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 United Faculty of Florida-Seminole Chapter


Regarding Dr. McGee’s Recent Letter

Seminole State employees may have been surprised recently to receive a letter about unionization from President McGee in your postal mail. The timing of her correspondence is noteworthy in light of the fact that it follows directly upon UFF-Seminole’s June 28 request for release of legal expenses the college has incurred in its challenge to the composition of our collective bargaining unit. Tom O’Hern (Director, Office of Legal Affairs) provided us with the requested documents on July 6. Dr. McGee’s July 8 mailing is an attempt at damage control. The $45,000 that Miami law firm Bryant Miller and Olive has billed Seminole State is for work completed through the end of April. The college has not yet received statements for May and June which encompassed the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) hearing. Current and future costs may well push the college’s legal fees above $100,000.

Seminole State’s desire to disenfranchise certain faculty members (the majority of whom signed cards indicating their interest in unionization) involves more than spending a lot of money. The college’s legal maneuvering in favor of exclusion creates conflicts of interest and dissension where none previously existed. Seminole State’s approach fosters difference and division within and among faculty rather than collegiality, harmony, honesty, collaboration, openness, and respect. Given this, President McGee’s attempt to blame the union for the costly and lengthy process is disingenuous. It is important to note that other colleges, recognizing that a faculty union’s potential bargaining unit should include all full-time faculty members, have avoided expensive legal fees and election delays.

Our position has been and will always be inclusion. Thus, we commend Dr. McGee for acknowledging in her letter that everyone at Seminole State remains committed to our students, to the college, and to our colleagues and co-workers.

E-mail us if you would like a copy of the released legal expense documents. Please keep in mind, however, that portions of the records have been blacked-out on the basis that they reflect a “mental impression, conclusion, litigation strategy, or legal theory of the attorneys” (Tom O’Hern, Director, Office of Legal Affairs).

Join UFF-Seminole Now

If you join right now, you can immediately enjoy the benefits of membership for free. Your first payment will not be due until August. Those who join the United Faculty of Florida this summer will:

  • Send the message to the Board of Trustees that we want our union!
  • Make our faculty voice stronger
  • Immediately be covered for $1,000,000 in professional liability insurance
  • Receive local, state and national publications on higher education issues.
  • Save MONEY!

      • Your dues will not start until the new academic year, but, your membership and all benefits and protections start RIGHT NOW. Contact UFF-Seminole Membership Coordinator George Bernard for a membership form as soon as possible.

      What Will Collective Bargaining at Seminole State Mean?

      • Legal binding power to have a say and a vote on issues that affect your working conditions
      • Protection for Academic Freedom
      • Protection for tenure/continuing contract
      • A say in development of policies and procedures
      • Salary and promotion increases
      • Shared governance
      • A fair and independent process for enforcing faculty rights
      • . . . and many more rights and benefits that you have a voice and a vote on.