Salem MSCA Newsletter
MSCA/Salem Chapter - Pat Johnston, Editor - Kathleen Ell, Production Manager




September 1, 1999

President's Message - Pat Markunas
Welcome back!  I wish all of you the very best for a successful and productive semester.

As anyone can tell by walking around the campus, it felt as though we were working in one giant construction site this summer.  President Harrington reported to the campus last spring that approximately $30,000,000 in federal, state, and campus monies have been devoted to the ongoing reconfiguration of the campus, as a result of our acquisition of the GTE/Sylvania property on Loring Avenue.  I toured all the construction sites with Ed Adelman a few weeks ago, and I was very pleased to
see the results in Meier Hall, Sullivan Building, Meier Drive (the site of the old police station), and Central Campus.  I hope that faculty members who teach and have office space in the first floors of Meier Hall and Sullivan Building will be happy with the work completed this summer.

It is very important that the entire campus community feel a direct benefit from the acquisition and development of the GTE property.  To this end, the only campus committee on which I plan to serve this year is the Reconfiguration Committee, which is charged with making recommendations to the President about the use of space that results from the development of Central Campus.  The Salem Chapter/ MSCA has two additional representatives:  Patricia Buchanan (English) and James Cullen (Geological Sciences).  Our collective priority is the long overdue creation of and/or improvement to faculty offices, classrooms, seminar rooms, laboratory spaces,  research space, and the Library.

Despite our ongoing problems with the state and collective bargaining, this extensive construction and change bodes well for improvements to the quality of professional life for faculty and librarians.  I welcome your suggestions for our work on the Reconfiguration Committee and will keep you informed about the Committee’s progress throughout the year.

Don’t Ask, We Can’t Tell
Those of you following the front page of the Globe’s Metro Section all summer know that the countdown to a FY2000 State Budget continues with no end in sight.  Our 3% raise from last year is tied up in those negotiations.  Your September paycheck will be the same as last year.  You will not see an increase until after the State budget is passed.  Then a supplemental budget must be passed in order to pay the retroactive monies back to July 1, 1998.  Direct any comments you have on this matter to your State representative, House Speaker Charles Finneran, and Senate President Thomas Birmingham.  Or call Representative John Slattery to thank him for his efforts to dislodge the logjam.

Personals
Mary A. Bradley,  ’36, Professor Emerita of the Department of Education, passed away on August 17th at the age of 84.  She retired in 1982 .  Donations in Professor Bradley’s memory may be made to the Dr. Mary A. Bradley Scholarship Fund, in care of the Salem State College Foundation.

Help Us to Help You - Pat Markunas and Bill Mahaney
All members are reminded that all contact with the union should be through appropriate channels.  Whenever you have questions or concerns that are or may be union-related, please contact us at:

(978) 542-6366 or msca@ salem.mass.edu.
Office Address:   Salem Chapter/MSCA
Sullivan Building 205B.

The Chapter Office voice mail is monitored daily on work days and every 48 hours at all other times.  All Chapter Officers have access to the voice mail, the email account, and the office.  We share the responsibility to maintain coverage and provide prompt responses to concerns.  The membership deserves this service.   All mail sent to the Chapter or its officers should be addressed as indicated above.

Please do not contact us through departmental phone numbers or mailboxes.  In addition to confidentiality concerns,  we do not have access to one another’s academic departmental voice mail or mailboxes.  Messages or information left at these locations may not be responded to in a timely fashion, even during the school year, which can create enormous problems for us and for the members.  Matters related to possible contractual violations, especially, should never be left in departmental locations.

Every member of this union -- whether full-time, part-time, or DGCE -- pays a lot of money for representation.  You pay dues to the MTA/MSCA, not the administration.  If you have a question related to your employment, salary or benefits, call us, not your department chairperson or dean.  If you are not sure your concern is union-related, call us anyway.  We cannot help you unless you contact us quickly and at the appropriate place.

DCGE Grievances Yield $$$ - Pat Markunas
Members of the DGCE bargaining unit should know that the Chapter has filed several successful grievances related to stipends paid in DGCE, which have required that additional monies be paid to members for their work in this division.  Typical problems have concerned stipends for student teaching supervision, institute courses, directed studies and other non-traditional course arrangements.  One member, additionally, received several thousand dollars in back pay for not being paid at the correct academic rank.

Please review the contracts you receive from DGCE carefully.  If you have any questions about your contract or the salary you are being paid, please contact our office.

The sweetest grievances are those that recover well-deserved money for our members.  On behalf of the Chapter, I want to commend Bill Mahaney, Chapter Grievance Officer, for his work in this regard.  Bill has spent hundreds of hours reviewing DGCE contracts and catching numerous errors in payments to members.  This is painstaking work (as well I know, from my own work on salary equity), and Bill should be recognized for it.

Nominations Needed for Committee Vacancies
Over the summer, a number of committee vacancies occurred.  Eligibility criteria and restrictions are noted below.  If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, please send a note, stating the committee(s) you wish to be nominated for, to the Salem Chapter/MSCA Office to arrive no later than noon on Monday, September 13th.  Please contact Pat Markunas at x6366 if you have any questions.

