Home
  Union Updates
  Leadership Directory
  By-Laws
  Contracts
  Calendar
  Minutes
  Weingarten Rights
  Strategic Action News
  PAC
  Social Security Offset
  Links

Union Updates.

For immediate statewide distribution:

Dear Colleagues:

The General Election is 25 days away, and many of us are counting. I'm counting on you to help make a difference in public higher education in our Commonwealth. I know that SAC representatives and chapter leaders are working to get every one involved in Campaign 2006 initiatives because so much is at stake.

* Our colleges, our communities, and our contracts depend on statewide funding. We must support those legislators who have supported our community college mission and our union. Legislative partnerships are a two-way street.
* Our professional lives and the funding for our colleges depend as well on the support we get from the governor's office. The governor sets our contractual parameters, is responsible for submitting legislation to get our contracts funded, and appoints members to countless statewide boards that affect our professional lives. We must campaign for a public education and union-friendly governor.

Campaign 2006: It's all about commitment:

* Commitment to those legislators who have supported our education and professional issues,
* Commitment to a gubernatorial candidate who will listen to us and do something about our 47th in the nation status in terms of state support for public higher education, and
* Commitment to getting out the vote among students, MCCC members, family, and friends.

Electing pro-public education leadership in Massachusetts: You can make a difference:

* Learn about the differences between the key candidates in the gubernatorial race. Note where they stand on key issues. Then educate others. Print out the attached point-by-point comparison of Gubernatorial Candidates Deval Patrick and Kerry Healey.
* Share your knowledge with family, friends, and colleagues. Participate in the 100,000 conversations campaign initiated by the MTA. Make a commitment to talk to at least 5 people about these issues. Ask them to talk to 5 others who will talk to 5 others, so the message grows and grows.
* If you want to support Deval Patrick more directly, go to the website link below to find the Deval Patrick coordinator for your town or precinct: http://community.devalpatrick.com/town.php Ask what you can do locally to make his bid for governor a reality. Be sure to identify yourself by name, school, and MCCC union affiliation.
* Support local legislators who support our union and our colleges. Contact your local SAC person or Chapter President if you have not heard from either regarding local races. Or contact your legislator directly to see if you can help. Be sure to indicate your name, college, and MCCC affiliation. Even though a legislator is unopposed, s/he may want some visibility at the polls. All will appreciate the call.
* Note the following website can provide you with voter information, including who your legislators are and where your voting site will be for this election: www.wheredoivotema.com
* Attend campaign events for local education candidates. Contact me for further information.

I will be providing campaign updates as needed. This election is too important to leave to chance. Thank you for your commitment to pro-public education leadership in this state. Please keep your SAC representative (or Chapter President if your chapter SAC position is unfilled) apprised of any and all of your campaign efforts.

Together we can ...make a difference.

In solidarity,

Donnie

Diana (Donnie) McGee
MCCC Vice-President & SAC Chair

Please distribute to all unit members.

Last week ended the fifth week of classes and immediate supervisors should have returned all course materials to faculty along with the Checklist of Course Materials (Form XIII-E2). If any of the 10 items listed on the checklist were missing or if the immediate supervisor had concerns, the faculty member should have been notified and given an opportunity to submit materials or respond to the concerns within fourteen (14) calendar days. If the missing items and/or concerns were identified, I recommend that you respond in writing to the immediate supervisor with the updated or missing item(s) and provide your students with the updated information.

The intent of this 14 day response period serves two (2) purposes:
1) To give the faculty member the opportunity to correct an oversight without a negative comment being placed in the summary evaluation.
2) To insure that students have all of the items on the checklist.

NB: Please note that faculty have full freedom in the selection of course materials and if the faculty member believes that directive from the immediate supervisor to change the course materials infringes upon academic freedom, then the faculty member has the right to initiate the grievance process.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Dennis Fitzgerald
MCCC Grievance Coordinator
mcccfitz@adelphia.net
Tel 508-746-2533
Fax 508-746-5258

sept. 22, 2006

For statewide distribution...

The Day Bargaining Team has asked me to report the ratification vote results:

YES: 740
NO: 190

The Agreement is ratified.

In coming days, I'll have more to report about dates for the formal signing and execution/delivery of the cost item request to Administration & Finance and the Governor.

Have a good weekend.

In solidarity,
Joe

MCCC Members,
A number of members have recently expressed the wish to be able tocommunicate with members on other campuses. To facilitate this, I havecreated an opt-in email list and online discussion group through Yahoothat I now invite all MCCC members (day faculty, professional staff, andDCE) to join. You can do this EITHER through email, or through a webbrowser, instructions for both are below.

Via Email

  1. Send an email to mccc_members-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . Include in the text which campus you're from and what you do there.
  2. I will approve you as soon as possible.
  3. Once you're approved, to send to the group, use mccc_members@yahoogroups.com
  4. You will receive emails each time someone sends them to the group.
  5. You can get off the list at any time by emailing mccc_members-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Via the Web

  1. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mccc_members/
  2. Click "Join this Group!"
  3. Sign in with your Yahoo account or create a new one.
  4. If it gives you the option to include a message, say which campus you're from and what you do there.
  5. By default you can send and receive messages as above, but you can also send messages from the group webpage, and you can click "Edit My Membership" to instead receive email in daily chunks ("daily digest") or only read discussions on the web.

6. You can unsubscribe at anytime as described above, or via the webpage. I will be moderating who is allowed to join so that we can try to restrict it to MCCC members only. I will NOT be moderating the content of the discussions so long as they relate tangentially to the union, so you can feel free to express any point of view. If you are familiar with Yahoo groups and wish to help moderate, please send me an email. As this is a "grass roots" effort, comments by individuals in the group represent that individual's opinion only, and are not representative of the MCCC, the membership as a whole, or any of the campuses that make up the MCCC.

Andria Schwortz
Physics and Astronomy
Quinsigamond Community College
670 W Boylston St Box 224
Worcester, MA 01606
(508) 854-7495

For statewide distribution...

All MCCC members are invited and encouraged to attend this year's Leadership Night on Monday, Sept. 25 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester. This is the first in a series of emails to promote this special event.

Some highlights include the following:

Door Prizes: $500 in American Express Gift Cards - courtesy of MTA Benefits

- Keynote: Len Paolillo, chair of the NEA's Legislative Committee, will speak about Higher Education Trends, including the latest news about the NEA's response to the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education.

- Legislative Awards: The MCCC will honor three special friends for their efforts on behalf of the 03 Creditable Service Law enacted in July: Senate Majority Whip Joan Menard, D- Somerset, and Public Service Committee Co-Chairs Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville, and Rep. Jay Kaufman, D-Lexington.

- Dinner buffet, including Chicken Marsala, Baked New England Scrod, fruit salad, mixed garden salad, tri-colored pasta salad, roasted red potatoes, chef's vegetables, assorted cakes and pies, coffee and tea.

