February 21,2005
Dear Colleagues:
On February 19, at 1:15 a.m. after 16 hours of negotiations, the MSCA/MTA and the Board of Higher Education reached a tentative agreement for 2004-2007. Terms of the agreement will be provided to members in the coming weeks.
In each year of the agreement, the financial package includes a 3% across the board increase for full-time members, as well as a Special Performance (merit-based) award (Article VIII, Section O) of different values by academic rank ($700 for Professors/Senior Librarians, $600 for Associate Professors/Librarians and $500 for Assistant Professor/Associate Librarians) and an adjustment to the Minimum Salary Formula (Article XIIIA). A review of salaries under the formula would occur at the execution of the contract, annually during the life of the contract and in any "post-expiration" years. Part-time faculty would receive an annual increase of $50 per credit in the stipends for part-time work. Post-tenure review would be supplemented with an option to apply for a merit pay increase with a more intensive evaluation. Chair stipends would increase by $300 for the duration of the agreement. Promotion and terminal degree adjustments, as well as professional development monies, would be comparable to those amounts in the current agreement (Articles XIII and XIV) and increase by 3% each year.
The major areas of change include a new option in the post-tenure review process including an additional merit evaluation, resumption of student classroom evaluations, departmental evaluations of student academic advising (Appendix H), and a referendum on each campus on the current governance structure (Article VII). Persons holding tenured faculty positions who are appointed as acadmic administrators would have their right to return to the faculty enhanced (Article X).
The tenure process (Article IX) was another area of major change. The current tenure committee membership would be altered to a campus-wide tenure committee comparable to the current promotions committee, but with the addition of one elected, tenured member of the candidate's department as a voting member of the committee and the department chair as a non-voting consultant to the committee. Tenure-track faculty and librarians hired after January 1, 2006, would be evaluated for tenure in their sixth year, not the fifth year as is in the current agreement.
The MSCA Board of Directors will meet on March 4th to determine its recommendation to the membership on ratification and to set the ratification date. Details of this tentative agreement will follow in the MSCA Perspective and on the MSCA website. In preparation for the ratification vote, information meetings at each campus will be scheduled.
The Bargaining Committee thanks you for your support in our efforts to get a fair and equitable contract under very challenging circumstances. Special thanks must be given to each and every member who took action (or refused voluntary activities) in support of the bargaining strategy. The intensity of the fall semester's demonstrations around the state and the involvement of members in the legislative campaigns were especially effective.
Members of the Bargaining Committee include: Gail Price (BRI), Peter Hogan (FIT), Alan Feldman (FRA), Sam Schlosberg (MCA), Len Paolillo (MCLA), Chris O'Donnell (MMA), Paul McGee (SAL), Brad Art (Chairperson/WES) and Dan Shartin (WOR). MSCA President Pat Markunas is an ex-officio member. The highest praise goes to MTA Consultant Donna Sirutis for service above and beyond the call of duty.
Pat Markunas, MSCA PresidentBrad Art, Chairperson, MSCA Bargaining Committee
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