Press Release

UFF is deeply concerned about Governor Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 25-44, which mandates the identification and elimination of so-called “inefficiencies” within Florida’s State University System and Florida College System. His recently announced “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative unduly targets our state’s respected colleges and universities with intense scrutiny and unwarranted micromanagement.

A Threat to Academic Integrity and Equity. Dismantling the Department of Education will leave public institutions vulnerable to political interference, strip resources from underfunded schools, and exacerbate educational inequities. Without federal oversight, the responsibility for upholding educational standards and protecting students’ rights would be left to state and local authorities, potentially resulting in inconsistent policies that further widen the gap between privileged and marginalized communities.

Join us at an in-person press conference at the Board of Governors meeting this week as we speak out on the negative impact censorship and curriculum laws had have on our higher education institute, our students and our state.

Educators from all of Florida’s public colleges and universities are confronting and pushing back against a vast censorship on what Florida’s students have the right to learn. Join us on a virtual speak out that will feature student, faculty, parent, and national voices discussing the negative impact such laws have had upon them and higher education in general, along with the need to push back against such bureaucratic and political overreach.

UFF-FAMU chapter to file a lawsuit against the state of Florida for the union-busting efforts in 2023’s SB 256 and 2024’s SB 1746. The plaintiffs, UFF-FAMU, UFF, the Education Association of Saint Lucie, Saint Lucie teacher Eric Graff, and FAMU professor Dr. James Muchovej are pushing back against the arbitrary 60% threshold and the government mandated membership authorization form because they violate Florida workers’ constitutional right to collectively bargain, freely associate, and organize.