The UCF Faculty can show what great UFF organizers John Hitt and Terry Hickey are by joining UFF-UCF. Join now and get the summer free! More information on joining UFF-UCF can be found here.

Dear FSU Colleagues,

You may have read Stanley Marshall’s op-ed column about FAMU President Ammon’s bonus in June 10th’s Tallahassee Democrat. Marshall has been an FSU president, an FSU Trustee, and is currently a member of the Board of Governors (BOG) overseeing the entire State University System (SUS). Whether one agrees or disagrees with him on Ammon’s bonus, you have to suspect he knows something about how higher education governing boards work in Florida. I don’t have strong feelings about Ammon’s bonus. But in the course of defe nding it, Marshall unintentionally made a point that should concern Florida State faculty, as well as faculty throughout the SUS.

Specifically, Marshall said: “… faculty members express their views on such matters by their decisions about joining the union, and the fact is that most faculty members at FAMU have never joined the faculty union. The same is true throughout the state university system.”

Marshall chose to ignore other signs of the faculty’s views, such as the faculty’s overwhelming willingness to sign United Faculty of Florida (UFF) representation cards all across the SUS in 2002 – more than 65 percent did at each school, including FAMU. He also ignored overwhelming faculty votes for UFF representation at FSU (736-33) and UWF (199-18) where ballots were held in 2003. Marshall also neglected a long unbroken string of positive votes for contract ratification throughout the SUS, suggesting that faculty appreciate UFF negotiation efforts in a difficult bargaining environment. He also chose to ignore fairly direct evidence of the faculty’s views, such as those on administrator ratings and compensation from more than 600 FSU faculty members’ responses in our April poll. Perhaps Marshall would like to take a poll of FAMU or FSU faculty views? While it is the Trustees' job to make decisions on university presidents' compensation or other matters such as the current budget crisis, nothing bars Trustees from considering faculty input, although there seems to be very little of that.

What Marshall did and did not say are interesting as well in coming from the former FSU president who is often credited with stimulating much faculty support for the UFF at FSU.

What Marshall’s comments clearly do point out that is important for FSU faculty is that Trustees and BOG members pay attention to UFF membership. We have heard previous reports of Trustees asking FSU administrators about the UFF’s support. Those questions and Marshall’s comment underscore the point that member ship makes for a stronger voice for faculty. You have heard it before, but you do not have to take my word for it. Just listen to Stan Marshall.

If you are not already a UFF member, now is a great time to join. Join now and pay no dues until August. Join now, and help to build a stronger voice for faculty at FSU and statewide. Join now, and tell Stan Marshall he always was one of the best UFF organizers, and still is.

Best regards,

Jack Fiorito, President

UFF-FSU Chapter