumonia. More information is available from the New York Times obituary.
In its fall meeting over the weekend, the United Faculty of Florida statewide Senate reaffirmed its position that public support for higher education should be in the top quartile when compared to other states in the country. If one includes state and local public revenues in 2003-04 (the latest year for which national data is available), Florida was currently 36th (out of 51) in public support per fall student. If one also includes tuition, Florida was 50th (out of 51st).