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Union sues over university oversight
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer
The state's public employees union asked a judge Thursday to stop the state from granting new powers to the boards that oversee state universities. The lawsuit filed in Leon Circuit Court alleges that a law establishing individual boards of trustees conflicts with a constitutional amendment approved by voters last month. "There is a legal conflict between the pending laws implementing the university boards of trustees and the constitutional amendment passed by the voters," said Jeanette Wynn, head of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature abolished the Board of Regents last year and gave the authority of overseeing the universities to the Florida Board of Education, which has responsibility for all state education and boards of trustees. But Amendment 11 will change that. Initiated by U.S. Sen. Bob Graham , it creates the state's third higher education governance structure in two years. The Board of Governors will establish statewide policy and spend money, while boards of trustees would oversee individual universities. The union says the state Board of Education is breaking its promise to honor employment contracts beyond January, when the individual boards are to get additional power. Starting Jan. 7, employees at the universities will no longer have valid collective bargaining agreements with the education board. Instead, trustees at individual schools will be responsible for union agreements. Trustees say they need to wait until January and then negotiate with the unions. The decision means thousands of employees may be working in January without contracts. The lawsuit names both the state Department of Education and the Board of Education. State education spokesman Bill Edmonds said the department cannot comment on a pending lawsuit. The union represents 25,000 employees at the state's 11 universities, including those in operational, administrative and clerical jobs. The United Faculty of Florida, the state's largest faculty union representing 10,000 professors, librarians and counselors, may join the suit.
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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