Urgent Appeal-Act Now! Act Today
Dear Member, I am appealing to you. I am asking you to take time out of your day today to answer my call to join our fight to save our union.
As you know the bills SB 1296 and HB 995 represent an existential threat to our union and all we hold dear as workers with the right to freely collectively bargain.
We need you to call lawmakers, calls are the most effective way to lobby for our union and also email. We need to do both. If you can only email then please do that. If you know others willing to do this please speak to them and get them to call and email lawmakers.
The link at the end of this email will give you the directions to call or email lawmakers. If you recognize a lawmaker from your own home district please call them and mention that you are a constituent.
The link at the bottom has talking points, but below are the suggested talking points for higher education that we are asking you to send out to lawmakers when you make your calls and emails. (Additional talking points are here)
Please try and make your communication personal if you can. Keeping the communication short and to the point would also be effective.
If you want to develop your own talking point, here is a page with some media resources you can use to write your own.
The link with all the information to take action is below:
I will be following up this email with a request to blast our talking point on social media, please look out for it.
We need everyone on board, please share this with others and encourage others to assist and join the fight to save our union.
In Solidarity,
Robert Cassanello, President
United Faculty of Florida
SB 1296 (Public Employees Relations Commission) will be heard in its final legislative committee next week before heading to a vote on the Senate floor. We must act now to stop this bill in committee.
As currently written, SB 1296 would make several changes affecting public sector unions in Florida. Among other provisions, the bill would do the following:
This is a fast track to decertification and a direct threat to our collective strength.
What can you do?
3. If you personally know any Republican members who you know would lobby against this bill for our union please give them this link and ask them to submit a letter.
]]>Is it safe to assume Mr. Smith knows that Clarence Thomas was selected to fill the position of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court? One may suggest that the goals of DEI initiatives, initiatives that Mr. Smith is opposed to, were achieved in his nomination and subsequent appointment.
During the Florida senate hearing to confirm his appointment as a PSC trustee, Mr. Smith states that his commitment to equality is something that he is very proud of and has written about extensively in the past.
After reviewing some of his published works, my concern is that Mr. Smith’s commitment here has been and will continue to be prejudiced by both his biased political and religious convictions.
Mr. Smith authored an article entitled America Can’t Have Greatness Without Goodness. And There Is No Goodness Without God.
In it he writes support of president John Adams declaration that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Who’s morality? Who’s religion? Do Mr. Smith words provide evidence of a commitment to equality when the most recent data show that 29% of Americans consider themselves as spiritually unaffiliated a group which includes atheists, agnostics and those of who’s religion is described as nothing in particular.
Mr. Smith further asserts in that same article that “Our schools poison students with the lie that our American experiment has been flawed from the beginning because of sins such as slavery and that, as a result, we must replace the founding values of faith and freedom with a fundamentally new and different system of values often based on Marxist ideologies.”
I assert that this fringe and radical opinion has informed his initiative to remove Introduction to Sociology from the list of approved general education courses.
It required his devotion to a political ideology to uncover an obscure passage from a 400 page text that was in violation of his interpretation of Florida law. But, there was no law that mandated to use Mr. Smith’s own word strike sociology from the gen ed list. Despite other options, this board, to use one of its members’ words, chose to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Dr. Brenda Kelly stood at this podium and urged this board to be aware that the removal of introduction to sociology will have a detrimental effect on students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. Despite Dr. Kelly’s warning, this board immediately voted to strike it from the approved list. It appears that in the service to political ideology, some collateral damage to students is perfectly acceptable.
In his article entitled First Amendment Triumph: IRS Recognizes Pastors’ Right to Free Speech
Mr. Smith celebrates that pastors can now talk to their congregations about how to view political issues through a religious lens.
He contends the IRS code that prevented nonprofit organizations from expressing views on political issues may have been designed to stifle the politically disfavored speech of opponents to Lyndon Johnson’s policies.
Similarly, I contend that Mr. Smith’s leadership in removing Sociology from the gen ed list may have been intentionally designed to stifle the academic investigation of topics disfavored by his political ideology.
Smith in his commentary entitled “Judges should get Judged too” writes
“Who judges the judges?
