October 10, 2018

The consolidated grievance was filed on the presidents’ refusal to implement the higher equivalency rates in the new day contract retroactive to the Fall 2018 semester.

President McDonald ruled that the grievance is premature, that there is no violation, that there is no evidence that any university is not using the new equivalencies (except at Mass Maritime) and ignores the union’s issue – that even if this is an incremental cost item, it should be implemented retroactive to July 1, 2018.

The union requested evidence of on the equivalencies, and the presidents have failed to provide that, despite nearly every affected department at every state university screaming about failure of the presidents to implement the new equivalencies.

All other cost items (salary increases, promotion increases, terminal degree adjustments, department chair increases) will be retroactive… or will they?

To avoid other contract complications or violations, the union offered:

• to waive the 11 credit cap on part-time faculty if the retroactive implementation would put some part-time faculty over that limit,
• to stay enforcement of a grievance resolution from 2005 signed by former President Dana Mohler-Faria regarding working down the significant number of excess workload credits (teaching overloads) faculty have been carrying, and
• to waive “the 15% cap” on three credit sections taught by part-time faculty should implementation of the equivalencies retroactive to the fall 2018 semester would cause the cap to be violated.

The union did everything we possible could to convince the presidents of the importance of working together on the issue.  Apparently the presidents don’t care about faculty teaching in these modes of instruction or having labor peace on the campuses.

As a result, the union immediately filed for arbitration and the MSCA Board of Directors has authorized a return to Work to Rule.

In Solidarity,
CJ O’Donnell
MSCA President