Salem Chapter/MSCA Executive Committee, At-Large.  Position commences September 25th and expires on May 1, 2000.  Eligibility:  any full-time, part-time or DGCE union member.  Restrictions:  no member of the Departments of Accounting & Finance, Geological Sciences, Nursing, Sociology or the Library may be nominated.  If necessary, an all-chapter election to fill this position will take place on  Monday, September 27th (times and polling places to be announced).

Salem Chapter/MSCA Executive Committee, Division I.  Position commences immediately and expires on May 1, 2000.  Eligibility:  any full-time, part-time or DGCE union member in the Departments of Mathematics, Geological Sciences, Biology, and Chemistry/Physics.  Restrictions:  no member of the Department of Computer Sciences may be nominated.  If necessary, an all-chapter election to fill this position will take place on Monday, September 27th (times and polling places to be announced).

Committee on Promotions (two vacancies).  One position commences immediately and expires on September 30, 2000; the second one expires on September 30, 2001.  Eligibility:  full-time tenured members only, who are not on a leave of absence this academic year.  Restrictions:  no member of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Nursing, OM/MIS, or Geological Sciences may be nominated.  An all-chapter election to fill these positions will take place on Monday, September 27th (times and polling places to be announced).

All-College Committee.  Position commences September 25th and expires on May 31, 2000.  Eligibility:  full-time unit members only who are not on a leave of absence this academic year.  Restrictions:  no member of the Departments of English, Sociology, Accounting & Finance, Geological Sciences, Art, Psychology, or the Library may be nominated; further, no member already serving on another contract committee (Curriculum, Academic Policies, Student Affairs, Graduate Education Council, or Library/Media) may be nominated.  If necessary, the appointment to this committee will take place at the next regular meeting of the Salem Chapter/MSCA Executive Committee.

Academic Policies.  Position commences immediately and expires on May 31, 2000.  Eligibility:  only full-time librarians who are not on a leave of absence this academic year and who are not serving on another contract committee (see list, above).  If necessary, the appointment to this committee will take place at the next regular meeting of the Salem Chapter/MSCA Executive Committee.

Committee Appointments Announced
Over the summer, chapter representation to two important search committees was needed.  Susan Case (Biology) and Leslie Inglis (Library) were appointed to represent the Salem Chapter/MSCA on the Search Committee for the Registrar.  Ellen Golub (English) was appointed to represent the Chapter on the Search Committee for the Disability Specialist.  On behalf of the Chapter, we thank these members for their service, especially during the summer months.

Bargaining Report - Paul McGee
COP issues:
This summer, our bargaining team met with representatives of the Council of Presidents (COP) six times to discuss issues in the current contract.  Most meetings involved discussions of the new IDEA form.  The company has changed over 50% of the existing questions, and will no longer score the old forms.  We have provided alternative forms to the employer, but they insist on using the new IDEA form, which we feel has not been sufficiently tested.

Discussions are ongoing in an effort to reach agreement on an evaluation form as part of the process to demonstrate teaching effectiveness.  Other topics mentioned, but not discussed in depth, included distance learning, surveillance (in all forms), librarians’ leave accounting, and a one-college concept.  Dates for the fall meetings are being scheduled.

BHE issues:
This summer we met with representatives of the Board of Higher Education (BHE) five times to negotiate a new three-year contract.  Unfortunately, there’s nothing positive to report.  The issues that were on the table under the past Chair, James Carlin, are still on the table under the new Chair, Stephen Tocco.  At most of the summer sessions we discussed multi-year contracts for new faculty.  No discussions about MSCA salaries relative to comparable institutions have taken place.

At our May 21st meeting, we were told that the employer would look at national salary data, but we have not yet received a response.  The only salary proposal offered by the BHE is a “merit” pool of 3% and no other money, i.e., no across the board cost of living raises, no professional development money, no terminal degree pay, and no promotion money.  This offer was contingent on our accepting all of their proposals:  a post-tenure review that would effectively end tenure, multi-year contracts, increased workload if a colleague receives release time, removal of department chairs from the unit, etc.  We found this proposal completely unacceptable, and we rejected it.  Bargaining sessions have been scheduled for September 10th and 24th.

SSC Programs Pass BHE Productivity Review
Two academic programs at Salem State College, designated for “productivity review” under the Board of Higher Education’s so-called Rule of Five, were granted continuation status for another two years.  Without giving credence to the BHE’s policy, we commend the faculty in the Departments of Chemistry/Physics and Economics for their work in keeping these important degree programs viable and available to our students.  Special recognition goes to Department Chairs Lorrie Comefort and Karl Wesolowski for their leadership.

Workshop for New and Recently Hired Faculty and Librarians
A workshop for new and recently hired faculty and librarians will be held on Monday, September 24th at 11:00 am in the Presidential Dining Room of the Ellison Campus Center.  This workshop will orient new members to the union, including rights and responsibilities, benefits to members, dues, the grievance process, and union and college governance.  This workshop is open to all Chapter members.  Please RSVP to our office at x6366, so that appropriate materials and lunch can be provided.

Salem/MSCA Home

Salem Chapter/MSCA e-mail: msca@salem.mass.edu

Revised 10/26/99
URL: http://www1.shore.net/~ngeorge/msca9199.htm