- Four Breakout Sessions:
1. "Building a Stronger Chapter" presented by the MTA's Richard Sanders and George Luse
2. "MCCC for Newbies: A Survival Guide for New (and old) Faculty and Staff" presented by a panel of MCCC Day Grievance Coordinator Dennis Fitzgerald and MCCC Officers Joe LeBlanc, Donnie McGee, Phil Mahler and Phyllis Barrett.
3. "What You Need to Know as You Get Closer to Retirement" presented by MTA Retirement Consultants Ed McCourt and Harold Crowley
4. Campus Classification Reps. meeting presented by MTA Consultant Michelle Gallagher

Wrap-up: Learn about the latest union news and ask questions. Presented by MCCC officers.

To reserve your place today, please contact MCCC Communications Coordinator Don Williams at <Communications@mccc-union.org> and be sure to indicate your choice of breakout session.

In solidarity,
Joe

 

Sept 1, 2006
Dear colleagues, I have scheduled a union meeting at 12:15PM on Wednesday, September 6,2006 in building 2 in the auditorium to discuss the proposed new collective bargaining agreement.
There is some ratification information on the statewide union's website at www.mccc-union.org. Is have also invited Joe Leblanc the MCCC President to attend to help explain his and or the team's view of the proposed contract. Is scheduled this yesterday in the belief that information had been mailed to your homes and would be received on the fifth, Is have since learned that the material has not yet been mailed but it , or at least some of it, has been posted at the above union address so I strongly urge everyone to read it before our meeting and bring your questions and thoughts.
NOTE: This meeting is open to all unit members not just members of the MCCC.

Bob Rodgers

August 4: Earlier today the MCCC's Day Unit Bargaining Team and Management reached tentative agreement on a new three-year contract for the period July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2009.

The Agreement calls for 3 percent annual increases to be paid out in a combination of classification "points" and across the board increases. Salary increases will be paid out on July 1, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Many more details will be shared with MCCC faculty and staff in coming weeks, and we will be working to prepare materials for a ratification vote to be held by mail in September.

Chapter Presidents are invited to attend the our next Board of Directors meeting on August 25 when a full explanation of the new tentative Agreement will be provided with a question and answer session to follow.

I would like to thank our team: Chair Rick Doud, Roberta Albano, Phyllis Barrett, Geri Curley, Phil Mahler, Donnie McGee, Kathleen McDonough, Gail Stuart and MTA Consultant and Team Spokesperson Katie D'Urso. They have done a magnificent job in negotiating the best contract possible on time with funds set to be paid out retroactively beginning the day after the 2003-2006 Agreement expired.

Best wishes for the rest of the summer!

In solidarity,
Joe

 

Phone calls needed NOW! Our health insurance contributions under attack again! Attached you'll find a doc explaining some of the details about it as well as some of the history.

Please Please Please ask your members to begin contacting their state reps on this issue immediately. Debate on the state budget will begin on Monday 4/24. We don't yet know how many days the budget debate will last or when our amendment to return everyone to 85/15 will be taken up, so we must be prepared for the possibility that it could come up early in the week.

Please take this issue very seriously. If we lose 85/15 this year, we are likely to never get it back. So now is the time to motivate our members to act. Increasing state employees' costs for their health insurance premiums is not only a cost shifting from the employer to the employee, it is also a significant pay cut for the effected state employees. We must convince state legislators to support Rep. Martin Walsh's amendment to return state workers to 85/15.

 

Votes have been counted and here are the results: The
results will take effect on June 1, 2006

President - Robert Rodgers

Vice President - Nicholas Camerota

Treasurer - Kenneth Czuchra

Secretary - Daniel J. Emerson

Day Member-At-Large - Carole Dupont

SCE Member-At-Large - Eric Brown

MCCC Director - Roberta Albano

 

Save the Date

  • Legislative Breakfast. HCC, GCC and STCC will be hosting a Legislative Breakfast in Scibelli Hall/7th floor, on Friday, April 21st, at 8 AM.

For statewide distribution...

Questions continue to be raised about the implementation of the 2003-2006 Agreement. The following is an overview of issues raised since the last update. Answers are in brackets at the end of each question. If you have any question about the present Agreement, do not hesitate to contact me.

Look for bargaining updates about the current negotiations to begin soon.
In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

> One member heard "a boost for those of us with K-12 experience is in the works. That would be great news!! Can you give me a ballpark number for points I might receive? I have 29 years secondary experience, and under the contract I was awarded 8 years.

[No such change in the grids was negotiated for this contract. For our current negotiations, some members have suggested an increase in the number of years allowed from 8 to 20 an increase in the value of a year from 4 points to 8.]

Another member writes: "I received classroom evaluations in 2001 and again in 2002 because I wanted to be in the merit pool. I did not received any points for either. HR says that I had already gotten points for 2001 and that no points were awarded to folks who were evaluated (out of the three year sequence) in 2002 because it was done for merit monies. Is this accurate?

[This member should have received her points for the 2001 evaluation (as long as it was "other than unsatisfactory") but not the 2002 evaluation because that was an out of sequence evaluation.]

Another member writes: "I’ve asked around regarding this question and it seems to be a MCCC issue. I was told that the MCCC has to sign off on the mileage agreement before the increase can added. If this has already occurred, our business office is not aware of it. Please let me know what’s up."

[I have receive several emails about his issue. The BHE has not yet sent out a memo to all segments of public higher ed. about the new mileage rate. It will be .40 per mile with an effective date of either October, 2005 or January, 2006. Retro. payments will be made to members owed such funds.]

"I received the recent "Salary Explanation Worksheet (2/17/06) Pay Advice to be Distributed on Friday, Feb.24, 2006."
On the bottom of the form section F lists "years of seniority" = 33 and section G lists "number of evaluations" = 8. I started teaching in Sept.1971, was tenured in June 1976, and was evaluated (post-tenure): every single year (1977, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82) every two years (1984, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94) every three years (1996, 99, 2002, 05). This calculates to 16 evaluations, not 8 as listed by HR. All of the evaluations recorded above are post-tenure. Am I missing some important element in the calculations here? Are there any special rules or formulae that I don't understand ?

[MTA consultant Katie D'Urso writes in response: "In August of 1999 all faculty received a form from DMG listing the post-tenure reviews that they would be credited with under the classification study. The calculation of credit for post-tenure review was done by taking the number of years that each faculty member was tenured as of 1999 and dividing by 3. In your case this would be 1999 minus 1976 for 23 tenured years, divided by 3 to give you 7 post-tenure reviews up until 1999. Then you had a review in 2002 and 2005. So you probably should have 9. Your original form from DMG in 1999 would show what you were originally credited with. If HR has this form from your personnel file, you could see if there is an error."]

"I was wondering if it will be at all possible to give us some hypothetical examples of what retroactive annual update means in dollar terms for 3/10/06 paycheck. I often get asked this question by my
peers. Your dollar examples will be of great help to them. Thanks."

[Here's one faculty example:
- Annual salary as of 10/1/05: $57,894.67
- 10/5/05 annual update (April 2006 points)
1 year seniority (8 points at $49.368 per point) + $394.94
1 year experience (8 points at $49.368 per point) + $394.94
Add applicable points for post-tenure review, new academic credentials, change in rank, etc.
Annual salary as of 10/2/05 $58,684.56
Difference $789.89
New bi-weekly salary $2,257.10

This members would also have a received retro. payments of $303.80 for money owed for the period of 10/2/05 to 2/18/06.]

