Salem Chapter Newsletter President's Message - Amy Everitt - September 11, 2012

Welcome back! And to our new faculty, welcome to Salem State!

I hope this finds everyone well rested and ready to tackle all of the important initiatives that lie ahead for this academic year. I have several announcements and updates, so I'll start with the most important one, salary increases. Yes, we will be receiving the following negotiated increases!

1. Formulary increases will be included in the Sept. 14 pay advice and will include retroactive pay back to July 1st, 2012. It is important to note that 28% of the MSCA membership will receive some amount of formulary increase and at Salem State, a total of 92 faculty will see base salary increases. Remember that these monies are based on longevity and have been implemented to help address inversion and compression issues. What was once a 6+ million dollar gap has now been reduced to under 2 million dollars because of these formulary adjustments. The MSCA is the only bargaining unit that was able to secure this extra 0.5% increase and it is being funded by the local campuses. You will be receiving correspondence from the MSCA explaining any formulary increases.

2. All full time members will receive a 1.75% increase in the Sept. 28 pay advice. Retroactive pay back to July 1st, 2012, will be paid on Oct. 12. (Retroactive may appear in Sept. 28 if possible). This increase includes all full time faculty hired as of Sept. 1, 2012, so yes, our new folks will get this too! Welcome to Salem State:)

The calculations for these increases can be complicated and require a great deal of time and effort to complete and implement. Please, if possible, let the people that do this work know that we appreciate their efforts. C.J. O'Donnell, MSCA President, worked on these numbers all summer. In the Provost's office, Amie Goodwin and Martha Gardner were critical in supplying accurate information for formulas. The folks in our payroll office, including Mary Ann Gachignard, Patricia Crowley, and Karen Johnson deserve a great deal of thanks for manually imputed every salary.

Legislative updates:

1. ORP: I know that many of you are anxiously waiting for the option to move out of the ORP and into the state system. A detailed explanation of the legislation language, timeline for implementation, and where we are in the process is coming under a separate email.

2. Sabbatical Bill: The Sabbatical Bill finally passed House Ways and Means at the end of the formal session in July. It now resides in Senate Ways and Means and has gone through a first reading. Both the MSCA and the Council of Presidents are pushing to move this as soon as possible to try to have the contract language enacted for this sabbatical cycle. We will keep you posted on progress!

Contract updates:

1. Please note that the submission date for reappointment, promotion and tenure portfolios has been changed to Sept. 19. Post tenure materials are still due on Sept. 30. All Peer Evaluation Committees (PEC) need to be formed by Sept. 30 and everyone who is being reviewed for 2nd year reappointment, 4th year reappointment or promotion need to select a 3rd member. Social work faculty are required to have a PEC for tenure. PEC for tenure is OPTIONAL for all other faculty. Portfolio materials for 3rd and 5th year reappointment have changed and you should submit only what is required. Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

2. Printed copies of the DGCE contract should be available soon. We have drastically reduced the number of hard copies and the agreement is posted on the MSCA website at www.mscaunion.org. The 2012-2014 Day contract is still in draft and we hope to have this process completed early this fall. The Memorandum of Agreement indicating changes for the new contract are available in the union office (Sullivan 202B) or on the MSCA website.

3. The Department Chair Handbook has also been revised this summer and now waits for completion of the day contract so that page number references are accurate. These will be distributed by the MSCA as soon as possible. We also received word last week that the state-wide chair workshop scheduled for Sept. 28 has been postponed due to conflicts with management's schedules. A new date will be announced as soon as possible.

4. A call for nominations for the Tenure and Promotions committees was sent out yesterday and a date for the election will be announced next week.

5. Nominations for open campus committee seats will be sent under a separate email cover.

Finally, if you are interested in making a contribution to the MSCA at the local or state level, please let me know. The Salem Chapter Vice President's position is vacant and I will be making recommendations for state-wide committees this month. I am also seeking members who would be interested in participating in the Local Political Action Team. There are many opportunities to get involved so do not hesitate to contact me for details. We need you!

Do not hesitate to contact me by email, aeveritt@salemstate.edu. or through the union office at extension 6366. Mary Buckley, our administrative assistant, is available each day from 9-2 at the union office located in the Sullivan Building 202B, at extension 6920, or by email mbuckley@salemstate.edu. We look forward to helping you with any issues that may arise. Have a great semester.

Amy

Amy L. Everitt,
Ed.D., ATC Professor, Sport & Movement Science Department
Salem State University
MSCA/Salem Chapter President
MSCA Vice President 978.542.6576