He states that questions swirl about whether certain federal judges have the authority to block many of Trump’s actions from early in his second term.
And that many of these locally elected judges are acting more like partisan ideologues rather than as impartial arbiters of the law.
In his closing response to Mr. MacQueen, Mr. Smith states that If PSC has not made sufficiently clear its commitment to treating everyone equally, he would be happy to make that motion at a future board meeting.
Mr. Smith, you are not Pensacola State College. You do not individualize the essence of this institution.
You are you.
Therefore, I challenge you Mr. Smith to make clear to us all that going forward your commitment to your initiatives here on this board will not be informed by your biased political and religious convictions and that you…and in your own words… will not act as a partisan ideologue but rather as an impartial arbiter of the law.
If Mr. Smith, you can do that, then, and in the words of my grandmother, a devoted follower of the Roman Catholic tradition, you will be practicing what you preach.
]]>If you tuned into last week’s State Board of Education meeting, you likely saw a board more focused on political theater than students and the public schools that educate them. Instead of offering real solutions to the challenges facing our schools, students, and communities, members spent the meeting signaling allegiance to ideological talking points and shifting blame.
During the meeting, the board pushed through two major items: the Heritage Foundation’s deceptively innocuous Phoenix Declaration and revisions to the History of Communism standards.
In this email you’ll find:
As expected, the board adopted the Heritage Foundation’s Phoenix Declaration, framed as returning to “virtue” and “objective truth,” but intended to act as an ideological declaration crafted by billionaire backers.
Chair Ryan Petty, who is listed among the declaration’s signatures on the measure, along with individuals from Moms for Liberty, and charter school operator and wife of gubernatorial hopeful Bryon Donalds, Erika Donalds, and former Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz promoted it as a moral compass for schools that have “lost their way.”
But, as Vice President Gauronskas called out so clearly, “We don’t need this statement to ensure that our school employees help our students—our children—to be kind and respectful citizens every day. Educators and parents know well that we are charged with helping children grow and learn to be their best selves.”
Carole called it what it is: a distraction from tackling issues that really matter, like increasing public school funding, addressing student absenteeism and conduct, and moving Florida educators into the top 10 in pay rather than the bottom 50. You can watch a video of Carole’s full comments on the topic here.
Following the meeting, FEA also released a statement calling out the state board for chasing ideological agendas rather than focusing on what truly helps students. You can check out that statement here.
The board also approved revised History of Communism standards. It was your voice and advocacy that was key to ensuring the State Board knew that we were paying attention!
Rather than teaching an honest history and encouraging critical thinking, these standards instruct students how they should view different religions, economic systems, and political movements. Standard HC.9.4, for instance, characterizes the public outcry over the House Committee on Un-American Activities as communist propaganda, silencing the perspectives of ordinary Americans who opposed government overreach, witch hunts, and hate generated by the McCarthy era committee.
Vice President Gauronskas called the board out on the standards, calling on them not to promote this kind of ideologically charged rhetoric. Watch her full comments here.
The standards are set to take effect in the 2026-27 school year.
Read on to see how you can remain informed!
The board, which also oversees Florida’s college system, also approved new rule changes the Board of Governors made earlier this month as a result of legislation requiring colleges to post syllabi at least 45 days before the start of each semester. These institutions must now publicly share:
The state framed this as a “parental choice” transparency measure that ensures courses are “fundamental” and are rooted in “objective truth.” But the level of detail required—and the state’s track record—make the intent clear: this rule is designed to monitor and restrict what educators can teach and what students can learn.
Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas even celebrated that intention aloud. He noted that while the Board of Governors (which oversees Florida’s public universities) pushed back on requiring assignment-level transparency, he was pleased to “get the last laugh” by imposing it on the college system (skip to 3:47:58 on this video). The remark made clear that the rule is less about transparency or protecting students and more about exerting control.
In practice, this raises serious implementation questions. But the broader, more immediate impact is how this rule will be used to police classroom speech. Given Commissioner Kamoutsas’ history of playing judge and jury on social media to shame educators online, the new requirement is likely to be used as a tool of intimidation rather than accountability—undermining the academic freedom of faculty and students alike.