"Could you please give me your opinion of this? Should I file an appeal? I have two master’s degrees (in different areas), a CAGS, and a doctorate. I have received the 75 points for the doctorate. Am I entitled to additional points for the second master’s degree and the CAGS? It appears that 75 points is the maximum; however, based on what you wrote ... I wanted to check with you on this. Please advise."

[My Feb. 28 Day Contract Update was in error. Currently, academic credentials is capped at 75 points on the grids. Sorry for any confusion this error caused.]

"I hope you can clarify something for me. Last Fall was my evaluation semester (class observation, course materials, student eval. etc). The March 10 payroll did not include any money for this performance evaluation/tenure review. Shouldn't I have received 10 points @ $49.36? As it appears no one similarly situated at XX Community College received any money for their evaluation are we all wrong in our interpretation of the contract? I will be most chagrined to learn that I am wrong and our HR dept. is right.

[HR is right in this case. Fall, 2005 evaluations will not be picked up until the Oct. 2006 update. These points will be due for payment in the first update due under the next Agreement.]

"I noticed in the unit professional notes that the post-tenure evaluation points should be given at the point dollar value that faculty gets. Is this correct? I think that here, at XXCC, folks have only been receiving the point dollar value for the grade they are at. When you get the chance, could you please explain this to me."

[The '05 and '06 points were paid at the higher rate, and the BHE agreed to tack on the '04 post tenure points so that every prof. staff would have 3 years of post tenure points at the higher rate.]

"Let's deal with a hypothetical: Someone is hired October 30, 2005 - Grade 5 - the base for this grade in the old contract was 40,414; and # of points x $23.108. Would this person get recalculated at the new grid amounts, $46,476 and point value at $26.574?

[Yes, this hypothetical prof. staff question is correct.]

This faculty member was hired in a temporary position in the fall of 199x She did not work in the position during the following spring semester. She was hired for a permanent position in the fall of the following year. Question: Does she receive points (seniority, experience) for the initial semester in which she worked? HR says no.

[The best advice at this point: try to get the credit from HR and if you don't get it, appeal to the statewide appeals committee.]

"Could you tell me what is holding up the monies that were supposed to be paid out on April 7? I've had several inquiries and HR has simply said that they didn't hear from the BHE."

[Payments for the last installment of the new contract for changes in the grids have been delayed at some colleges. This is due to the complex nature of the process of seeking and gathering supporting documentation for items reflected in the changed grids. Because of this delay, the period for paying out these funds will be extended to the April 21 and May 5 payrolls.]

"On Tuesday, April 11, HR conducted a workshop on determining points. On the grid distributed by the MCCC, look at Non-teaching experience. Full-time must be directly related to the teaching field. 1 year=8 points Maximum years=20.
HR's document signed by Peter Tsaffaras shows 1 year= 4 points. Which is right?"

[Earlier this year, the wrong grids were placed on our website by mistake. These grids were not intialed, were not agreed to by both parties, and were not official. To see the official grids, follow the link below. The grid links are located on the left side near the top of of the page.
http://mccc-union.org/CONTRACTS/view_contracts.html

Future updates to the current Agreement will be sent out as necessary. Look for bargaining updates to begin soon as we work to negotiate a new Agreement over the next several weeks.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
Chair, Day Bargaining Team


NOMINATIONS FOR 2006

Eligibility: Anyone who is a dues paying unit member of the MCCC, Day or SCE. Agency Fee payors are not eligible to hold office or vote.

TWO YEAR TERMS OF OFFICE:

PRESIDENT:
Names: Robert Rodgers
Carol Mathison

VICE PRESIDENT:
Names: Nicholas Camerota

TREASURER:
Names: Mary Donovan
Ken Czuchra

SECRETARY:
Name: Daniel J Emerson

DAY MEMBER-AT-LARGE:
Name: Carole Dupont
Warren Hall

SCE MEMBER-AT-LARGE:
Name: Eric Brown
Cleo Mavrelion

ONE YEAR TERM OF OFFICE:

MCCC DIRECTOR:
Name: Roberta Albano

It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that Carolyn Tetrault will be the recipient of the Lemieux Award at the Delegate Assembly this year. She is, indeed, an ideal recipient who devoted much of her professional career for the betterment of the union and most assuredly for the betterment of those of us in the STCC PA.

I hope many of you will plan on attending the Delegate Assembly this year to share in Carolyn's well-deserved recognition.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Carol

Correction: There is an error in the February Newsletter concerning the March 10 salary adjustment. The 3/10 payment will include ALL POINTS OWED; points for seniority, experience, and post tenure evaluation. These are the April 1, 2006 points that will be paid retroactive to October 2, 2005. The article indicated that post tenure evaluation points would not be included, but that is not the case. Sorry for any unnecessary confusion caused by the article.

Feb 27, 2006
For statewide distribution...

The following is the latest news about Day Negotiations and implementation of the 2003-2006 Agreement:

- Management has agreed to commence negotiations for a successor agreement on Wednesday, March 22 at Quinsigamond CC. At that meeting, we expect to set ground rules, discuss the general scope of negotiations, and agree to dates for the next two sessions. Both sides expect to have their packages ready by early April when our work will begin in earnest. Release time for our Bargaining Team has already been negotiated with management.

- The process of implementing the 2003-2006 Agreement grinds on. Management has now completed 4 of the 7 payrolls necessary to fully implement the Agreement.

- The BHE's Peter Tsaffaras has sent written authorization and instructions for processing salary adjustments due for the March 10 payroll when payments for the 2006 points will be made as follows:

1. For faculty, the October 15, 2005 Annual Update (a.k.a. April, 2006 points)

(Note: a.k.a. April, 2006 points to be paid retroactive to Sunday, October 2, 2005.)

1. For Unit Professional Staff, the October 15, 2005 Annual Update (a.k.a. April, 2006 points)

(Note: a.k.a. April, 2006 points to be paid retroactive to Sunday, October 2, 2005.)

1. For Unit Professional Staff, payment of the Point Value Differential between the value of the appropriate Unit Professional Staff Point and the value of a Faculty Point.

(Note: This payment will be retroactive to Sunday October 2, 2005.)

- The March 24 payroll will include an across the board increase of any funds remaining from the payment of the 2006 points (2 percent of the payroll in the original cost item request). This payment is expected to be similar in size and scope to the earlier across the board increase.

- Tsaffaras said he is working with HR staffs to prepare for the implementation of the market update in the April 7 payroll. This will include payment for changes due in the faculty and professional staff grids effective in the 2003-2006 Agreement. A memo is being prepared to assist H.R. Directors in asking MCCC faculty and prof. staff to update their external experience based on the new grid.

- Our Negotiations survey went "live" last week with a due date of March 8 for members to respond. Follow this link to take the survey:

http://www.massteacher.org/surveys/mccc06.htm

The survey is simple with a 10 to 15 minute completion time. Please note the program the MTA uses has a protection against multiple survey response from the same person.

- Members continue to email their questions about the new Agreement. Answers and/or comments are in brackets.

• Several retirees have written to inquire about payment for the 2003 points.
[Payment for these points is not covered by this Agreement because the Romney administration did not allow for any payment of retro. before April 1, 2005.]

