Florida faculty unions sue higher education leaders over new employment arbitration ban
A tenured University of Florida professor says he was fired – while on medical leave – largely because of "flawed evaluations."
And when that professor (who was not named) filed a grievance, it was denied, with the university citing a new Florida law that bans university employment dispute arbitration .
That's according to a new federal lawsuit filed by Florida faculty unions against the state over the 2023 measure, which overhauled university tenure and has already drawn a couple of other lawsuits .
"Similar stories are playing out across the Florida public university system," the plaintiffs wrote in the Wednesday-filed litigation.
The law, pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leadership, requires tenured faculty members in Florida's public universities to go through a comprehensive post-tenure review every five years – even though tenure usually means lifelong job protection. It also assigns final decision authority to the university president.
But that's not all, as the plaintiffs outline in their 31-page filing : "The bill bans independent arbitration by a neutral third party, depriving faculty of meaningful review designed to protect academic freedom and employment rights."
The United Faculty of Florida and its Florida State University and University of Florida chapters on Wednesday issued a press release announcing their lawsuit. They're represented by the New York-based Selendy Gay law firm.
"The complaint alleges that the arbitration ban is a politicized attempt to stifle Florida faculty members' academic freedom and violates the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), a well-established law enacted in 1925 that safeguards the right to arbitration nationwide," the release says.
Those sued are the members of the governing board for the State University System of Florida as well as the boards for FSU and UF.
FSU and UF's representatives didn't respond to media requests. Cassandra Edwards, spokesperson for the university system, said the state board didn't comment on pending litigation.
Two state-level lawsuits have been filed against the new tenure law, which DeSantis said would cut "deadweight costs." Both were filed in Leon County Circuit Civil court, one as recently as last week . The United Faculty of Florida is a plaintiff in the other case.
The latest case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida professor unions sue over new ban on employment arbitration