Read on to see how you can remain informed!
At the last meeting, the board indicated that they would summon Alachua County School Board member Tina Certain to answer for her personal social media posts. Certain appeared—entirely voluntarily as noted in her letter sent ahead of the meeting—and the exchange got a little heated.
You can watch the full exchange on the Florida Channel (skip to this timestamp: 1:14:20).
The confrontation made one thing crystal clear: educators and district officials who challenge the state or its ideological agenda may find themselves being publicly targeted.
The board has made its priorities unmistakable: advancing politically motivated policies over addressing the real needs of Florida’s schools.
But your advocacy is making a difference. The last-minute changes to the history of communism standards are a direct result of educators, parents, and community members holding the board accountable.
They act like no one is watching. And you’ve shown them otherwise.
Now is the time to keep going—to keep speaking out at every turn, showing up, and pushing back against bad policies, not just for the educators and students of today, but for everyone touched by public education tomorrow.
The next State Board meeting is currently scheduled for January 21, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Tallahassee at Tallahassee State College.
We will send an update in the new year to let you know what we anticipate and how you can stay involved.
In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about the bills being discussed, which so often pave the way for conversations at the State Board, be sure to join us for Power Hour and be a part of weekly legislative session actions and solutions.
]]>The United Faculty of Florida (UFF) and Florida Education Association (FEA) have issued guidance on navigating online discourse and protecting your digital safety. We encourage all PSCFA members to review these resources, including the attached legal guidance from FEA, and take proactive steps to safeguard themselves.
Our goal is not to limit speech, but to help you stay safe while speaking out as professionals and advocates.
Here is a message from Robert Cassanello, President of United Faculty of Florida:
I want to send this message out to our members and please share with people across your entire bargaining units.
The attacks upon us are targeted at not only the colleges and universities but our kin in the K-12 sector as well. I still do not know the full extent of those impacted but I am getting reports that people in the bargaining units we represent and people who are staff and not represented by us have been targeted by supervisors and administrators for their social media posts.
We have a right to extra curricular free speech as long as in that speech we speak as private citizens and do not speak for our institutions or indicate that we represent the institution.
We need to be aware of the problem, our college and university leaders are caving into external pressures or worse using a manufactured crisis to clamp down further on our free speech rights. When Ray Rodrigues, our Chancellor of the State University System of Florida characterizes members of our campus communities as “celebrating or excusing campus violence” over the murder of Charlie Kirk either Chancellor Rodriques is not paying attention or he is encouraging retaliation for speech he does not approve of plain and simple.
We have a president of a public university testing that right guaranteed by our Constitution and our collective bargaining agreements. Our union will represent you in these cases if your rights have been violated. I have spoken to the person who was targeted by the FAU President this weekend and their case is on the radar of the Florida Education Association as well as our national organizations the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. I have been assured that they are watching Florida and sending down resources to defend those targeted in the public colleges and universities as well as K-12.
What Can You Do?
If you have been targeted with an investigation or disciplined because of a social media post about recent events then reach out to your president or chapter leaders to determine what resources might be available to you. Also reach out to me, your chapter leaders are your first point of contact and they will address your concerns, but I would like to know the extent of these attacks so we can provide your local leaders with the resources they need to fight for you.
We need to also recognize that theats of harm from people not connected to our institutions are coming our way. The are people who mean to instill fear in us through doxxing, harassing our employers and communicating threats of physical harm. Please report these incidents to your employer and to local law enforcement. There may not be much that can be done to stop this, but I think it is important to document the harassment we are experiencing.
Let’s stick together, if you know someone impacted, reach out and show your support to them personally. If you’ve been impacted please reach out to me so I can assist with directing you to the support and resources you might need.
]]>UFF Members,
UFF elections are underway! Please take time to review candidate statements (see below) and to cast your vote. If you have not received your UFF election material/ballots delivered to your home mailbox via the United States Postal Service (USPS) by March 26, 2025, please email the Credentials and Elections Committee [email protected]with the following information:
Note: Candidates Statements and Videos for the 2025 UFF Statewide Elections are available for viewing on https://myuff.org/elections/.