• One member writes, "I was hired in August 2003, and I have yet to see any raise. As I understand it, points for people hired prior to 2003 were paid out on Jan 13, but nothing else yet. What dates can I expect to see my 2003-present points, and my 2003-present minimum salary increase? As one of the "new generation of members," the last is the most relevant to me.
[The adjustments should have been made in the Feb. 24 payroll. If this has not been done, please contact me asap.]

• Another member writes about a change in the grid for prof. staff: "When I started at Cape Cod Community College in July 2004, the contract in place at the time only allowed for 8 years of related experience for professional staff at 8 points per year which equaled a maximum of 64 points. So even though I had 20 years of experience when I started at the College I was only credited with 8 years. The new contract now allows for a 20 year maximum of related experience which would equal 160 points. This would represent a significant increase in my salary. However, I have been told by Human Resources that the point differential will not be implemented until April 2006.

[This member will receive credit for the additional 12 years of experience as of April 1, 2006. This will happen in the last payment scheduled for 4/7/06.]

• Another prof. staff member writes, "So what does “PT Related Experience (within the Massachusetts community college system” mean? Does PT teaching prior to full-time employment count?"

[No, part-time teaching prior to full-time employment does not count.]

[One added note: The HR Director wrote the following memo to members at that college. It sums up changes to the prof. staff grid in the new Agreement: "For FT Professional Staff, there are three changes in the Classification Structure. First, PT Related Experience (within the Massachusetts community college system) can be counted towards the salary on the basis of 1 point for every 250 hours of work to a maximum of 4000 hours (16 points). Second, the number of years of directly related FT Non-Teaching Experience (outside the Massachusetts community college system) that can be counted towards the salary has been raised from 8 to 20 years. Third, the maximum total of points for Outside Experience has been raised from 72 to 160."]

• Another member writes to ask about points for additional credentials: "As a reminder, I met with my HR director and he/she stated that the College awarded me 75 points for my Juris Doctorate, effectively counting it as a Doctorate. He/she further informed me that I am ineligible for any further salary increases under the "new academic credentials" category. I have a Master of the Laws (LL.M.) and a Master of Arts. I just wanted to check if I am eligible for an increase under "new academic credentials" because I acheived a Master of Arts in a different content area or if I have hit some sort of ceiling, as xxxxx contends."

[Our MTA consultant, Katie D'Urso writes, "There is no ceiling on the chart, you get credit for every degree that you have earned. If the HR Director does not agree, the member can file an appeal."]

• A prof. staff member hired last fall writes: "I can't seem to figure out or find out when I am going to see the 15 percent base increase in my paycheck. I am a new (September 05) full- time professional staff member at a grade level 5 and am anticipating an increase of 15 percent. Do you have any idea when I might begin to see it? Any info you may have would be greatly appreciated. I have been quoted a new salary but no date."

[Some colleges hired new members last fall using the new minimum salaries outlined in the grid, but others did not. This member will receive the 15 percent increase in the April 7 payroll.]

• Over Winter Break, errors were made in reporting student evaluation results on the Summary Evaluation form for faculty in an evaluation year. One Academic Vice President writes: "We were to report on the median of the first four questions for each section and the resultant average of those sections. What you received was based on all of the questions not limited to the first four."

[MCCC Day Grievance Coordinator Dennis Fitzgerald writes in response: "Yes. It did happen across the state. . . a letter had to go out advising high level administrators to correct all summary evaluations, The letter also included step by step instructions on how the median scores should be tabulated and transferred to the summary."]

 

Our first Association meeting of the semester is :

Wednesday 2/15/06 Bldg 2 / 7th Flr
Pizza at 12:15
Business Meeting begins 12:30
Preliminary Delegation Report, N. Camerota
Special Guests: R. Doud & J. LeBlanc, MCCC

Here's the latest news about the 2003-2006 Agreement and other Day Bargaining news.

The Feb. 10 payroll will include 5 percent salary increases for part-time day unit members. The second payment scheduled for the Feb. 10 payroll has been delayed until Feb. 24. The reason: some colleges have been late in sending their accounts of the funds remaining from the 4.44 percent of the MCCC payroll paid out to date. We expect this across the board increase on base to be miniscule. The BHE will be sending us exact figures before the end of the week and we will share them with you as soon as they are available.

The Day Negotiations Committee has nearly finished the new online Day Bargaining Survey. A tentative schedule for its implementation follows:

- Survey document will be completed this week
- Survey will tested next week (2/13-2/17)
- Survey will go "live" to the membership on or about Feb. 22
- Members will be given 2 weeks to complete the survey with a closing date of March 8
- Survey results will compiled by MTA the following week.

Faculty and Professional staff grids have been updated and are available on the MCCC's website. Day Grievance Coordinator Dennis Fitzgerald has created a copy of the 1999-2002 Agreement with changes incorporated from the new Agreement. Additional details about these and other aspects of the contract are available at this link:

Since our new Agreement expires in less than six months, we will not be printing the new Agreement. Our next three-year Agreement will be printed and widely distributed to our day unit membership.

The BHE's Peter Tsaffaras visited the MCCC's board of directors in January. He reviewed the payment schedule for the new Agreement and took questions about its implementation. He also committed to commence bargaining in mid-March.

A subcommittee of the day Bargaining Team met with the Presidents Labor Relations Committee on Jan. 31. We shared preliminary results of our analysis of salaries from the classification states and the 75th percentile. The presidents reconfirmed their commitment to the 75th percentile and agreed to lobby for it in a variety of forums. They suggested a process for presenting this information to the Board of Higher Education and agreed to work with us on this issue in coming weeks. They said the employer's bargaining team is nearly set and that they expect to begin bargaining in March.

MCCC Research Coordinator Hilaire Jean-Gilles will be incorporating the salary increases (with HRCMS data) paid out effective the 2004-2005 Academic Year into his 75th percentile analysis, the results of which will be shared in future bargaining updates.

We are setting up a meeting with Chancellor Gill, BHE Chair Tocco and Tsaffaras to discuss the salary analysis and other issues related to bargaining.

Members continue to send me their individual questions about the Agreement. An overview follows:
- Three members have had their salary increases delayed because they have worked at two community colleges during the life of this Agreement, and their "points" information has not yet been transferred from one institution to the next.

[I have called the BHE about all three cases. One has been resolved and payments will be made for the Feb. 24 payroll. THe other two cases from Bristol are pending.]

- I have received a few calls about the equalization of points for full-time professional staff. Prof. staff should have received points equal in value to faculty for the 2003 annual update (aka the 2004 points) in the Jan. 13 payroll. Tsaffaras has verbally committed to correct this oversight in the (tentative) Feb. 24 payroll. When this is done, prof. staff points will be equalized for three years of the new Agreement.

- I have received a few questions from retirees about their points for 2003, etc.
[The Romney administration's financial parameters stipulated little retroactivity in contracts negotiated in 2005. Our contract is partly retroactive to April 1, 2005, so members who retired prior to that date are not entitled to payment of points earned in previous years.]

One chapter leader writes, "I have a comprehensive evaluation in Fall, 2004 and Fall 2001. Which back pay checks should reflect raises for these evaluations? A general schedule of comprehensive evaluations and when the paycheck comes would be very helpful to the membership."

