STCC Professional Association

General Membership Meeting

September 19, 2007

Minutes

I. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 12:30

Location: 13/114

Attendance: 63 members signed in

II. Reports

Secretary, Dan Emerson

The minutes for the April 18, 2007 meeting were accepted and passed.

Treasurer, Ken Czuchra

At a point later in the meeting, the treasurer’s report (handout) was accepted and passed.

MCCC Director, Roberta Albano

R. Albano referred the membership to a handout outlining the MCCC Board of Directors meeting on August 17, 2007. She also reported on PHENOM noting that 200 representatives from colleges including students met at the statehouse and lobbied on behalf of higher education. The need now is for colleges to begin their own Phenom council (handout). Lastly, R. Albano stated that the Campus Forum on the 26th will have a couple representatives from Phenom present. She encouraged the membership to become involved and participate.

President, Rob Rodgers

R. Rodgers discussed several issues as outlined below:

* Grievances – A set of nine grievances were heard over the summer. The grievants did not accept the decision of the college, so the issues will be taken further. A tenth grievance was filed on behalf of all unit members regarding classification problems. If members have other problems or concerns, please contact a member of the executive committee.
* The new contract is here. Members should pick up a copy if they have not already received one.
* There is a workload problem regarding the number of students allowed in classes, notably the DSCE cap is currently 40. The school will be lowering the number of students needed for full pay from 19 to 14 (this fall) and then to 12 in September ’08. However, the upper end of the spectrum still needs to be addressed.
* Course materials are to be distributed by the end of the add/drop period. Syllabi should follow the guidelines outlined in the contract.
* R. Rodgers will be meeting with Ray Blair regarding student grievances. If a member is called in, they should call the union (R.Rodgers, N. Camerota, or C. Giaquinto) to assist.
* Regarding textbooks, a new bookstore manager is coming in. Members should voice their issues to Janet Wanczyk.
* For their initial classification for salary, new fulltime members need to complete the data form, and HR will then review and convert to points. If they feel they did not receive points correctly, they should contact a member of the executive committee regarding the appeals process.
* Non-Instructional Workload – Two changes have occurred in the reporting of hours. First, a change in the E-5 – members will initially submit intents and then resubmit with tasks completed at the end of the semester. The other change involves the workload calculation form. It has been changed to include non-instructional unit hours. There have been no changes in what constitutes college service or how the four hours are calculated. A question followed about what defines college service. R. Rodgers read from the list in the contract. If a member is receiving release time, the service may not be fully countable. However, community activities may count. It was noted that the intent of the form is NOT to increase college workload. The only change is in how it is reported. (The topic returned to workload later in meeting – for ease of organization the information is included here) Events such as Ovations and the 40th Anniversary Celebration should be credited. The consensus was if in doubt, put it in.
* Volunteers were then solicited for two committees. Their names and the committees are listed below:

Bylaws Nominations/Elections

- Amy Stephenson - Marcia Blanchette

- Lynn Kleindeinst - Marilyn Rovelli

- Marianne Joyce - Doug Buckley

- Mike Magala - Paul Wilusz

- Nick Camerota - Pat Luvera

III. New/Other Business

* N. Camerota thanked everyone for coming. He stated that we will be working to strengthen the hand of the union on campus. Weingarten cards are being reprinted, and we are also working to repossess the office in building 17. He stressed that we are one union and should strive for a culture of solidarity.
* Statewide issues – R. Rodgers discussed several events occurring at the state level.

o Mass Bay CC – the president, Carole Berotte, fired all the academic deans. R. Rodgers related some of the history surrounding the Mass Bay president and occurrences at the school.
o Another I-team story on reassign time may be underway.
o Potential salary – because some other state unions received more than 3%, the reopener clause in our contract may be utilized. In addition, a classification study is being conducted by Archer. The union and the Board of Higher Ed. will meet upon completion, and the union will again push for the 75th percentile.
o Regarding licenses and certifications, the forms and letters will be coming out soon. Members will need to submit needed documents.

* The Fall Leadership Conference will be held October 1st. Please contact R. Rodgers if interested.

The meeting adjourned at 1:46.

Secretary,

Daniel Emerson