2021-2024 Day Contract 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.