Welcome back for the spring semester.

This update comes a full year after negotiations began.  Bargaining team representatives from all of our universities continue to attend sessions, and everyone has made meaningful contributions to the process. The MSCA is grateful for the team’s time, effort and miles traveled.

1. Since our last update, SEIU settled their contract (which expired December 31, 2016) agreed to 1% retroactive to January 1, 2017 (with a 1% “kicker” if revenues hit a threshold), 2% retroactive to January 1, 2018 and 2% January 1, 2019. These raises will NOT be split in six-month intervals.  We have reduced our financial proposal for full-time members to 1.5% retroactive to July 1, 2017, and 2.5% on July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019.  We have included a 1% kicker in each of the three years.  Our proposed per-credit increases for part-time faculty is $2,010 (16.4%) retroactive to July 1, 2017, $2,228 (10.8%) on July 1, 2018 and $2,463 (10.5%) on July 1, 2019.

2. Post tenure review and formulary increases are back on the table. Management wants to change the expenditures on PTR.

3. Management has dropped its proposal to insert grade distributions into your evaluation. Management continues to insist on inserting retention/completion data from your classes into your evaluation.

4. Management continues to push for changes to the “15% rule,” but has backed off their proposal to eliminate the provision. The team is working toward a modification that would have the calculation done across the university (rather than by department) and would include all departments (not just those with fewer than 6 full-time members).

5. Management has also backed off their proposal of eliminating the 15% rule on part-time sections. We are working on a modification that would include departments of all sizes, which we feel benefits the unit as well as management.

6. Management continues to demand that we agree to allow academic administrators be hired with faculty tenure. We are holding firm rejection of this, especially as the administrations have reduced tenure-track hiring and replaced it with full-time temporary faculty.

7. Management insists that vacation leave for librarians be reduced and that they no longer be a roll-over of excess vacation into sick leave. We remind you that management brought this late into bargaining and we have filed a charge at the Department of Labor Relations, which was heard earlier this month.

8. We have a tentative agreement on the use of “community engaged” teaching, scholarship and service for evaluation.

9. Parental leave was discussed at length at the last session, we are hopeful that an additional benefit can be reached.

We are seeing some movement and anticipate better progress in the next few sessions.  We believe that the solidarity and support from members on every campus is having an effect on the process and we encourage everyone to keep up the pressure.

We have session on February 8^th and 15^th.  Thank you for your continued support!

Amy Everitt
Day Bargaining Chair