[Fall 2001 post-tenure review points would be credited in the fall 2002 update and are due for payment on April 1, 2003. In the new Agreement, the points are actually paid on April 1, 2005.

Fall 2002 post-tenure review points would be credited in the fall 2003 update and are due for payment on April 1, 2004. In the new Agreement, the points are actually paid on April 1, 2005.
Fall 2003 post-tenure review points would be credited in the fall 2004 update and are due for payment on April 1, 2005. In the new Agreement, the points are paid on April 1, 2005.

Fall 2004 post-tenure review points would be credited in the fall 2005 update and are due for payment on April, 1, 2006. In the new Agreement, these points will be paid out early on Oct. 15, 2005.]

Please continue to send along your questions.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
Chair, Day Bargaining Team

Feb. 2, 2006

The Joint Committee on Public Service has released SB1535 with a favorable recommendation. This bill would provide some adjuncts (those teaching more than four courses per year) with health insurance. An aide to committee Co-Chair Sen. Pat Jehlen called me last week to say it has been referred to the Health Care Financing Committee. Read more

Jan. 26, 2006

Later today the Day Negotiations Committee (comprised on representatives from all our chapters) will meet in Worcester to develop the Day Bargaining Survey. This online survey will be conducted in February. The survey results will be used by the Day Bargaining Team to assist in developing the MCCC's Demand Package. The Day Team will also meet and consult with the Negotiation Committee to seek advice in developing the best Demand Package possible over the next few weeks. Read more

Jan 9 , 2006

Payment for the 2003 and 2004 "points" will be made for the Jan. 13
payroll. We will distribute the rest of the schedule as soon as we
have it in writing from the BHE.

Human Resources and Payroll personnel have been working diligently
and enthusiastically to do all the work necessary to meet this week's
deadline to allow payment of the 2003 and 2004 points (including
retro. payments). Thank you notes and similar tokens of appreciation
are appropriate and will be much-appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Jan 6 , 2006

Hi All,
This seems like a great way to start the new semester - payment of our '03 and '04 points will be in the January 13th paychecks provided the college can get all the paperwork submitted by Saturday, January 7th. Myra and Joanne are working into the wee small hours to accomplish this huge task.

Please be aware that you must have been a unit member from October 15, 2001 to October 15, 2002 in order to receive the '03 points. Likewise, you must have been a unit member from October 15, 2002 to October 15, 2003 to receive the '04 points.

If, after you receive your update, you have issues or questions, please contact me immediately. For those of you that still have unanswered questions that we have submitted for review, HR is still looking into all the issues and any errors will be corrected retroactively.

Carol

Jan 4 , 2006

The first payment of our salary increase will be included in the January 13 payroll. Payment for two years of points, April 1, 2003 and April 1, 2004 will be included. Your base salary will increase at that time, and your paycheck will include these increases retroactive to April 1, 2005. Your pay advice on January 13 will include a work sheet explaining how your new salary was calculated, and also include a schedule detailing what pay increases will be included in future payroll periods. Originally the BHE wanted to distribute these increases over 10 payroll periods, and paying these two years at once is a step in reducing that time frame. Over the course of these payouts, if you believe an error has been made in calculating your points, please contact your local HR office. If you can not resolve the problem, please contact your local chapter president, who should try to resolve the problem with your HR office. If you are still not successful, please let me know, and I will try to resolve any outstanding issues with the BHE. If there is still a discrepancy, then we will proceed with the regular grievance process. I will continue to work to reduce the time frame for paying out all the monies due us, but I do appreciate your continued patience, as some of the pay calculations are quite time consuming for your local HR office.

 

FEB 2, 2006

The following is a quick update of the latest news on the MCCC's
political action front:

- The Joint Committee on Public Service has released SB1535 with a
favorable recommendation. This bill would provide some adjuncts
(those teaching more than four courses per year) with health
insurance. An aide to committee Co-Chair Sen. Pat Jehlen called me
last week to say it has been referred to the Health Care Financing
Committee.

In an informal survey last semester, more than 200 MCCC adjuncts
indicated they would benefit from this bill. I have contacted all of
them by email to give them the good news. Undoubtedly, there are many
more adjuncts who will benefit, and we will keep in touch to advise
about our grassroots and State House lobbying efforts in coming
weeks. Both Jehlen and Co-Chair Rep. Jay Kaufman have also pledged to
lobby for this bill as it moves over the next several months.

- The Public Service Committee has also released HB189 with a
favorable recommendation. This bill would allow some adjuncts to
enter the state employees retirement system. The bill should be in
the hands of the House Ways and Means soon.

- The 03 creditable service buyback bill has now been renamed SB2294.
This bill would allow more than 100 full-time MCCC members to buyback
up to four years of 03 service. The bill was reported favorably by
the Public Service Committee last semester. We will be working
closely with the MTA and a state employees labor coalition to lobby
for this bill in coming months. Stay tuned...

- Letters of thanks for progress on all the above-mentioned bills
should be sent to both Kaufman and Jehlen (State House, Boston, MA
02133).

- HB530, a bill to amend Chapter 150E so to expedite the contract
funding process, is still in the hands of the Public Service
Committee. Rep. Kaufman has agreed to meet with MCCC leaders, various
lobbyists, and representatives from community college presidents to
discuss how to fix a law that committee know is clearly broken. Our
goal is to move this bill out of committee soon.

- We continue to monitor the proposed Higher Education Reform Act.
I'll report the latest news on this as yet to be numbered and
definitively drafted bill that aims (among other things) to
significantly increase funding for public higher education over the
next several years. I'll report on this in greater detail in future
updates.

As always, do not hesitate to contact me with questions about any of
these issues.
In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Jan. 26

Later today the Day Negotiations Committee (comprised on representatives from all our chapters) will meet in Worcester to develop the Day Bargaining Survey. This online survey will be conducted in February. The survey results will be used by the Day Bargaining Team to assist in developing the MCCC's Demand Package. The Day Team will also meet and consult with the Negotiation Committee to seek advice in developing the best Demand Package possible over the next few weeks.

The Bargaining Team will develop the package by early March to allow us to commence negotiations by Spring Break. We expect to present the package to the Board of Directors in March to be followed by distribution to the membership in a Bargaining Update. As you know, our 2003-2006 Agreement ends at the end of June. Our goal is to negotiate the best Agreement possible on time.

The payroll schedule for the new Agreement has been widely distributed. Details about this and other aspects of the contract are available at this link:
http://mccc-union.org/CONTRACTS/view_contracts.html

I have received several questions about the payments from the 1/13 payroll period and encourage you to contact me by email with any further questions as this process continues through early April. Questions and comments I've received so far include the following:

1. At Northern Essex, a clerical error meant that members were paid 10 points per year for MCCS Experience and Seniority instead of the 8 called for on our grids. An adjustment will be made in the Jan. 27 payroll. HR personnel apologized for the error, saying they did their best, but had to produce the numbers within a couple of days.

2. The issue has been raised that full time prof. staff should be paid at the equalized point value (with faculty) for post-tenure evaluation points due to be paid out for the 2004 points. Indeed, this is only fair since other prof. staff will be paid at the equalized rate for the 2005 and 2006 points. At the MCCC board of directors meeting last Friday, the BHE's Peter Tsaffaras said he would check his notes to see that his records agree with the MCCC's Day Bargaining Team's. We will continue to push this issue.

