Uff-Ucf Integrity: Time for Change

DeSantis: Parents could sue if kids are taught 'critical race theory' in FL public schools - Florida Phoenix In a campaign-like atmosphere that included throwing DeSantis hats into the audience and participants holding up red signs saying Stop W.O.K.E., Gov. Ron DeSantis railed Wednesday against “critical race theory” and promoted upcoming legislation to allow parents to sue if their kids are taught CR...

At UF, someone used ‘critical’ and ‘race’ in a sentence. Trouble ensued. A professor’s complaint alleges that political pressures weigh heavily on decision-makers at Florida’s flagship university.

Florida hospitals face critical staffing shortages as COVID continues to expand | Florida Phoenix The number of adults and children hospitalized with COVID-19 rose to 16,521 overnight, pushing Florida’s hospitals into critical staffing shortages, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) said Tuesday. The hospitalized patients include 199 children. “There can be no question that many Florida ho...

*** A Message from the New Leadership Team****
We are:
Robert Cassanello, an associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Humanities and the President of UFF-UCF.
Beatriz Reyes-Foster, an associate professor of anthropology in the College of Sciences and the Vice President of UFF-UCF.
Michael Armato, the Sociology Undergraduate Director and lecturer in sociology in the College of Sciences and the Secretary of UFF-UCF.
Jonathan Beever, Director of the UCF Center for Ethics, Program Director of the Theoretical and Applied Ethics graduate certificate program, and assistant professor of ethics and digital culture in Philosophy and Texts & Technology in the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Treasurer of UFF-UCF.
The recent UFF-UCF election generated the highest turnout in our chapter’s history despite the COVID19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, and the fact that this election was entirely held by mail. We are humbled by the overwhelming support our team received from the UFF-UCF membership. The next two years will bring unprecedented challenges to our chapter. We will have to face the social and economic fallout of the COVID19 pandemic even as we endeavor to keep ourselves and those we care for safe. We also face the challenge of confronting our nation’s history of racial inequality, and we remember we are surrounded by land with a legacy of slavery, lynching, and segregation.
In these uncertain times, we are stronger when we are a collective voice. We are your leadership team. We are not above you, there is no one individual that is the union. We represent everyone in the bargaining unit and we will provide the leadership you have come to expect. We will safeguard the protections our Bargaining Team negotiated on our behalf and be a voice and advocate for the most vulnerable who alone cannot be heard.
Please provide us with feedback; this union is your organization and we are here to listen.
We thank you for the faith you have placed in us to rise to these challenges. We are eager to prove ourselves worthy of your trust and look forward to working with you to strengthen our union.
Robert Cassanello, President (he, him, his)
Beatriz Reyes-Foster, Vice President (she, her, ella)
Michael Armato, Secretary (he, him, his)
Jonathan Beever, Treasurer (he, him his)

4Sandra Wheeler, Tracy C. Wharton and 2 others
Seen by 14

Thank you to everyone who supported our successful campaign! The new UFF-UCF leadership team is excited to hit the ground running tomorrow! This page will soon be archived. Please follow the official UFF-UCF page and group for more UFF information and activity.

The Time for Change Slate would like to thank everyone who volunteered their Friday to count ballots and assisted those that counted ballots. The entire day was enjoyable and camaraderie was the theme of the day.

We are grateful to all of those who supported us through this process and for everyone who participated in the election, which, to our knowledge, had the highest voter turnout in recent memory. The challenges we face as a union are significant. We take our responsibility as the leadership of the union seriously, and look forward to working together with the newly-elected council and our entire membership to defend and improve the quality of our working conditions at UCF. We are committed to fostering a climate of unity, inclusion, and accountability and moving forward as a Union. We invite everyone interested in making UCF a better workplace to join our efforts through service on committees. More information is coming soon!
--Robert, Beatriz, Jonathan, & Mike

Thank you to the elections committee, and the more than 11 volunteers who took time out of their mornings to help with the vote count today. We are thankful for your time and commitment to strengthening our union!

--On behalf of the Time for Change Slate --Robert Cassanello, Jonathan Beever, Mike Armato, and Beatriz M. Reyes-Foster

Some incorrect information was disseminated to in-unit employees today:

1- Ballots can be received until August 6th. If you or anyone you know still has your ballot and is worried about whether it will arrive by August 6th --you can bring it to the Oviedo post office and drop it off! That way you guarantee your ballot is counted on Friday.

2- The ballot that was distributed as an email attachment CANNOT be used for voting. If you do not have an official ballot and you are eligible to vote, please contact Elections Chair Nina Orlosvkaya at [email protected].

We are almost at the finish line. Our team is ready to lead.

From Jonathan Beever (candidate for Treasurer, UFF-UCF)

Dear fellow UFF-UCF Union members:

Integrity means together.

The Time for Change slate is committed to one another accountable, and acting in the best interest of our faculty community as a whole. With your support, one of the first projects we will take up will be a thorough review of our bylaws, including explicit term limits for executive positions and a clear, transparent, and fair process for misconduct of members towards others. We will also continue to push for an empirically-informed balance of safety, access, and productivity during the pandemic. And we will always put the good work by our Bargaining Unit ahead of individual agendas.

You can learn more about our ticket and about why I am running for office at our campaign site at https://www.uffucfintegrity2020.org/. The vote deadline of August 6th is fast approaching and we want to earn your vote. Turnout will decide this election. Please vote now! 🗳👍

Labor Union | UFF UCF Elections 2020 The official website for the Campaign to Elect Cassanello, Reyes-Foster, Armato, and Beever for the UFF UCF labor union. Labor Union | UFF UCF Elections 2020

Time for Change Slate Anti-Racism Statement:

Anti-Racism Statement | UFFUCF Integrity2020 We the “Time for Change” slate of candidates for the UFF-UCF 2020 Elections are committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as expressed in our UFF-UCF Constitution.  We support our Interim Chief Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Officer Kent Butler’s call that it’s time ...

In these times of uncertainty, the Time for Change slate is ready to lead. We have a coordinated, experienced team and a clear plan for a smooth transition that supports our bargaining and grievance teams. The most important thing right now is turnout, so please help us get our message out by reaching out to your voting colleagues and encourage them to vote for us!

What We Stand For:

Labor Union | UFF UCF Elections 2020 The official website for the Campaign to Elect Cassanello, Reyes-Foster, Armato, and Beever for the UFF UCF labor union. Labor Union | UFF UCF Elections 2020