Faculty Contract Negotiations Begin

Collective bargaining negotiations between the university administration and your faculty union, the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), will begin Friday, November 18, 2005.

For the first time, the University of Florida has an opportunity to craft a Contract tailored to the world-class institution the faculty are creating through their research, teaching, and service. This Contract will be negotiated by representatives of the administration and UFF's Bargaining Team. The Contract will go to a vote of all the faculty covered by collective bargaining; this process is called ratification.

What governs faculty salaries and working conditions in the meantime? The courts have ruled that the terms and conditions of the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (the 2001-2003 statewide faculty contract, posted at www.uff-uf.org) must remain in force and cannot be lawfully changed unless the university administration bargains those changes with your union.

In order to help the university administration resolve remaining legal difficulties, UFF has offered to negotiate a mutually agreeable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow the salary increases already distributed between January 2003 and September 9, 2005 to stand, while keeping open for further negotiation certain raises that were denied to part of the bargaining unit. Your union has also offered to allow some recently implemented changes in tenure and promotion regulations to continue legally through the current academic year while enhanced, contractually enforceable tenure and promotion rights and protections are bargained into the next Contract.

"With local bargaining, UF faculty now have the opportunity to negotiate a contract uniquely suited to this university's achievements and aspirations," said Connie Shehan, UFF/UF President. "We can create conditions that will allow the excellent faculty already here to truly flourish, and we can create a culture that will attract even more top-flight faculty to UF and give them every reason to stay."

Your union will be sending you further information about contract negotiations in the next few weeks. A summary of some of your union's bargaining proposals and a membership form can be found on the UFF website at www.uff-uf.org.

Sincerely,
Connie Shehan, President
United Faculty of Florida
238 Norman Hall, PO Box 117055
Phone: 392-0274
Email: president@uff-uf.org