February 6, 2006

Dear MSCA Faculty and Librarians:

On February 8 and 9, the MSCA will administer a referendum on the governance system that has protected your voice in the decision-making process of the colleges for 30 years. We did not seek this referendum * it was forced upon us by management's bargaining team which included some individuals who want to remove the union's central role from governance and the decision-making process. We agreed to hold the referendum if and only if the contract were fully funded.

As your MSCA president, I call upon you to support the union's position in the governance referendum and keep the union strong. Please vote for Option One, to preserve the governance structure as it has been upheld in arbitration decisions and cited by accreditation agencies as an excellent one that preserves the integrity of our educational system.

Our role in a governance structure that is uniform among the campuses keeps the union strong. An arbitration victory at one campus is a victory for all nine campuses. The collective bargaining process is the appropriate place to consider changes in governance. We are only one year away from the start of negotiations for our next contract. Any advocacy for change in governance should come directly from the faculty and librarians through their duly elected representatives, not from the administration which will hold the final decision-making authority on campus anyway.

Please vote for Option One in the governance referendum on February 8 and 9, and encourage your colleagues to do so as well. Thank you for your participation in this important decision and your support.

Patricia V. Markunas,
MSCA President

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