Colleagues:
Grim economic realities:
By now many of you have seen the official state budget deficit that Lawmakers need to cover -- slightly more than $2.3 billion through the end of June 2009 -- the end of this fiscal year. Unofficially it has been reported that December tax collections fell $100 million below estimates. The outlook is grim.
The Florida Education Association (FEA) and United Faculty of Florida (UFF) priority for this special session was to stay within the holdback amount (4%) the Governor recommended last fall. The legislature kept the budget cuts at or below the holdback.
Nevertheless, Higher Education is again feeling the effects of Florida's budget crisis. There are reports of impending layoffs at Florida State University. FSU Provost Larry Abele said that they will "lay off about 200 employees because of a cumulative $65 million budget cut."
The budget situation at FIU:
We at FIU have already been through one round of layoffs -– there could be more. The budget shortfall is greater now than it was then. Provost Berkman, in his Senate Report on 1/13/09, said that "everything is on the table" and that even the tiering system developed last Spring may need to be reexamined.
If you are not now a member of UFF I urge you to join now.
The UFF-FIU was able to negotiate a 2% retention raise and a 1.5% merit bonus in the midst of economic crisis -- and that is because of the strength of our membership.
The importance of a strong union:
We are right now 3 people away from having 50+1% of our faculty in the Union. Majority membership sends a very strong message.
MEMBERSHIP = POWER!
We need those 3 new members JOIN NOW!
UFF Legislative Agenda:
UFF-FIU will be working to shape the economic realities at FIU and across the State.
All UFF chapter presidents are working together to map out a political action strategy to be implemented in February that encourages legislators to look at ways to increase revenues in the Regular Session which begins March 3.
Every legislator in each house needs to knows that Erskine Bowles, President, University of North Carolina System, said in a message to the State of Florida, "My office is flooded with resumes from your best scientists and we are flat out going to hire them away from your universities if you don't get your act together in Florida."
Legislators must understand that the faculty brain drain is creating what has been called a “slaughterhouse effect” across our academic institutions. It affects students who can't get classes and must delay graduation or drop out. It negatively affects the overall quality of our universities. Even our federal research funding may be at risk.
Finally, Florida tends to be the “first in and last out” of recessions. Investing in Higher Education will help us emerge from recessions faster.
WE NEED YOUR HELP – JOIN NOW.