3. The issue of new state mileage rate has been clarified. It is now 40 cents a mile. A copy of the state policy can be seen in this document from A & F.

Nov. 16, 2004
While we have known for sometime that the legislature would fund our collective bargaining agreement, we have not known precisely how or when it would happen. We know know how and will soon know when.

Earlier this week, the lobbyists met with House Speaker DiMasi. He said he was sympathetic to our issue and committed to funding the Agreement. He said because our request is not controversial and because the House has an overwhelming agenda this week that he wanted to do the contract funding during informal sessions that begin tomorrow and continue until formal sessions resume in January, 2006. He advised the MTA to withdraw an amendment (regarding contract funding) to the Senate's supplemental budget, as this would delay the outcome, as this supplemental is going to conference committee in a process that may last several weeks. The MTA agreed to withdraw the amendment.

To fund the Agreement in informal session requires that we have the support of the House and Senate Minority Leaders as anyone can object to a bill presented in informal session and effectively kill it. On Monday, Minority Leader Brad Jones, R-North reading, agreed to support the bill in informal session. He asked that this count as a roll call labor vote. The MTA agreed to this request, and MCCC lobbyist Flaherty said he would speak with the head of the AFL-CIO to ask that they do the same.

Yesterday, the MTA spoke with Senate President Travaglini's staff. They said they do not see a problem with moving the contracts as soon as they receive them from the House. Jo Blum, MTA Governmental Services, spoke with Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees' chief of staff last night. He said he did not see an issue and will get back to us later today.

We should know WHEN this will happen very soon. As soon as I know, you will know.

For now, it would be helpful if calls, etc. were made to Rep. Brad Jones to thank him for his support for funding the MCCC's contract in informal session. MCCC members from his district (see contact information below) are especially encouraged to call and write today.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

State House

Room 124, Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: 617-722-2100
E-Mail: Rep.BradleyJones@hou.state.ma.us

District Office
249 Park Street
North Reading, MA 01864
Phone: 978-664-5936
Fax: 978-664-5936
RepBradJones@Comcast.net

Nov. 15, 2006

First, I'd like to state the obvious fact that several lobbyists (MCCC's Charles Flaherty, MTA's Ed Sullivan and Jo Blum and the Presidents Council's Michael Muse) have been lobbying House and Senate leaders furiously over the last several days. While the outcome - a funded contract - has never been in doubt, details about the vehicle for funding (Will it be done as a supplemental budget item or contract funding bill to be acted on in formal or informal session) and the timeline have been in flux.

Earlier today, we learned the Senate did not include our contract in
its supplemental budget. This is good news since this supplemental
budget will now go to conference committee in a process that will
likely take several weeks and may stretch into early 2006.

Earlier today, the lobbyists met with House Speaker DiMasi and agreed
on a vehicle for funding our Agreement. Since a few details must be
worked out tomorrow, that's all I can report for now, but I expect to
be reporting some very good and definitive news very soon. Look for a
full report tomorrow

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Nov. 9, 2006
For now, no news is good news, as far as legislative funding for our 2003-2006 Agreement is concerned. We have no indications whatsoever that our contract is in jeopardy and are waiting to see it appear on the House agenda for a roll call vote this week or next.

That being said, it never hurts to be ready to make calls to rank and
file legislators and House and Senate leaders. Please stand ready to
call legislators late this week and early next.

I will be in Boston tomorrow to assess the situation in person and
will send out a new update on Thursday evening.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Nov. 8, 2006
Whenever a new contract is about to be negotiated, and prior to the start of the work of the Negotiating Team, a Negotiations Committee is formed comprised of one active member from each campus who is elected by its chapter. The responsibilities of this Negotiations Committee are:

1) Develop procedures to survey the general membership's contractual
needs and priorities.

2) Develop an initial negotiations package in conjunction with the Board
of Directors and the Negotiating Team (find the contractual priorities
the members wish the Day Team to incorporate in its demand
package.)

3) The Committee's responsibility shall end upon acceptance of a
negotiations package by the Board of Directors.

The first meeting of this committee will be held on Friday, December 16th, 10:30 AM, in the Worcester office.

I am looking for members who would be willing to serve as the STCC
representative to this committee to submit their name to me by
November 18th. Based on the number of replies, we will hold a special meeting to elect our representative.

Please call me if you have any questions - I served on this committee many years ago and found it to be most insightful as to the issues and concerns emanating from other campuses.
Carol

Nov 1, 2005
We hoped to see the contract funded yesterday, but our efforts were foiled - in part at least - by the trip to Portugal by some members of the House. Since the contracts will be done by a roll call vote, sources tell us that all the members of the House and Senate would
like to be present to receive due credit for voting for the contracts.

Earlier this week, MCCC lobbyist Charles Flaherty called to say that
he and the Presidents Council lobbyist Michael Muse had spoken with
the following people about the MCCC's contract: House Speaker DiMasi,
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Deleo, the House Ways and Means
Committee staff and their Senate counterparts. Flaherty says there
is no doubt the contract will be funded.

The House has committed to three formal sessions this week, all of
which will present us with opportunities for taking up our contract.
We will continue to press the contract funding issue and will report
the good news to you as soon as it happens. At any rate, we expect
this to occur before the legislature's formal sessions end in mid-
November.

MTA consultant Katie D'Urso, Rick Doud and I met at the BHE yesterday
to work out a tentative schedule for payment of salary adjustments
due under the Agreement. The BHE's Peter Tsaffaras said he would work
to set things in motion within 7 to 10 days after the contract
funding Agreement is enacted into law. We will be doing everything
possible to start the money flowing in time for the holidays.

In the meantime, we will soon be forming a new Day Bargaining Team,
preparing for a new round of negotiations and presenting
classification salary data to the college presidents in the hope that
they will take the latter issue to the BHE. As always, we will have
many irons in the fire. Your continued support is much-appreciated.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Oct 26, 2005
Good Afternoon:
A vote was taken by the membership on WORK TO RULE today prior to the campus meeting. The vote was as follows:

71 to 34 to go off WTR, therefore the STCC PA is no longer on WTR beginning today, October 26, 2005.

Oct 19, 2005
President Rick Doud has just called me from Boston and asked me to pass on to you, on behalf of him, Vice President Joe LeBlanc, Team Chair, and the day contract bargaining team, that the Governor has submitted a funding bill which includes the community college faculty/professional staff contract, the state college contract, and various other public employee packages.

Thus, the Governor has acted in a timely fashion on our contract.

Personally I will be more than surprised if this does not pass the
legislature expeditiously - even if half of them are on a trip to Spain and
Portugal at the moment.

Phil Mahler
MCCC Treasurer

 

Oct. 18, 2005
Following a meeting of the Executive Committee this afternoon, I write to announce the names of the ten people who will form the Delegation that will meet with President Rubenzahl on October 25th. This delegation comprises representation from all divisions on campus:

Terry Glanville
Bob Rodgers
Doug Buckley
Bob Bujak
Diane Ryzewicz
Linda Harrington
Gail Dunn
David Winsper
Nick Camerota
Barbara Wurtzel

The five people who will serve as alternates should one of the above be unable to participate are:

Sharon Hilton
Lynn Quintin
John Gately
Mary Donovan
Carole Dupont

The Executive Committee would like the five alternates to participate in the delegation's planning meeting.

