Florida Keys

College of the Florida Keys instructors move to unionize

By David Goodhue

Updated March 2, 2020 3:49 PM

The faculty of the College of the Florida Keys announced plans to unionize this week.

Champions of the effort cite not only salary and benefits as reasons, but more importantly, state funding of higher education.

“The CFK faculty’s decision to seek representation is not a reflection on administrative policy but of the continued deterioration of legislative action and demonization of the higher education system in the state,” Dr. Katheryn Eads, professor of psychology and union organizing committee member, said in a statement.

Eads said the state uses a tiered system to allocate school funding, which she said is “flawed” especially when it comes to smaller schools like CFK.

“This is occurring at a time in which institutions are being asked to offer more options for students, and students are being encouraged to attend college system institutions to save both the student and the state more money, but the funding necessary to provide what is asked is not increased, and in some cases decreased,” Eads said.

The College of the Florida Keys, which was known as the Florida Keys Community College until earlier this year, was founded in 1965 in Monroe County. It offers both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, as well as technical training and certifications.

So far, the college’s administration and president, Jonathan Gueverra, have not voluntarily recognized the union, so a vote among the school’s almost 30 full-time instructors must be held.

Eads said 70 percent of the teaching staff has submitted authorization cards to the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission requesting an election. If the election is successful, the faculty would be represented by the United Faculty of Florida.

Gueverra was traveling Friday afternoon and not immediately available for comment, said college spokeswoman Amber Ernst-Leonard.

According to the school’s latest budget information, salaries and benefits are based on 10-month contracts, and pay varies depending on educational level.

For example, the salary range for a person with an associate’s degree ranges from $51,940 to $86,572. For a bachelor’s degree, it’s between $54,962 and $91,608. For a master’s degree or a highly technical vocational instructor, the range is $58,159 and $96,936.

Instructors with doctorate degrees can be paid between $65,120 and $108,529, according to the salary schedule.

Faculty are also eligible for health benefits and the Florida Retirement System.

But Eads and other instructors say this is not enough to comfortably live in Monroe County, which, according to a recent analysis from 24/7 Wall Street, is the most expensive county for working people in Florida. The monthly cost of living is $3,835, and the median household income is $63,030, according to the report.

“Many of our faculty and staff work two or more jobs just to pay the bills,” Steve Prettyman, computer science professor and president of the school’s faculty council, said in a statement. “Our hope is that, with the administration’s help, we can make Tallahassee aware that, not only do K-12 faculty need better salaries, but many college faculty across the state also need more support.”

DAVID GOODHUE

305-923-9728

David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.