Reminder: Return your unmarked secret ballot inside the return envelope provided as soon as you receive it. Return ballots should be mailed no later than April 4th to arrive on time. On April 11th, the UFF Elections Committee and local volunteers will convene at the UFF office in Tallahassee to count ballots.
On behalf of your 2025 UFF Credentials and Elections Committee,
Questions for the Credentials and Elections Committee: E-Mail[email protected].
]]>]]>Good day UFF Members:
It’s been a busy two days in Tallahassee, so I wanted to provide you with an update on what’s happening with the bills UFF is closely monitoring this session.
In the Florida Senate (Tuesday 03/25):
- SB 1328 by Fine / HB 1217 by Black / SB 1766 by Ingoglia / HB 1387 by Persons-Mulicka(Public Employee Collective Bargaining by Senator Randy Fine), the anti-union bill, was again scheduled to be heard in the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee. Time ran out and the bill was not heard. Since this bill does not have a cosponsor, and because Senator Fine will be resigning from the Senate as of Monday 03/31, this anti-union bill should now be dead. While that is good news, there is a similar bill, SB 1766 by Senator Ingoglia, that has not moved at all so far.
- SB 814 / HB 31 (Weapons or Firearms at School-sponsored Events or on School Property by Senator Randy Fine), which would have allowed guns on college and university campuses, went before the as DEFEATED in committee on a 4-3 vote. This was a huge defensive stop! This bill is now dead!
In the Florida House (Tuesday 03/25): HB 1387 by Persons-Mulicka, one of the House companion bills to SB 1328 (see above), was heard in the Government Operations Subcommittee. The bill passed this committee so the next stop for this bill is before a committee where the chair, Rep. Lopez, has routinely stood with FEA. There’s another House companion bill, HB 1217 by Rep. Black, which has not moved yet.
In the Florida Senate (Wednesday 03/26): By a vote of 5-1 in the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, Adam Kissel was NOT confirmed to the BOT of UWF! The committee chair mentioned all the calls, letters, emails, and text messages the committee members received. This was a direct result of YOUR ACTIONS so well done!
There are still more weeks to go in the session and other bills we’re monitoring so I’ll keep you posted.
Take care and be well!
UFF
All members of PSCFA in good standing for three months are eligible. Individuals wishing to nominate someone other than himself or herself must get permission from that person. It is important that nominees understand and agree to fulfill the obligations of the position they would assume. The term for each elected office is two years.
Please read the following “job” descriptions carefully, and contact Blaine Wall if you have questions. To nominate yourself or someone else, please send an email to PSCFA Elections chair, Dr. Darlene Mosley, at [email protected]. Voting will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025, in the PSCFA office. More details will be forthcoming.
PRESIDENT – The president presides over general meetings and meetings of the Executive Board, appoints such committees as needed, and performs all other functions and duties as outlined in the PSCFA By-Laws. These other functions and duties include developing the chapter’s objectives, programs and activities with the involvement of chapter leaders and committee members, encouraging attending the semi-annual UFF Senate meetings and the annual UFF Council of Presidents meeting.
VICE-PRESIDENT – The Vice-President shall assist the President, act as President in the absence of the president, and perform all other functions and duties as outlined in the PSCFA By-Laws. These other functions and duties include overseeing major projects of the chapter and assisting in recruiting, training and orienting of active members in the areas of Grievance, Bargaining, Recruiting, PSCFA Chapter (Building) Representatives.
SECRETARY – The Secretary shall maintain the official membership list, serve as corresponding and recording secretary, and perform all other functions and duties as outlined in the PSCFA By-Laws. These other functions and duties include attending all chapter union meetings and take minutes, keeping a permanent minute book and making the minutes and records available to members upon request, and providing copies of previous minutes available at meetings.
TREASURER – The Treasurer receives all income of the chapter, banks all funds to the credit of the chapter, pays such funds as needed, keeps an itemized record of all receipts and expenditures, makes such reports as may be required by statue, governmental rules and regulations, constitution and bylaws or by order of the president.
