About UFF-FGCU Chapter
"I consider it important, indeed urgently necessary, for intellectual workers to get together, both to protect their own economic status and, also, generally speaking, to secure their influence in the political field."
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Charter Member, American Federation of Teachers, Princeton University, 1938
Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to FGCU's UFF Chapter. We are starting the 2007-08 with record number and proportion of members, a reputation among our colleagues in the state as one of the fastest growing chapters, a good contract that was strongly supported and ratified by the faculty, an implemented Market Adjustment study that established salary minimums for existing and newly hired faculty, and a reputation for collegial problem-solving and professional demeanor that reflects well on all faculty at FGCU.
UFF's mission is to provide faculty with a strong organization that protects important professional rights and responsibilities by collective bargaining and other problem solving activities with other University constituencies, representation for grievances for all faculty, connections to the state UFF for important political action and lobbying,
sponsorship of local faculty meetings and events, orientation of new faculty to contract provisions, and for those faculty who choose membership, journals and newsletters, as well as connection to liability insurance and a number of personal discounts.
On these pages you can find archived milestone reminders (monthly reminders about contract provisions and faculty responsibilities), membership forms, connections to the state UFF website, connections to other UFF Chapters and contracts around the state, a statement of our bylaws and mission, and more that is being developed. We know that our growing numbers indicate that membership in UFF is the right thing to do. If you are not yet a member consider doing your part to support the many benefits you have already received in terms of CBA provisions, salary and benefits enhancements, and continuing protection of your rights. Membership dues are only 1% of regular salary which is far less than any single raise or Market Adjustment achieved for faculty in the last few years. (These are taken out of paychecks as earned -- e.g., if you biweekly paycheck is for $2200, of which as much as $300 may be from raises in the last few years, you would have $22.00 deducted from each check.) It is a small amount compared to the benefits of membership.
Research around the state continually shows that chapters with the largest memberships have the best contracts and have achieved the highest raises. We are your professional guild on campus, join us and get involved. A hundred quiet voices in unison is more readily heard that a single loud voice.
Help us meet our goal of an excellent University in which we invest our work and careers -- join UFF.
Maddy Isaacs
Madelyn L. Isaacs, Ph.D.
President, UFF-FGCU
Professor, Counseling College of Education
Florida Gulf Coast University 10501 FGCU Blvd., S.
Fort Myers, FL 33965 239 590-7785
