MCCC Home | Year Index | 1992 Index

In This Issue:

• House Budget
• Graduation Activities
• Summer Leadership
• Early Retirement

Flyers, Buttons, Signs Blanket Graduation

Graduations this year at the community and state colleges and the university campuses mirrored each other with the distribution of flyers and buttons distributed by the faculty and staff.

Berkshire. Joint administration/faculty/staff/student flyer was written, signed and inserted into each graduation program, Buttons of both types were worn by faculty, administration, trustees, and students. Comments were made by the valedictorian and trustee chair in support of funding higher education budgets and contracts and urging audience to contact legislators.

Bristol. Flyers were distributed to all guests and platform party and buttons were worn by faculty and staff. The trustee chair wore button giving his remarks which incorporated a call for support of public higher education and its employees, Rep. Joan Menard encouraged audience to be vocal against the Governor's cuts.

Bunker Hill. Signs were posted at each (4) campus entry with signs on Rutherford Avenue as well. Flyers were distributed to students and guests, and every faculty and professional staff wore buttons on gowns, including graduation speaker Rep, Joseph Kennedy. The president and Kennedy referenced the unacceptability of unfunded contracts.

Cape Cod. Flyers distributed, and signed were held by faculty and staff on highway at college entrance. Greenfield, They picketed, passed out leaflets, wore red armbands with stickers saying September 25, 1988, [last date which we received a salary increase], and hung signs on lighting stanchions along the 3/4 mile drive leading to graduation tent. President Sloane, who spoke strongly in favor of funding budget and contracts, will allow signs to stay posted as long as they look untattered.

Holyoke. Distributed flyers, wore buttons, and posted signs at both entrances of campus.

Mass. Bay Community College. Signs were posted at entrance to main parking lot and faculty stood at graduation area entrance. Flyers were distributed and all faculty and staff wore buttons.

Massasoit. Flyers with Massasoit insert distributed. Signs were posted on both sides of each entrance to campus, and buttons were worn by faculty and staff. A prewritten postcard was also inserted into flyer for each guest to sign and address to his or her representative or senator (chapter mailed them). Faculty and staff also got students to sign cards. House Education Chair Rep. Mark Roosevelt came to podium with button on gown. Roosevelt, the president, and the dean each referenced one aspect of the activities--flyers, signs, and postcards.

Middlesex. Faculty held signs outside of ceremony. All faculty and staff and platform party wore buttons. Chapter president Rick Doud spoke at graduation ceremony, and flyer, along with a Middlesex CC piece, was distributed. Article in Lowell Sun had picture of faculty pickets and focused on our issues.

Mt. Wachusett. Flyers were distributed, faculty wore buttons, and president referenced flyer in his address. No. Shore, Signs were posted at the four corners of the parking lot, at the two entrances inside and outside the building, and on the wall around the platform. The flyer was distributed along with a newspaper article written by the president. Buttons were worn by faculty and a few members of the platform party.

No. Essex. Posted signs on grounds, distributed flyer along with signed letter specific to the Mount. Buttons were worn and president referenced funding.

Quinsigamond. Distributed flyer and signs were posted on both sides of both entrances and exists. Faculty, staff, and platform party wore buttons. Good press coverage. Coinciding with these activities, the part-time faculty picketed at the entrance. These faculty at Quinsigamond are the only remaining day part-time faculty, for the most part, in the system, and as a result, they still receive only about $1,050 a course. Roxbury. Most unit members wore buttons, signs were posted inside building where graduation functions took place, and flyer was distributed to all guests, unit members, and graduates.

Springfield. Distributed flyer and STCC insert which was jointly signed by administration and chapter president. Buttons were worn by faculty, staff, platform party including college administers and Speaker of the House Rep. Charles Flaherty.

This statewide activity (the state colleges and university also distributed flyers and wore buttons) generated many supportive comments from the graduation participants. The press coverage at a number of graduations was excellent, with much positive feedback on MTA flyer, signs and buttons. Strong support from presidents on almost all campuses, and graduations, which went off enhanced and not disturbed or interrupted, made for a successful, cooperative occasion. This is the first step in the campaign which we will no doubt be moving into if our contracts remain unfunded.

