Higher Ed Contract Funding Information on the MTA Web Site (10/25/01)

Background
There are currently several higher education contracts awaiting funding by the legislature. They include the Massachusetts State College Association, the Association of Professional Administrators (APA), the Massachusetts Society of Professors / Faculty Staff Union (UMass Amherst and Boston), the University Staff Association, and the Massachusetts Society of Professors (UMass Lowell).

The Mass State College Association (MSCA) contract was filed by the Governor in May. The House never passed the MSCA contract. At the request of the MTA, Senate President Tom Birmingham included funding for the MSCA contract in the Senate version of the deficiency budget which passed the Senate in August. The House refused to include any labor contracts (there were 12 others pending at the time) in the final version of the deficiency budget.

The other higher education locals ratified their agreements over the last 2 months. The paperwork to fund those contracts has been sent to the Governor's office for processing by several divisions within the Executive Office of Administration and Finance. The Governor has 45 days to file the contracts as legislation.

The APA contract was sent to the Governor's office on September 26. The MSP / FSU agreement covering faculty and librarians at the UMass Amherst and Boston campuses was sent to the Governor on September 28. Contracts to fund the University Staff Association (USA) agreement and the MSP/Lowell faculty and librarians agreement was not sent to the Governor's office until Oct 16.

MTA has been working very hard to move the MSCA contract through the legislature and to work with the Governor's office to get the other higher ed contracts filed as quickly as possible.

The legislature is scheduled to end its formal sessions on November 21. After that, they will hold only informal sessions during which time only non-controversial matters will be voted on. Only occasionally will supplementary budgets containing contracts pass during informal sessions.

Therefore, while it is possible that the legislature could fund these higher education contracts after their formal sessions end on Nov 21, MTA intends to try and get them funded before Nov 21.

There are approximately 40 contracts for various state employee unions awaiting action by either the Governor or the legislature. It is unlikely that only a few contracts would be funded. It is probable that all or most of these contracts will be dealt with by the legislature and the Governor in the same or in a similar fashion. Therefore, MTA is pulling together all the lobbyists representing these other public sector unions to see if we can plan and implement a concerted strategy together.

Recent MTA Actions

MSCA Contract
MTA mailed out an action alert to our MSCA members in September. In that mailing, MTA urged state faculty and professional librarians from the state colleges to call their state legislators and ask for legislative approval of their pay raises.

MTA is currently in the process of sending out to our MSCA members another mailing to encourage MSCA members to call their legislators again. This latest mailing will include 3 easy tear-off cards that members need only sign and then send to their legislators as well as to the Speaker of the House.

University & APA Contracts
MTA has been in regular contact with the Governor's office to monitor the contracts and to urge quick action by the Governor's staff in getting the contracts filed with the legislature. MTA is mailing to all our higher education members in these units. The mailing will include 2 easy tear-off cards that members need only sign and then send to the Governor's office. The cards ask the Governor to expeditiously file the contracts with the legislature.

All Higher Ed Contracts
MTA will also be mailing all its K-12 members and MCCC members about the situation faced by our higher education locals. MTA will ask the K-12 and MCCC members to assist our other higher education locals by mailing the attached postcards to Governor Swift and House Speaker Tom Finneran.