February 12, 2010. Will they return to the UFF-FAU bargaining unit?

Since FAU severed its ties with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and FAU’s proposed independent medical school became public knowledge–all in an extremely short time span–some individuals have expressed concern over whether the faculty in FAU’s College of Biomedical Science might once again be included in the bargaining unit with regular FAU faculty. This will likely not happen.

In 2006 the FAU BOT and administration, after establishing the College of BioMedical Science, unilaterally declared 27 faculty in this new College “out of unit.” At that time UFF was caught flat-footed and did not file a complaint with Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee within the required time frame (six months). The fact that FAU has cut ties with UM and the faculty involved in that relationship will be transferred to FAU’s new medical school will likely not change the faculty’s status in the eyes of PERC, which if presented with this situation could argue that the medical school personnel do not share a sufficient “community of interest” with FAU bargaining unit faculty to be deemed “in unit.” Further, the faculty at most every public medical school in the state are considered “out of unit,” so there is no set precedent by which to argue for their inclusion.

If the faculty in Biomedical Science are to achieve union representation, which in light of recent personnel policy changes by FAU administrators would aid in their job security, some faculty members will need to take the initiative and lead a union organizing campaign among colleagues within their College. While UFF can help facilitate such an endeavor, the impetus and action must come from the faculty. If Biomed faculty lack that initiative, or are intimidated from doing so (often it is a combination of both as these things go), they will continue to lack union representation. Much like how a campaign taken up by department chairs would likely take shape, if such a drive is successful it would result in establishment of a distinct UFF bargaining unit and chapter specifically designated for Biomed faculty.