2023 Day Contract Negotiations

Tentative Agreement Reached

The union and management reached a tentative agreement on a one-year contract extension on August 17, 2023. The MSCA board of directors voted to unanimously recommend ratification on this agreement. In addition, the bargaining committee also reached agreement on two Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) – one pertaining to the negotiations for a new student evaluation tool to replace the SIR II, and one that will extend our labor/management statewide advocacy committee. You can read the TA and MOAs below.

The member ratification vote on this one-year extension contract will take place online September 11-15. Please check your email and our home page for updates about the ratification vote.

The Day Bargaining Team is currently in negotiations for a one-year contract extension. The one-year extension was issued by Governor Healey as part of the current parameters which included a 4% pay increase in July 2023, a 4% pay increase in January 2023, and a pool of money equal to $500/FTE to be used as negotiated. Due to the fact that this is a one-year extension, the proposals our committee had originally prepared, will not be negotiated at this time. These will, however, be potentially brought to the table next year when we resume negotiations for our next 3-year successor negotiations.

Our Bargaining Committee

Katie Riel, Chair (MassArt)
Joanna Gonsalves, Vice Chair (Salem State University)
Lee Torda (Bridgewater State University)
Rala Diakite (Fitchburg State University)
Ann Johnson (Framingham State University)
Hannah Haynes (MCLA)
Caleb Pendygraft (Mass Maritime)
Margot Hennessey (Westfield State University)
Erika Briesacher (Worcester State University)
Maria Hegbloom (MSCA President)
Roberta James (MTA Field Representative)

Managements Team

Elizabeth Sullivan, Lead Negotiator, Rubin and Rudman LLP
Vincent Pedone, Executive Director – State Universities Council of Presidents
Keri Powers, Vice President of Human Resources and Talent Management, Bridgewater State University
Patricia Marshall, Provost and Vice president for Academic Affairs, Fitchburg State University
Kristen Porter, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Framingham State University
Gina Spaziani, Associate Vice President for Fiscal Affairs and Chief Business Officer, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Richard Glejzer, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Brigid Pavilonis, provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Nate Bryant, Vice President for Student Success, Salem State University
Stacey Luster, General Counsel and Assistant to the President for Employment and Equal Opportunity, Worcester State University
Lois Wims, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Worcester State University
Michael Freeman, Chief of Staff, Westfield State University
Darlene Brady, Rubin and Rudman

Ground Rules & Proposals

Ground Rules – Ground rules were agreed to by management and the union. These guarantee the participation of our silent bargaining representatives and allow for both remote and in-person negotiations.

Ground Rules

Proposal from Management

Proposal from the Union

(PREVIOUS) 2020-2023 Negotiations

On August 20, 2021 the day bargaining team reached agreement on a three-year contract that will cover the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. The parties are currently cleaning up draft documents and as they become available they will be posted here:

Agreement on Vaccinations
Agreement on Health and Safety issues
Agreement on Mask Wearing

One of the most powerful ways that members can participate in the bargaining process is as silent participants. To help the entire membership get an overall perspective on the process, we have collated silent participant feedback from the session and put them into a new newsletter called The Arbiter.

Upcoming meetings for the foreseeable future will be virtual using Zoom: If you are an MSCA union member and wish to be considered a silent representative, you must email the MSCA webmaster and let him know which chapter you are a member of. Your identity will be verified prior to letting you enter the meeting. There shall be no recording of the session. Massachusetts is a two-part consent state and recording without the consent of the BHE and the union is illegal.

The agreed-upon ground rules for the negotiations can be found here.

The MSCA has created a response presentation to Management’s financial assertions that was presented at the 16th June bargaining session. That presentation can be found here and accompanying notes can be found here. Additionally, Day Bargaining Chair Maria Hegbloom has created a narrated version of the presentation which is located on the official MSCA YouTube channel here.

On Tuesday, 17th August, Management put forth two proposals related to the vaccination requirement as well as a comprehensive proposal. Those two proposals are below.

The proposals put forth by the MSCA can be found here:

The proposals put forth by Management can be found here:

2021-2024 Day Pre-Bargaining Survey Summary

MSCA Day Bargaining Committee:
Maria Hegbloom, Chair (Bridgewater)
Aruna Krishnamurthy, Vice Chair (Fitchburg)
Sarah Pilkenton (Framingham)
Katie Riel (MassArt)
David Eve (MCLA)
Todd Hibbert (Mass Maritime)
Dan Mulcare (Salem)
Margot Hennessy (Westfield)
Sam O’Connell (Worcester)
CJ O’Donnell, President (Mass Maritime)
Roberta James, MTA Consultant

MSCA Day Bargaining Committee Alternates:
Irina Seceleanu (Bridgewater)
Rala Diakite (Fitchburg)
Luis Rosero (Framingham)
David Goodof (Salem)
Chris Masi (Westfield)
Susan Mitroka-Batsford (Worcester)

New Business Items Passed at the 2019 Delegate Assembly:

#1: Resolution to Empower the MSCA through Open Bargaining

WHEREAS, Open bargaining empowers unions by allowing for active participation of the full membership in bargaining; and

WHEREAS, Open Bargaining maximizes the collective power of the union in support of contract negotiations;

THEREFORE, be it resolved that when negotiating the terms of a contract, the MSCA bargaining team must maintain open bargaining, as established in the final sessions of negotiating the 2017-20 contract; and

Resolved, That the MSCA bargaining team must not agree to any ground rules which limit the ability of members to be fully informed of all discussions and offers that take place during bargaining, nor to agree to any ground rules that limit member observation of or participation in bargaining sessions; and

Resolved, That the MSCA bargaining team will work within a frame that informs members and allows and encourages observation and, when appropriate participation in bargaining.

#2: Resolution to Empower Membership Engagement and Involvement in Developing Bargaining Proposals

WHEREAS, the active engagement of the full membership in bargaining maximizes the collective power of the union in support of contract negotiations;

THEREFORE, be it resolved that in addition to the bargaining survey, chapter membership meetings may pass resolutions on areas of the contract of concern to members. Any chapter resolutions must be submitted by the Chapter President to the Bargaining Committee by the deadline for submission of the bargaining survey; and

Resolved, that the results of the bargaining survey and any chapter resolutions must be distributed to all MSCA members via executive session presentation and be available in chapter offices; and

Resolved, that all proposals of the MSCA bargaining team must be made available to all MSCA members once they have been proposed during a bargaining session and will be posted on the MSCA website within 48 hours of the conclusion of each session; and

Resolved, that so that members may shape the content of bargaining, the sharing of MSCA bargaining team proposals and summaries of bargaining sessions will also include an online form or other mechanism for membership to give feedback to the entire bargaining team.