EXECUTIVE BOARD – (Six elected at large members and the four officers constitute the Executive Board.) The Executive Board member attends all monthly meetings (September through April) of the chapter, prepares the budget for the upcoming year, carries on the business of the chapter between regular meetings, establishes basic policies and programs of the Association, coordinates activities of the Association with UFF, approves all assignments, appointments, objectives, payment of bills, and other business of the Association.
SENATORS – (Three elected at large members and the chapter President constitute the Senators.) The UFF Senate is the legislative body of UFF and is composed of representatives of all chapters of UFF. The Senate ordinarily meets on a weekend twice a year, once in Orlando or Tampa, and once via Zoom. Senators must be able and willing to attend the Senate meetings. PSCFA Senators will attend sessions or the Community College Bargaining Council and full Senate meetings. A Senator may hold another office in the Association and may also be a Chapter (Building) Representative. PSCFA Senators also attend all monthly PSCFA chapter meetings.
FEA DELEGATES – (Two) Represents PSCFA at the annual Florida Education Association Delegate Assembly and reports to the local chapter the work accomplished at the Delegate Assembly. (The Delegate Assembly is FEA’s highest governing body.) An FEA delegate may hold another office in the Association and/or may also be a Chapter (Building) Representative.
The following positions are appointed positions within the PSCFA:
CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT CHAIR – Meets with faculty, department heads, campus provosts, Academic Vice President, and College President to resolve issues and conflicts prior to initiating formal grievance activity. Coordinates all grievance activity, appoints grievance representatives for each grievance, attends all chapter meetings and reports on grievance activity, assists in training of grievance representatives.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TEAM – Consists of no more than five members, including Chief Negotiator, with two additional Executive Board Members appointed by the President to serve as liaison/alternates.
STANDING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:
– Chapter (Building) Representatives: distributes Faculty Association materials to faculty in their areas
– Membership Chair: works with Chapter (Building) Representatives for contacts with potential members and coordinates all recruiting activities.
– Contract Administration members: work with Grievance Chair to resolve issues and conflicts and assist Grievance Chairman in other Grievance activity.
– Communications members: publish and edit the chapter newsletter four times each year, maintain the PSCFA website, distribute bargaining surveys and other single-issue
communication, attends chapter meetings and report on communication activities.
Additionally, a member of the Communications Standing Committee attends all
bargaining sessions to observe and report (in conjunction with the Chief Negotiator) to the membership, via email and/or website, negotiation efforts.
– Political Action Chair: maintains contact with legislative delegation, coordinates and recruits members for lobbying, attends chapter meetings and reports on political action activities, coordinates political action activities, maintains contact with other unions particularly other FEA affiliates for cooperative political action activities.
2023-2025 PSCFA Leadership
Dr. Blaine Wall, President
Dr. Monique Collins, Vice President
Dr. Tim Hathway, Secretary
Rita Thrasher, Treasurer
Jennifer Brahier, Board Member
Daniela Quezada Gonzalez, Board Member
Dr. Iris Knoebl, Board Member
Sandy Moore, Board Member
Dr. Darlene Mosley, Board Member
Lauren Rogers, Board Member
Jennifer Brahier, Senator
Monique Collins, Senator
Rita Thrasher, Senator
Blaine Wall, Senator
Rita Thrasher, NEA Delegate
Blaine Wall, FEA Delegate
Iris Knoebl, Membership Chair
Lauren Rogers, Communications Committee Chair
Daniela Quezada Gonzalez, Website Administrator
]]>Our state universities are meant to serve all Florida students, including women and veterans. An affordable, publicly-funded system of higher education is essential for the future of our state. Extreme political agendas and blatant, corporate greed have no place here.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
The Governor can appoint Board of Trustees members, but must have confirmation from the Florida Senate. Press “SUBMIT” to send a letter to your state senators. Tell them that these appointees are not the kind of people we want meddling with Florida’s public universities and colleges. Our students deserve better. Florida deserves better. UWF deserves trustees that have ties to their local community, trustees who understand how important UWF is to our community and what the value of higher education is for all Floridians.
| United Faculty of Florida (P) 850-224-8220( F) 850-222-1767115 N. Calhoun Street, Suite 6, Tallahassee, FL 32301 www.MyUFF.orgFEA /NEA /AFT/AFL-CIO |