Recognizing that time is short between now and the 25th, we are suggesting an initial meeting of the delegation for Friday, October 21st, during the college hour (12:15 - 1:20). Lynn has arranged for the V. Marion Room to be available in the library. The Executive Committee would like to join you as it has three very brief procedural comments it would like to present to you at this time regarding its role in the very serious concerns before us.

Since you don't have a spokesperson/chair as yet, I guess it makes best sense for me to receive your responses as to whether or not you can make this meeting on the 21st. I sincerely hope that you will make your best effort to attend.

Carol

Oct 14, 2005
word doc of letter of concern

Oct 13, 2005
Below is the link to get to the worksheets used yesterday to
discuss how to calculate your points:

These are the files we used yesterday at the PA meeting.

For those of you who wish to go to the MCCC website, click on the link below, or copy-n-paste the address into the URL window and hit go.

http://www.mccc-union.org/CONTRACTS/Day2003-2006/Proposed_Agreement/index.html

Scroll down until you come to "Materials to Compute Salary Increases"

Please note that the "Calculate Your Points" worksheet is an excel document that you may use on-line by filling in the top three (highlighted in yellow) lines. At the bottom of the page you need to click on
general information, prof. staff, or faculty to get the correct form

Carol

Oct. 3, 2005

For statewide distribution...

The following is the MCCC Contract Funding Update for this week:

- Dan Asquino, head of the college presidents labor relations committee, has spoken twice to Chancellor Judith Gill to request that a meeting be set up with Administration and Finance (A and F). Asquino says he will raise this issue again when the Chancellor returns to her office during the week of Oct. 3. She has been away for some of this past week.
- The Chancellor has spoken with A and F. read more

Sept. 27, 2005 For statewide distribution...

This is not the regular weekly update about the contract funding process, but an emergency bulletin to all members.

Earlier today A and F called the Board of Higher Education to say they had received about 30 calls from MCCC and MSCA faculty who inquired about the "delay" in the contract funding process. They said they were disgruntled and angry. The BHE followed up by calling Rick Doud and me. read more

Additional information from the announcements we were unable to complete at last week's PA meeting:

--Eight or nine cc's voted to stay on WTR until the governor signs the Agreement - some voted to stay on WTR until money is in our paychecks.

--The Appeals Committee has accepted the recommendations of the Global Issues Committee read more

The following is the first of what we hope will be a short-lived series of weekly reports on the contract funding process.

On Tuesday, the legislature passed a supplemental budget, including more than $100 million in collective bargaining agreements finalized by Gov. Romney in recent months. The House has publicly committed to passing another supplemental budget in October. The latter obviously read more

Sept. 19, 2005 The STCC Professional Association membership, at a meeting today, overwhelmingly defeated a motion to go off Work To Rule. The issue will be revisited when the governor has signed the Agreement and sent it to the Legislature. For the present, the STCC PA membership will continue to follow the full WTR guidelines implemented last Fall.

Sept. 15, 2005 Earlier today a letter from Chancellor Gill and the Cost Item Request for our 2003-2006 Agreement were delivered to Gov. Romney. With rollover costs, the contract will pay out $7.6 million by the end of the Agreement.

The Governor now has up to 45 days to act on this request. We have been and will continue to be working through a variety of channels to expedite this phase of the process as well as prepare the way for funding by the legislature.

We will keep you posted.
In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

 

Oct.3, 2005 For statewide distribution...

The following is the MCCC Contract Funding Update for this week:

- Dan Asquino, head of the college presidents labor relations committee, has spoken twice to Chancellor Judith Gill to request that a meeting be set up with Administration and Finance (A and F). Asquino says he will raise this issue again when the Chancellor returns to her office during the week of Oct. 3. She has been away for some of this past week.
- The Chancellor has spoken with A and F.
- Sources within and without the Executive Branch have spoken with the Office of Employee Relations (OER). These sources are friendly to the MCCC and its members.
- Representatives from the College Trustees and Presidents have written letters to Governor Romney.
- MCCC lobbyist Charles Flaherty will be setting up a meeting with incoming A and F Secretary Thomas Trimarco. Trimarco is replacing outgoing Secretary Eric Kriss. Flaherty will provide Trimarco with a history of our new Agreement.

- All indications continue to be positive. We are not taking anything for granted, however, and continue to monitor the situation closely.

I have been asked to provide an overview of the current situation on Work to Rule. While the chart at the end of this email is a work in progress, it provides all the information I have received to date. Question marks indicate only that I have not received any word. "No" indicates the chapter has voted to go off WTR. "WTR" indicates the chapter has voted to stay on WTR.

Best wishes for what I hope will be a wonderful fall weekend,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC

Berkshire no

Bristol WTR

Bunker Hill WTR

CCCC WTR

GCC WTR

Holyoke no

Mass. Bay ?

Massasoit WTR

Middlesex no

Mt. W ?

North Shore WTR

NECC no

QCC WTR

RCC ?

STCC WTR

 

Sept. 27, 2005 For statewide distribution...

This is not the regular weekly update about the contract funding process, but an emergency bulletin to all members.

Earlier today A and F called the Board of Higher Education to say they had received about 30 calls from MCCC and MSCA faculty who inquired about the "delay" in the contract funding process. They said they were disgruntled and angry. The BHE followed up by calling Rick Doud and me.

This situation presents a problem for us as the calls are not helping the situation. The Governor has up to 45 days to act on our contract, and we have every reason to believe he will submit the contract for funding to the legislature before the 45 days have elapsed. We have every reason to believe he will honor the timelines and guidelines of Chapter 150E, the Commonwealth's collective bargaining statute.

The process is not in fact "delayed". We think it is very much on track for expeditious submission to the legislature and subsequent speedy funding in a supplemental budget this fall. I have to walk a fine line here and am unable to reveal confidential information received over the past several days. Suffice it to say that before this afternoon the news has been all positive. In fact, the report about the angry phone calls is the only development to date to threaten our chances of success.

We understand your feelings of frustration, but are asking you in the strongest terms possible to abide by the following request:
- Do not call A and F
- DO not call the BHE
- Do NOT call anyone as your actions, in this case, may very well hurt our cause.

We have many projects before us as we move ahead this year, several of which will require your grassroots support in calling your legislators and supporting your union's efforts in a thousand different ways. For now, no member calls to A and F are necessary. I appreciate your support in abiding by this request.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC Day Bargaining Chair

Sept.22, 2005

I promised to email additional information from the announcements we were unable to complete at last week's PA meeting:

--Eight or nine cc's voted to stay on WTR until the governor signs the Agreement - some voted to stay on WTR until money is in our paychecks.

