The United Faculty of Florida/NEA/AFT secured a tremendous victory this month when the University of Florida at last recognized the local chapter of the statewide union. Administrators have begun talks with union reps in preparation for negotiations that faculty have worked toward for three years.

The final piece of this Florida labor story fell into place after a Sept. 9 Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) order forced the university, the last holdout among Florida's 11 state institutions, to recognize the union and agree to collective bargaining.

The ruling reverses PERC's original decision, which declared that a shift in collective bargaining responsibility from the statewide board to individual college boards absolved the state from recognizing the union. After a District Court decisively struck down that decision, declaring that the state cannot "unilaterally terminate its obligations under a collective bargaining agreement simply by reorganizing the executive branch" (see earlier story), PERC agreed that the university's board is a "successive employer" and must abide by the union agreements already in place until a new contract can be negotiated.

Kim Emery, vice president of UFF, says the decision "demonstrates that even when the state's most powerful politicians pull out all the stops, they don't have the power to decertify our union or to void the contract that protects our rights."  UFF president Tom Auxter adds that the fight to preserve the union and the newly localized contracts have boosted interest in the union. "Two years and 252 days later, Jeb Bush's devious plan has not only failed, it's generated huge membership gains on all campuses," says Auxter.

New chapter president Connie Shehan welcomes the chance to craft a localized contract tailored more to the needs of UF faculty than the old statewide contracts. "We've waited more than three years to negotiate this contract, and we're optimistic about the opportunities that local bargaining will bring," she says. "We intend to make the most of it."

Negotiators will focus on improvements that should lift the university to the top tiers of research institutions in the country: a "real sabbatical system"; meaningful salary increases to improve competitive stature; better benefits; clearer and more consistent tenure and promotion criteria; and enhanced intellectual property protections. "Above all, we are committed to protecting the academic integrity of our university and safeguarding core academic principles from political interference," says Emery.

The decision, she adds, has national implications and potentially historic significance. "Our experience shows that even under this kind of concerted assault, faculty can rely on collective bargaining to guarantee the fundamental rights that make our work possible."

Union chapters at Florida's 10 other state colleges and universities have already been recognized and are in various stages of negotiations. At UF, negotiations are expected to begin in October. [Virginia Myers Kelly]

September 20, 2005