March 4,2003
Dear Colleagues:
As you undoubtedly know, the Governor has released his proposed budget for FY 2004 and various proposals for reorganization of the public higher education system. Siince then, I attended the 2/27 meeting of the Board of Higher Education and the 3/3 emergency meeting of the MTA Higher Education Leadership Council (all HE union presidents and staff).
Among other positions, the higher education unions are unanimously opposed to a single line-item budget for higher education, to be controlled and allocated by the BHE; we are also unanimously opposed to any mergers/consolidations of campuses, the loss of state-support for any campus (especially Mass Art and Mass Maritime), and the break-up of the UMass system. A final position paper will be prepared this week and published on the MSCA website and in the next issue of the MSCA Perspective.
Bridgewater State College will host a joint public hearing, attended by members of both the House and Senate Ways & Means Committees, on the proposed budget for higher education, beginning at 9:00 am on Monday, March 10th. These hearings are open to the public and will include a demonstration at the start of the hearings. Members are urged to participate in the demonstration and attend the hearings. The union presidents, among others, will testify, and a massive press presence is expected.
The higher education unions are also opposed to the Governor's proposed changes in state employee health insurance premiums and, contained in the outside sections of the budget, draconian changes to the state's collective bargaining law (Chapter 150E). Further information on these issues will be distributed later.
On your behalf, I have written letters to the editor of both Boston dailies and several regional newspapers and have given interviews (primarily off-the-record) to the Globe and other regionals. I have been in touch with the college presidents (and the chapter presidents have done so as well) to share information and coordinate strategies.
I recognize that eight of the nine colleges will be on spring break sometime this month and I will make every attempt to keep the membership updated regularly through use of the MSCA website http://mscaunion.org. The MSCA Perspective should be available on campuses the week of March 17th.
For your part, please be in touch with your local representative and senator concerning the issues noted above, and keep those letters to the editor going. The MSCA officers and Board will continue to work together to meet these challenges head-on, and your support will be needed in the days ahead.
Sincerely,
Pat Markunas MSCA President
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