MCCC Home | Year Index | 1992 Index

In This Issue:

• Fact Finding Ends
• Proposed Budget For 93
• Complaint Issued Against Day DCE
• Future's Commission Report

Fact Finding Ends

On February 22, over four months since the last fact finding session, the MCCC expected the presidents to put on their case and bring fact finding to a close. Instead, the presidents' chief spokesperson Attorney Steve Fanning submitted over 20 newspaper articles and one report dealing with the fiscal condition of the Commonwealth. Rather than ending fact finding, Fanning requested an additional date in anticipation of either withdrawing the fiscal report and/or putting on an ability to pay case.

On March 18 the MCCC Team Chair Dennis Fitzgerald was notified by Fanning that fact finding would continue, the presidents would be putting on an ability-to-pay case, but Fanning was unprepared to present his case on the scheduled date of March 21. On the evening of March 19, Fitzgerald was notified by Fanning that the presidents were resting their fact finding case. According to Massasoit President Gerard Burke, the presidents wanted to show their support for faculty receiving equitable pay increase.

Once briefs are submitted by April 10, the fact finder's report will be due 30 days later-April 10, 1992.

MLRC Issues Complaint Against Day Work Being Shifted to DCE

On March 1, 1992, the Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission (MLRC) issued a Complaint of Prohibited Practice against the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC). For the past couple of years, the presidents have been moving DCE courses into the day school while refusing to bargain with the MCCC. This unilateral change affected two bargaining units. The MCCC filed a prohibited practice charge in January, 1991 and a hearing was held on December 3, 1991. The complaint issued by the MLRC stated: Prior to Spring, 1991, day classes at community colleges were taught by full-time and part-time day faculty and professional staff. Commencing in the Spring, 1991 semester and continuing to date, management has unilaterally assigned day class duties at its community colleges to employees of DCE who are not members of the day bargaining unit. The decision to assign bargaining unit work to persons outside of the day bargaining unit and the impact of that decision are mandatory subjects of bargaining. As a result, management has failed and refused to bargain collectively in good faith in violation of the Law. By this conduct, management has interfered with, restrained, and coerced its employees in the exercise of their rights under the law. The formal hearing is scheduled for September 18, 1992, at which time the MCCC and the presidents will proceed to a trial concerning the presidents failure to bargain over this unilateral change.

Day Negotiating Committee to Be Established

Names are now being accepted for the Negotiating Committee for the 1993-1996 day contract. Each campus must submit a name by April 17, 1992. The committee is responsible for polling the membership and putting together the asking package for the next contract. Anyone interested should contact his or her chapter president.

The DCE Negotiating Committee will be established after receipt of a legal opinion concerning the procedure and composition for the DCE Committee and Team.

Future's Commission Report Release

The final report of the Future's Commission on State and Community Colleges has been released, and the following are some highlights of the 48-page document:

• Community colleges with adjacent or overlapping service areas should be viewed as "joint" servers of their region. Bunker Hill, Mass. Bay and Roxbury, three colleges serving the Boston area, for example, should form a community college district. Evidently Bunker Hill and Mass. Bay have already recognized the need for structural change needed to accomplish program collaboration and joint program administration. The two college have recently agreed to jointly sponsor 12 academic programs which will include jointly hiring and sharing full-time faculty members, a common advertising and registration system, a computer network joining both colleges, and shared grant development, research projects, and professional development activities. "The missing ingredient, however, is that the formal collaboration does not, at this time, include Roxbury Community College as a partner. A more formalized relationship for governance of the three colleges would help further progress in this area."
• Access should be maintained with primary responsibility for developmental education resting with the community colleges. English-as- a-Second Language is a significant responsibility which the community colleges should provide, especially to communities with culturally diverse populations.
• Basic skill courses designed to overcome student deficiencies should not carry credit towards a degree though they may carry general credit.
• Transfer programs leading to a bachelors degree should remain a cornerstone of the community college mission.
• Community colleges, particularly those with high technology and health science programs, should be considered centers for technology transfer within the state.
• Community colleges should expand partnerships with school systems as well as vocational-technical high schools. These colleges should also serve as centers for community partnership and life-long learning.
• An immediate priority should be the implementation of a "one- college" concept by eliminating all legislative restrictions and academic differences between day programs and graduate and DCE programs.
• Guaranteed transfer of qualified community college graduates to state colleges and the university.
• Institute a reciprocity referral system to refer underqualified applicants from the state colleges and university campuses to nearby community colleges.
• Cross-registration for full-time students at other public colleges and universities within their geographic area.
• If faculty are to have compensation competitive with national standards, workloads should approximate national norms. "Community College faculty should move toward the nationally prevailing 15-hour standard."

The Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC) will discuss this report at its next meeting on April 14. The Joint Education Committee in the legislature will then draft its report, have hearings, and file legislation. Though there are a number of encouraging recommendations within this report, other recommendations appears to attempt to weaken our collective bargaining rights. Some of the concerns of the state college local center around the limitation of access by creating specialized schools and the proposed change to increase workload. A full analysis of this report will be prepared and sent out to all unit members along with the final report of the MTA Task Force on Higher Education Reform. Copies of the Future's Commission report will be sent to all chapter presidents.

Account Summary and Dues Recommendation

There is no proposed dues increase for either full-time or DCE employees in the proposed 1993 MCCC budget. Interest income, increased MTA support, and increased DCE membership provide the funds for servicing the needs of the MCCC, inflationary adjustments, new programs, and modest stipend increases for next year's budget. Based on the recommended expenditures, the recommended dues for next year will remain at $123 for full-time members and $37 for DCE members who teach three credits or more. Though this represents no increase over last year's dues, the amount remitted to the chapters will increase from $13 to $14.

Major Account Increases

01 The DCE Coordinator's salary was increased to the same percent of the President's salary as are the Communications and Research Coordinators' salaries. The Finance Committee recommended a five percent increase in the stipends for the officers and coordinators. The Directors, however, voted to not increase the stipends for officers.

A new supplementary adjustment for continuous service by coordinators was proposed by the Finance Committee and accepted by the Board. The range is 0-4 years, no annual adjustment; 5-8 years, $500; 9-12 $1,000; and 13 years or more for an annual adjustment of $1,500.

02 This increase reflects the additional secretarial needs, especially in DCE. Monies were transferred from the 15 and 51 accounts with additional monies coming from DCE dues.

11 The increase reflects more frequent meetings of the Executive Committee.

14 Three factors contribute to this large increase: a larger number of delegates to NEA Representative Assembly; a larger number of delegates to MTA Annual meeting; a move from 50% to 100% funding to 30 chapter attendees to Williamstown Leadership Conference.

Revenue Projections

It is estimated, based on paid membership on December 1, 1991, that full-time membership will total 1,818. Based on current rates of collections, DCE membership is estimated at 2,100. Translated to full-time equivalent, the DCE membership would be approximately 630 *.

Revenue

	$123	x	1,818	=	$223,614
	123	x	630 *	=	77,490
			2,448		$301,104
MTA Local Support	$20	x	2,448	=	48,960
MTA Research Grant				=	12,000
Interest Revenue				=	35,000
Total Revenue					$397,064

Come to MTA Annual Meeting

Because of the additional DCE employees, the MCCC is allocated over 70 delegates to the MTA Annual Meeting in Boston on Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9, 1992. Since only 36 members submitted their names for the election, the MCCC can send in additional names. This is a perfect opportunity for anyone who missed the deadline or for DCE employees who were reluctant to run for election to attend. If a delegate lives at least 25 miles from Boston, the MCCC provides accommodations at the Park Plaza Hotel (higher education registers first this year). The per diem for the two-day attendance is $100.

Names will be added to the delegate list on a first-come, first-served list. Anyone interested in attending must contact his or her chapter president, director, or Jim Rice as soon as possible.

1-800-92-ACTION

The NEA is part of a national "Campaign for New Priorities" which involves many national organizations ranging from business to labor to education to human services. The theme, Invest in America evolved from the belief that now that the cold war is over, Congress and the President should shift defense dollars and begin reinvesting in our infrastructure, human services, education, and jobs. An 800 number (the additional letter in "action" is a drop-off character) has been set up. All you have to do is call, give the operator the names of your senator and congressman, and a letter will be sent immediately to them in your name. If you do not know their names, you just need to provide your ZIP. This is as easy as it gets; make the call and have a letter sent, today.

Know Your Contract

Mar. 30	Faculty submit preferred courses for Fall, 1992
Mar. 30	Evaluation of Department Chairs
Apr. 7	President recommends sabbaticals to Trustees
Apr. 15	Deans recommend tenure or one-year appointments
Apr. 15	President announces title changes

N.B. Dates may vary depending on first day of classes. Also, most of these dates are "last date" standards. In many instances, the action can he accomplished before the date indicated.