2008 STATE UNIVERSITY

LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

ELECTED COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION/BOARD OF GOVERNORS — WATCH 

SB 2308 by Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey

This proposed joint resolution would put a state constitutional amendment before voters that would bring back an elected state commissioner of education, eliminate the State Board of Education and return those duties to the Florida Cabinet. Those are ideas that AFSCME has supported. Unfortunately, the resolution strips the constitutional powers of the Board of Governors (BOG) to manage and set policy for the State University System. AFSCME was one of the prime backers of former Gov. and Sen. Bob Graham’s successful effort in 2002 to pass a constitutional amendment, creating a strong and independent board to oversee state universities. The BOG recently has clashed with the Legislature as it has sought through a lawsuit to assert its authority to raise tuition (currently the lowest in the country). Although an elected state education commissioner would be good, the downside of destroying the independence of state universities is not worth it. State university employees should contact their legislators to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment and to respect the will of Floridians who voted overwhelmingly to create the Board of Governors just six years ago. 

STATE BUDGET

Last year, state and university employees received a one-time $1,000 bonus ($673 after taxes) instead of a cost-of-living increase to their base salaries. The rationale for no raise given by the Florida Senate was that state revenues were declining due to the downturn in the housing market. The Legislature later had to cut $1.1 billion from the budget and is poised to slash another $500,000 from 2007-08 state spending. 

This year, Gov. Charlie Crist has recommended the equivalent of 2 percent for salary increases in critical areas to be spent according to plans to be drawn up by each agency. This recommendation is not across-the-board and, if passed, likely would leave many employees with little or nothing.  

Although the state budget is deep in deficit, state employee budgets have been in deficit year after year as raises failed to keep up with inflation. The low salaries have made it impossible for the state to recruit or retain quality employees who can easily earn more in the private sector or even in local government. 

According to the 2006-07 Annual Workforce Report by the Florida Department of Management Services, Florida’s state workers on average have the lowest pay in the country. In this bad year, AFSCME’s budget priorities are

• no layoffs, Florida already has one of the country’s smallest government’s per capita;
• any raise should be across-the-board with critical pay for high turnover jobs;
• close tax loopholes to stabilize the budget; and
• use reserves to avoid damaging vital services.

State Universities VP Mary Howard strategizes at the People Convention.

AFSCME Council 79 has represented the career support staff (USPS) at state universities since the 1970s in the Professional, Administrative/Clerical, Human Service, and Other Professional bargaining units. However, AFSCME’s leadership in this area really came to the fore starting in 1999 when Gov. Jeb Bush with the help of then House Speaker John Thrasher successful conspired to abolish the State University System and its Board of Regents. Instead, Bush and Thrasher passed legislation that created individual boards of trustees with no statewide oversight or coordination. Predictably, chaos and infighting between universities erupted immediately. Bush made sure that the new trustees took a harsh stance against the unions of university workers and tried to claim that all union contracts and representation were voided.

AFSCME went into action to protect university workers. First, we teamed with then U.S. Sen. Bob Graham to gather signatures and pass a state constitutional amendment reinstituting the State University System and creating a powerful Board of Governors to protect state universities from political meddling. AFSCME took legal action to get the courts to determine the Board of Governors powers and reinstate union representation of university workers.

While these lawsuits were slowly working their way through the courts, AFSCME reorganized individual universities so that its members were not left at the mercy of their employers. Within two years, AFSCME had gathered a majority of cards signed by university workers to force new union elections and so that we could continue representing workers until the court cases were resolved. At university after university, workers overwhelmingly voted to stay with AFSCME. Now, university workers are enjoying the benefits of our representation with new contracts and good raises.

State Universities Conference Board 

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