MSCA Perspective - July 2001

In The Association

MSCA Salary Database Committee Reactivated:
Consolidated Grievances Filed
The MSCA Salary Database Committee was convened on January 31st; Massachusetts Maritime Academy Associate Professor C. J. O'Donnell was elected as chair. During the spring semester, all materials related to the database were consolidated, reviewed and re-entered into the database. Chairperson O'Donnell has developed up-to-date reports on salary statistics and other descriptive characteristics of the state college faculty and librarians, which provide a snapshot of the MSCA full-time unit prior to the implementation of the pay package in the newly executed agreement. These salary statistics are available on the MSCA webpage: www.mscaunion.org.

As a result of this research, several consolidated grievances have been filed by MSCA Grievance Committee Chairperson Frank Minasian, Associate Professor from Worcester State College, alleging the employer's failure to bring the salaries of recently hired members and members promoted since September 1, 1998, up to the appropriate minimum salary formula, as required in Article XIII-A. The MSCA has identified nearly 50 recently hired or promoted faculty members who may be entitled to receive salary increases and retroactive payments that would take effect prior to any pay increases under the new contract.

In addition, under the terms of the new contract, the salaries of all faculty and librarians will be compared to the new minimum salary formula under Article XIII-A, and adjustments will be made to bring those salaries up to the minimum. If necessary, corrections will be made to the recently implemented 2% salary increase and 1% merit stipend that was included in members' paychecks late in May or early in June.

Three vacancies on the MSCA Salary Database Committee remain: Framingham, Mass. College of Art, and Westfield. If you are interested in representing your chapter on this important committee, please contact your chapter president as soon as possible.

MSCA Treasury Moves from Westfield to Bridgewater
After spending a semester driving to the Westfield State College campus once a week to carry out her responsibilities, MSCA Treasurer Gail Price successfully completed the move of the MSCA treasury and related records to the Bridgewater/ MSCA Office on Burrill Avenue in early May. Laura Casey-Pupek, a bookkeeper who holds a bachelor of science degree in business from Stonehill College, began her employment in the treasurer's office on June 4th. The search for a second employee, to handle membership issues, is ongoing.

Treasurer Price reports that her greatest challenge is dealing with the financial difficulties related to the extraordinary expenses entailed by the three-year negotiations stalemate and other financial strains within MSCA (please see the May issue of the MSCA Perspective for details). MSCA recently received assistance from the MTA Higher Education Leadership Council in the form of a $28,000 payment of monies to compensate the Association for some of the costs of the day unit negotiations. The MSCA Delegate Assembly voted unanimously for a 30% increase in full-time MSCA dues, the first dues increase in eleven years.

Nonetheless, Treasurer Price says that the fiscal year 2002 MSCA budget, also adopted by the delegates at the Assembly, remains tight. The MSCA Board of Directors has asked Treasurer Price for proposals to further limit expenses while maintaining the level of services that the membership deserves. These proposals will be considered at the September 7th Board meeting, scheduled to be held at Worcester State College.

All questions and concerns for the MSCA Treasurer should be directed to Gail Price at her address listed on page four, or to her email: price@bridgew.edu.

Contract Implementation Issues
Post-Tenure Review. Five (5) campuses (Bridgewater, Salem, Mass Maritime, MCLA, and Fitchburg) have held their post-tenure review lotteries for members last evaluated for tenure or promotion prior to September 1st, 1995; members should have been notified as to their year of post-tenure review immediately following the lottery. The remaining four (4) campuses will hold their lotteries in September.

An evaluation for tenure or promotion, even if the promotion was denied, begins the seven-year cycle for post-tenure review. Any person who will be on a sabbatical or other long-term leave during the academic year in which he or she is scheduled for post-tenure review shall be rescheduled for post-tenure review during the academic year immediately following the leave.

Members who will be evaluated for post-tenure review in the upcoming academic year need to provide only a resume and a statement of no more than 750 words about their work during the review period. The local campus administration is responsible for providing all other required materials. Please see the Tentative Agreement of March 26, 2001, posted on the MSCA webpage, for specific information about post-tenure review.

Merit Bonuses. There is no application process for the program of merit bonuses, the first round of which is expected in September, 2001. In addition, no faculty member or librarian should be involved in any way in the recommendation of members for merit bonuses, the criteria or guidelines for merit bonuses, the eligibility of members for merit bonuses, etc. This applies especially to department chairpersons, but all members should uphold the contract as it was negotiated. Unit members who are approached by any member of management to make recommendations of other members or general criteria for merit bonuses should contact their local chapter president immediately.

Personal Days. Effective during the spring 2001 semester, unit members on nine-month contracts will receive one personal day each semester. If unused during the spring semester, including the spring 2001 semester, the personal day may be carried over to the fall semester, but any unused personal days at the end of the fall semester expire at that point. This new provision does not affect the personal days for twelve-month unit members.

Chairperson's Workload Reduction and Stipend. The workload reduction for department chairpersons will now be calculated on the full-time equivalent staffing in the department on October 1 of the preceding year. Thus, workload reductions for department chairs for the academic year 2001-2002 will be calculated on FTE staffing on October 1, 2000. The increase in the chairperson's stipend, from $750 to $1500 per semester, took effect in the spring 2001 semester.

Bargaining on Distance Education and Intellectual Property Rights
In the settlements of both MSCA contracts (the day unit and the DGCE unit), issues related to distance education, intellectual property rights and monitoring electronic communications were postponed for separate consideration. Bargaining on these issues has begun with the updating and exchange of proposals by both parties. We will keep you informed as to our progress on these important issues to both faculty and librarians.

New DGCE Contract Available: Day Contract in Progress
Copies of the 2000-2003 DGCE/BHE contract are available in all local chapter offices. If you are a member of the DGCE unit and would like to receive a copy, please contact your local chapter president. Anyone who experiences difficulty in contacting his/her local chapter over the summer may contact the MSCA President's Office directly at (978) 542-7282 or Pmarkunas@aol.com.

The 2001-2003 MTA/BHE (day unit) contract is currently under review by the parties. It is our intention that the contract language will be finalized and that copies will be available on the local campuses in time for the start of classes in September. The existing 1995-1998 MTA/BHE contract, much of which will remain unchanged in the new agreement, can be accessed on the MSCA webpage: http://www.mscaunion.org. If you have specific concerns or questions about new or changed provisions in the 2001-2003 contract, contact your local chapter president or the MSCA President's Office.