UFF-USF

Agenda & Introductions.
Ten people were in attendance.

Membership.
We have new members.

Minutes.
The minutes of the March 13 meeting were approved.

Schedule.
We will meet in USF-Tampa on April 10, and then in USF-Polytech in Lakeland on April 24 at 1 pm. There will be a Biweekly Extra announcing the change.

Chapter Elections.
Election Committee chair Steve Tauber will send out the results from this morning’s count.

Legislative action.
There was a discussion of developments in Tallahassee.

Reports.

• Grievances.
  Four outstanding grievances and a potential grievance were discussed.

• Treasury.
  We are solvent.

• Bargaining.
  We discussed the bargaining situation.

• Faculty Senate.
  Senate Vice President Steve Permuth reported on senate-administration relations.

Announcements.
There were two announcements.

• Sherman Dorn was interviewed on WBUL about the administrative bonuses this morning; it is 17 minutes into the downloadable audio file for WBUL News on March 27 at 11:00 am.

• There will be a consultation with the administration on April 23.

These minutes respectfully submitted by G. McColm on March 28, 2009.

Agenda & Introductions.
Twelve people were in attendance.

Grievances.
Five grievances and two potential grievances were discussed.

State Budget.
The St. Petersburg Times article on the Florida Retirement System was discussed. Also discussed was the budget proposed by Governor Charlie Crist.
We continue to get new members. The chapter will conduct the study approved on January 30.

Treasury.
The treasurer reported that we have money. There was a discussion of the logistics of printing and distributing copies of the contract.

Communications.
The Biweekly continues to experience communications problems.

Bonuses to Administrators.
The bonuses recently awarded to senior administrators were discussed.

Productivity Reports.
Discussion of prospects of FAIR.

Regional Campuses.
USF-St. Petersburg is has several issues with SACS; discussion of issues and prospects.

Bargaining.
No movement: we await the word from the legislature.

Summer Classes at USF-St. Petersburg.
There appear to be some irregularities in summer school assignments.

These minutes respectfully submitted by G. McColm on March 20, 2009.

From FEA:

As expected, with a stock market in steep decline, the value of the FRS pension fund has declined to $120.4 billion. This represents 93% of the liabilities or promised benefits. Ennis Knupp and Associates, a financial consulting firm, made this report yesterday at a meeting of the Investment Advisory Council of the State Board of Administration (SBA). The SBA invests Florida’s FRS funds.

Fortunately for retirees and our members, not all of the money would be withdrawn at once, meaning there is no risk that the fund will go bankrupt or that Floridians won’t receive their benefits. Remember, there is a liability for any employee who has vested (six years service) no matter their current age. Because FRS and other pension plans will not pay out every penny at once, many state pensions are far from fully funded. Florida’s is actually considered among the strongest in the country.

A Standard and Poor’s report on state pension funds using 2007 data, ranked Florida as the third best fund in the country, behind Oregon and North Carolina. Illinois, Oklahoma and Rhode Island were at the bottom of the list, with their pensions all funded below 62 percent.

From 1985 to 1997, Florida’s pension fund was underfunded, but rose from a 54.3 percent funding level to 91.3 percent. It then rode the economic boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, and at its highest point in 2000, the pension was funded at 118.1 percent of liabilities.

Agenda & Introductions.
Ten people were in attendance. The agenda was approved.

Minutes.
The minutes were approved.

Membership.
We continue to get new members. The chapter will conduct the study approved on January 30.

Chapter and Local Elections.
Chapter and local elections are underway.

Legislative Action.
Members are encouraged to participate in legislative action by contacting legislators, especially on March 3 on own or on March 18 with UFF group.

Reports.

• Grievances. Seven grievances were discussed.

• Political action. The local Labor Council will be meeting shortly.

• Faculty Senate. The representative of the Faculty Senate discussed four outstanding issues.

• Treasury. Reporting requirements for non-profits have changed, and the chapter will file a return.

• Communications. The form and format of communications will be under review this summer.

• Bargaining. Issues in upcoming bargaining were discussed.

These minutes respectfully submitted by G. McColm on March 5, 2009.