USF-UFF Chapter Meeting
Elections committee
The chapter approved the following members as the elections committee for the spring:
- Steve Tauber, chair
- Sherman Dorn
- Peter Funke
- Ylce Irizarry
- Zoe Lang
- Steve Permuth
- Ella Schmidt
- Art Shapiro
- Bob Welker
The chapter also approved the following schedule for chapter elections:
- Nominations deadline, February 11
- Ballot return deadline, March 24
- Ballot counting, March 25
The chapter’s governance documents specify that the terms for all officers and representatives begin April 1.
Urgent membership drive
UFF Executive Director Ed Mitchell explained to present members that the Alabama legislature this week approved legislation that will end union payroll dues deductions. Union staff in other Southern states, including Florida, are expecting statutory attacks on unions in the next year. The best protection against a range of attacks is majority membership, and Mitchell urged that the UFF-USF chapter intensify the already-planned spring membership drive.
The target is for members to talk with 50 non-members every week starting when classes return. Chapter officers plan to prepare the unit database for organizing over break.
Phone and internet service in union office
The chapter authorized Treasurer Paul Terry to explore ending university ethernet and phone service to the union office, which currently costs approximately $90/month. A range of replacement service options were discussed, including GoogleVoice.
Rebate for retiree membership
The chapter approved offering retiring members a $200 rebate on either the annual dues for the UFF Retired/At-Large chapter or lifetime retiree dues in FEA/NEA.
Minutes submitted by Sherman Dorn