--The Appeals Committee has accepted the recommendations of the Global Issues Committee for two new classification positions for Professional Staff and sent them to the Chancellor for her approval. They are: Coordinator of Library Services (Grade 6) and Coordinator of Financial Aid (Grade 6). The Global Issues Committee will be meeting soon to discuss consolidation of various Learning Specialist positions and the title of Admissions Coordinator (grade 6)

--I am looking for a day unit member to serve on the MCCC Classification Committee: comprised of one member from each chapter, nominated by me and approved by the MCCC BOD. The charge of this committee is to:
Receive training on the Classification System and Appeal Procedures; communicate any updates/changes to the Classification System to their respective Chapter; and, provide general assistance to unit members seeking a reclassification/ filing an appeal. There will be one training session with follow-up meetings as warranted.
If any of you are interested in this, please contact me. The STCC Executive Committee is looking into paying a small stipend for this position.

--Three members are needed for the STCC PA Bylaws and Rules Committee. There are a few issues that need to be reviewed with possible change in our bylaws. If any of you are interested, please let me know.

--The Executive Committee would like to form a Communications Committee that would, among other things, start to educate our students about unions/their importance. If any of you are interested, please let me know.

--Two informational workshops have been planned for this semester:
--Mortgage Financing, October 21st at 12:15 in the PDC
--Long Term Care Insurance, Nov. 7th at 12:15 in the PDC
If you have any concerns or interest relative to these two issues, please plan to attend.

--The MSCA contract has gone back to A & F to be costed out - apparently there were considerable errors in the first report. Thus, the state colleges are still waiting for their contract to be concluded.

I think that pretty much completes the unfinished business. Please contact me if you have any questions/concerns about any of the above or would like to volunteer for a committee.
Carol

The following is the first of what we hope will be a short-lived series of weekly reports on the contract funding process.

On Tuesday, the legislature passed a supplemental budget, including more than $100 million in collective bargaining agreements finalized by Gov. Romney in recent months. The House has publicly committed to passing another supplemental budget in October. The latter obviously creates an opportunity and potential vehicle to fund our and other state employee contracts working their way through the pipeline.

Our contract just arrived on the Governor's desk last week, but we can report the following news with more to follow in future updates:
- The college presidents have encouraged Chancellor Judy Gill to meet with Gov. Romney and A and F Secretary Eric Kriss to lobby for speedy submission of the contract to the legislature.
- GCC President Bob Pura, chair of the Presidents Council, is writing to the Governor to urge early and quick approval of the Agreement.
- Jay Davis Drake, chair of the Mass. Community College Trustee Association, is doing the same.
- The presidents have informed their lobbyist Michael Muse that legislative funding of the Agreement is a top priority.
- MCCC lobbyist Charles Flaherty has been and will continue to be in touch with BHE Chair Steve Tocco to request that Tocco meet with Kriss right away to push for submission of the Agreement.
- I will be testifying at the legislature's Higher Education Committee tomorrow and will speak with both Tocco and Gill and press on the contract funding issue.

While no statewide member action is requested at this time, I ask that chapter leaders ask their college president and chair of the board of trustees to contact Eric Kriss and the Governor's Office right away.

Regarding Work to Rule, our Holyoke and Middlesex chapters have recently voted to go off WTR. Earlier this semester, Bunker Hill voted to stay on WTR until the contract is sent to the legislature. On Tuesday, a motion to reconsider this motion was defeated, so BHCC remains on WTR.

In closing, all of us share your anger and frustration. We are doing everything in our power to expedite a process that is complex and challenging under the current guidelines of our collective bargaining law, Chapter 150E. We are working everyday to bring you good news on the contract funding front as soon as possible.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc
MCCC Day Bargaining Team Chair and the rest of the Day Team

Sept.13, 2005 On Monday at noon as promised, union and management officials met to sign the 2003-2006 Agreement at the BHE in Boston.

We expect the Agreement and the cost item request to be sent to the
Governor on Wednesday or Thursday. We will let you know when we
confirm that this has happened and will keep you informed as the
funding process moves along over the next several weeks.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc, chair
and the rest of the Day Bargaining Team

August 12, 2005

I attended the BOD meeting of the MCCC this past Friday. At that meeting, the subject of WTR and the status of the new contract was discussed. According to the original agreement between the MCCC and Peter Tsaffaras, the cost analysis would have been done in early August, one week after the vote, and the contract would have been on the Governor's desk by August 26th. That has not happened. You can read the details of where we are at currently from Joe LeBlanc.

Due to this delay, the BOD agreed that we should NOT go off WTR at this time. The issue will be reviewed at the September 16th BOD meeting to see if the revised guidelines are on target. If so, there will be a reassessment of going off WTR.

So, welcome back to our WTR campus - we will not need to hold a special meeting of the membership after the faculty meeting on the 1st. Our first membership meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14th - I may move that to the following week, Sept. 21st, so that we can be informed of decisions made by the MCCC on the 16th.

See you all on Thursday,
Carol

August 12, 2005
I am very pleased to announce that Carol Giaquinto has agreed to come on board as our Grievance Officer, effective immediately. She brings much expertise in union issues as she has been an active member of the MCCC for a good many years.

She will be spending the rest of the summer "memorizing" the day and SCE contracts and getting up to speed on current issues of concern. We'll make the formal announcement to the membership at our meeting on September 1st.

Please join me in welcoming Carol into the Executive Committee and her new position,
Carol

For statewide distribution...

After meeting with the BHE's Peter Tsaffaras last week, the following timetable was been set for the formal execution of the recently-ratified 2003-2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

1. Tsaffaras (PHT), with the help of the union and Presidents Council Attorney Haidee Morris, has prepared a draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) outlining changes to the 1999-2002 contract. Signing this - when it’s ready - is but one step in the formal execution of the new Agreement.

b) MTA consultant Katie D'Urso and I met with PHT on August 25 to check this MOA. While the meeting went well, a couple of issues remained unresolved. Those issues were settled by late afternoon on August 26.

c) Katie and I will meet with PHT on Sept. 7 and 8 to work to fold the changes into a new version of the contract. This is a goal for PHT, but it is not necessary to meet the requirements of Chapter 150E, and a signed MOA will suffice as the document to be sent to the Governor.

d) PHT and 37 college HR personnel met at Worcester State College on August 17. HR directors will send cost item request data on Excel spreadsheets to PHT on or before 8/31 for BHE review and action. In the meantime, PHT and staff will be preparing the cost item request.

e) The formal signing of the contract will be held on Sept. 12 at noon at the BHE. The MCCC Team and Chancellor Gill, etc. will sign. The full funding package with the MOA and Cost Item Request will go to A & F Secretary Eric Kriss and the Governor on 9/13 or 9/14. The Governor next has up to 45 days to submit the package to the Ways and Means Committees.

The Bargaining Team recommends that the union take no action to go off Work to Rule until we confirm the contract funding package has gone to Eric Kriss and Gov. Romney during the week of Sept. 12.

At its August 26 meeting, the MCCC Board of Directors reaffirmed its support for Work to Rule until the contract is properly executed and sent to the Governor. The board will revisit the WTR issue at its Sept. 16 meeting.

The Day Bargaining Team thanks you for your continued support. We will stay in touch as the Agreement is formally executed and the funding package is sent to the Governor and then to the legislature.

In solidarity,
Joe LeBlanc, chair, and the Day Bargaining Team: Secretary Phyllis Barrett, Phil Mahler, Rick Doud, Kathleen McDonough, Gail Stuart and Katie D'Urso, MTA consultant.


>