Many thanks to all the chapter presidents for chapter coordination and especially to all the faculty, staff, students, and administrators who worked and supported this effort. Acknowledgments to Phil Mahler, the director from Middlesex, who coordinated this activity; Jason Graham, a Massasoit Graphic Arts student for the button designs; the MTA for the printing of buttons; Jack Polidori from MTA Communications for writing the flyer; and the Mass. College of Art for the flyer design.

"Fit." New Hiring Standard at Bunker Hill

At the recent trustees meeting, the ongoing rearrangement of full-time employees continued. As apparently qualified people were, again, nonreappointed, some new hirees appear to be more "politically correct" because of what is being characterized as "better fits': like the hiring of former college president and present Secretary of Education Piedad Robertson's husband as a full-time faculty member. Though certainly not illegal, the trend raises the question of appropriate hiring practices and philosophy, especially when Governor Weld and the Education Secretary propose in a Nepotism section in the Education Reform bill. The section makes it unlawful to employ in the same district a family member of anyone in an administrative position. If this Section is violated, then there is immediate dismissal of employee family member and a 80,000 fine of the person responsible for the hiring. Though this language is for the K-12 reform, one would expect that this philosophy would extend throughout education and into state government. As has been reported in the Newsletter over the past year or so, Bunker Hill's hiring and administrative shifting warrant a closer look.

A curious and disturbing phenomenon is taking place at Bunker Hill Community College. On June 8, 1992, the trustees of Bunker Hill voted to hire four "new" unit members. However, last semester the administration nonreappointed three unit members. A curious play on numbers, but more important, peoples' lives.

What's disturbing? Over the last four years, ten members have been nonreappointed and two retrenched. The individuals have filed grievances and the chapter has raised objections, but to no avail. Management, as we know, can nonreappoint in the first three years which is what it has been doing. One can speculate, however, about the factors that are involved in nonreappointment decisions, cost-savings, personality clashes, inappropriate placement in jobs, inexperienced managers, or just plain politics. In addition, administrators are being "slid" into faculty slots, coming in at the high end of the salary scale. What I, as a unit member and former chapter president, find most perplexing is management's expressed standard about employees having to have "the right fit." Though nonreappointed unit members had excellent backgrounds, the operative word "fit" seems to have become the criterion for nonreappointment. It is difficult to understand how the term "fit" is incorporated into an organization of higher education that proposes to celebrate diversity.

Bunker Hill is currently involved in a presidential search. One can only hope that the "new direction" and "campus culture" at the college is one that is steeped in academic commitment to the students and community, and not to a political packing and anti-association philosophy.

Susan Dole, former chapter president and MCCC Vice President Elect from Bunker Hill Community College.

Summer Leadership

The MTA Leadership Conference this summer at Williams College will be held from August 10-14. In addition to over 500 workshops covering a wide range of topics including professional development, leadership training, and electronic communications, higher education will be offering its own tract. In addition, the MCCC will be conducting two specific workshops for chapter leaders. The higher education schedule is as follows:

Tuesday morning. MCCC Grievance Coordinator Dennis Fitzgerald will be conducting a grievance workshop for chapter grievance officers and anyone else interested in attending. Wednesday noon, Lunch for all higher education participants.

Wednesday afternoon. MCCC President-Elect Tom Parsons, along with present and former chapter presidents, will be part of a training session and open discussion concerning the chapter president's role and responsibilities. Like the grievance workshop, this session is open to any MCCC member.

Thursday. all day. An issues and political organizing workshop will be conducted by the MTA for all higher education attendees. The focus will be the organizing of the membership for anticipated activities centering around our contract funding. Thursday evening, All six higher education locals host a reception for all the Summer Leadership Conference attendees.

Friday morning. Each segment--university, state colleges, community college--will update everyone on activities in each local.

The cost for the entire week is $225 which includes room and three meals per day. For those interested in attending only the higher education tract, the cost is $112.50. Deadline for registration is July 5 (fee increase in registration is after July 5). Any unit member is invited to attend and should either get a registration form from his or her chapter president or call MTA (1-800-392-6175). The MCCC will cover the registration fee for attendees. Any questions should be directed to Tom Parsons.

 

Professional Staff Pre-Conference Requirement A reminder to all professional staff employees that by July 1 each professional staff, upon the president's or supervisor's request, shall sit down with his or her supervisor to review the job description, job activities and objectives, and mutually agree to any changes. The agreed-upon job description is what the following year's evaluation is based on. If there are no changes or disagreements with a professional staffs job description, then a meeting would not be necessary.

Weld Attacks Education K-G

Governor Weld's proposed education reform bill does not just suggest changes in the delivery of education in Massachusetts, it, in reality, seems to be a nasty and blatant lack of respect and understanding of public education. The proposal is riddled with anti-teacher rules and regulations as well as very pronounced union-busting, anti-contract overtones. This affects all of us in the education profession.

Though everyone understands that there needs to be changes in the educational system, the governor's document strips teachers of almost all rights they presently have, puts their assignments, promotions, and other conditions of employment into the hands of the principal and his or her professional judgment. In addition to a longer school year, the governor also proposes in Section 46 that all K-12 students shall be required to undertake a service to the community such as rehabilitation of parks, playgrounds and waterways, service in hospitals, senior citizen centers and other health care facilities, and service in local, state and federal government. His proposal, in its entirety, is mean-spirited and denigrating to the teaching profession.

This is an issue for all of us, not just K-12. It represents an attitude and disregard for public education, and it is incumbent on each and every one of us to make sure our representatives and senators know our position. Governor Weld believes he can tap into the anti-teacher, anti-state worker sentiment. He may have over overstepped his bounds, because all surveys reveal that there is strong support for educators while also recognizing the need for education reform. Be vocal and be aware of what the governor is doing so everyone can educate his or her friends, neighbors and representatives.

DCE News

A tentative agreement has been reached with Middlesex Community College concerning the salary of certain day part-timers whose work has been changed to DCE. These individuals had clinical assignments which are normally paid by the hour rather than by credit. These courses, however, had not been previously offered through DCE which made determination of compensation difficult. A settlement has been reached allowing for a fair and equitable adjustment for these employees.

A workload grievance was resolved at No. Essex when the college reinstituted the scheduled meeting times for summer classes. The college had extended the spring and summer schedule, and the grievance concerning compensation for increased contact time is pending.

Budget and Early Retirement Pending

Budget. As most everyone knows by now, the House passed a budget which incorporated a funding increase of almost ten percent along with line item budgeting (each higher education campus has its own budget line) and no tuition retention.

As this Newsletter goes to press, the Senate is scheduled to release its budget. Though we have not heard about the funding aspect, it is rumored that the line item budget allocations will go back to segmental budgets (budget for university, state colleges, and community colleges) in which case the Higher Education Leadership Council (HECC) would then set the budget for each state and community college campus. It is also rumored that tuition retention will be reinstated.

The budget will pass the Senate, no doubt, a different version from the House thereby sending the budget process to the Conference Committee. It is in the Committee that higher education and the MTA hopes to hold onto the line item budget and no tuition retention. Within the next few weeks. unit members should try and' watch the progression of the debate, or maybe watch the debate on cable if you have some spare time.

Calls will need to be generated concerning this budget. Please respond if asked.

The contract funding is not included in the budget or the budget debate. Rep. Flaherty's bill still sits in House Ways and Means, but word from the governor's office and HECC is that the governor has no plans to fund the contracts. Our contract funding will be dependent upon the legislature passing the funding bill and then overriding the governor's anticipated veto. All of higher education is planning the strategy for the next five months surrounding this most important issue.

Early Retirement. By June 22, 1992, the governor must file an early retirement bill for higher education employees. The state and community college presidents voted unanimously to a proposal which would provide the same five years of age, service, or combination as the state employee retirement bill, no grandfathering of employees who retired this year, and salary increases after November, 1992 would be treated as bonuses, not added to salary base. The presidents also propose that employees be allowed to opt for one of two dates--2/93 or 8/93 for retirement.

The university has six dates up to 1995 to opt for retirement. In addition, the presidents are proposing that the colleges will pay the cost of the total retirement cost, minus benefits, for each employee. In effect what the colleges are doing is "buying the line" by paying the retirement cost for three years. The colleges get to keep the line and the funding. Because of this cost, the backfill for the next three years is approximately 33 percent.

The most disturbing element in the presidents' proposal is that they propose that any salary increases received after November, 1992 be considered a bonus and are not added to the employees' base. That is the major disagreement from all the higher education segments.

The MCCC response which was submitted on June 15 proposed that salary increases be added to base; backfills be full-time employees, not part-timers, and eligibility for early retirement be based on employment as of January, 1992 to allow for people who took early retirement this year to be included. We will keep all chapter presidents apprised of the progress of this bill when it is filed.