MCCC Home | Year Index | 1992 Index

In This Issue:

• Contract Funding Campaign
• Early Retirement Bill
• MTA Bulletin Board
• MTA Grant Money

Contract Funding Campaign in Full Swing

Since the beginning of the semester, the community colleges, along with all higher education locals (including Univ. of Mass./Dartmouth) and ii other state unions, have been working to get support from the legislators to fund our contract.

For the community colleges, this campaign was kicked off at the August Board meeting. In addition the MCCC leadership, Contract Funding Committee members, and an MTA consultant have visited all 15 campuses. MTA ordered 8500 buttons and has completed three mailings to all higher education members. On Thursday, September 17, MTA conducted a very successful statewide meeting for the chapter presidents, campus crisis chairs, and regional representatives from all higher education institutions.

A number of activities are presently taking place on all campuses.

i. All employees are being asked to call their senator and representative to find out if he or she would support a funding bill and if he or she would override the governor's veto.

2. All employees are being asked to sign a card to their senator and representative. Each employee is to bring the card home and have family and friends sign it also. This card gives the senator and representative the employee's feeling on the upcoming election based on how the senator and representative votes on our contract funding.

This part of the campaign has been compressed into a few weeks since the legislature may only be around for a few weeks prior to returning to the campaign trail.

The union coalition has formed two groups--principals and operations. The principals group is comprised of the presidents of the state unions. MTA President Bob Murphy represents higher education. The operations group is made up of lobbyists and other union leaders. One group meets with the legislative leadership and the other group works on strategy.

Campaign activities have commenced. At present eight chapters are on work to rule. CPR (Contract- Pay-Respect) buttons have been distributed, informational picketing has commenced, legislator calls are being made and cards are being filled out. All college presidents and chancellors have made the funding of the contract their number one priority. Boards of Trustees and/or presidents are writing letters urging the governor to fund the contract.

Many thanks to the campaign committee: Catherine Boudreau, Massasoit; Richard Eells, Roxbury; Susan Jhirad, North Shore; Waiter Mozgala, Holyoke, Roberta Passenant, Berkshire; Wil Roberts, Greenfield; and Margaret Ryckebusch, Bristol. In addition to the committee, thanks go to Tom Parsons, MCCC President, Susan Dole, MCCC Vice President, Roger Dufresne, MCCC Treasurer, John Jacobs, MCCC Secretary, Donna Sirutis, MTA Consultant to the MCCC, and Fred Doherty, MTA Consultant to the state colleges and MTA Coordinator of the Contract Funding Campaign, for their extraordinary organizing and training efforts to date.

A special recognition must go to all chapter presidents and members of the MCCC Board of Directors who are so essential to this effort and to the following chapter members who are neither chapter presidents nor directors but who are conducting the campaign at their chapters: Brenda Boleyn and Ted Panitz, Cape Cod; Cindy Parentela, Holyoke; Alice Crichlow-Lovett, Massasoit; Regina Goodwin and Mary Lee Underhill, Middlesex; Steve Zona, Quinsigamond; and Allan Peck, Springfield.

My apologies to those I have inevitably overlooked. Many good people are working very hard on reestablishing professional dignity for all members of the Massachusetts Community College Council.

Phil Mahler,
MCCC Campaign Coordinator
Middlesex Community College

Raises for Administrators?

At the September meeting, the Board of Trustees at Quinsigamond Community College are scheduled to take final action which would give 14 administrators a ten percent pay increase. In the restructuring of the administration, Assistant Deans went to Associate Deans and Staff Assistants went to Staff Associates with a "shift in responsibilities" and some salaries were raised to over $63,000.

In a time oflow morale, a five-year pay freeze, and deep frustration, the trustees at Quinsigamond apparently have little regard for the unit employees. After four years of budget cuts, this year's eight percent increase in the higher education budget will evidently contribute to these increased administrative salaries. Did the college consider sharing some of that money by funding the outstanding promotions for faculty and professional staff! And, after the faculty and staff work very hard to get a contract funded, does this mean if they are successful, the administrative salaries will have increased 23.7 percent for the year while the rest of the employees will be increased by 13.7 percent?

MTA Health Care Committee

For the past three years, MTA President Bob Murphy has been actively involved in a coalition looking at the delivery of health care services. The MTA has taken the lead amongst the unions and has established a Health Care Committee to seriously explore a member-driven health care trust. The MTA Board has approved a commitment of money to run a conference and begin a few pilot programs in some of the bigger locals.

It has been Murphy's belief that the members should be actively in control in the delivery of health care services, and a jointly managed trust is the vehicle. Though he does not believe this is the answer for the escalating costs of health insurance, he believes that members will at least have the ability to make decisions that affect their health insurance. By eliminating the middle layer and labor having a 50 percent say in the managing of the trust, members would not exist at the whim of the employer or the insurance companies.

In higher education, as you know, when the legislature would not increase our contribution, the governor threatened the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) and it changed its vote to increase co-payments and other costs. In cities and towns across the state, insurance carriers are leaving if there is not a certain number of employees in a plan. This, of course, if very disruptive for families, but is out of the control of the employees and the town.

In a jointly managed trust, labor and management would have an equal say on how the trust was run and what kind of insurance was provided. Since this is a massive undertaking, the MTA plans to move to instituting a few pilot programs. On November 4, the MTA will host a Health Care Conference at the Kennedy Library for business people, personnel managers in charge of health care, other union leaders, and legislators. This will be an informational conference since the permission of the city or town is needed in order to begin a pilot program. Modeled after the California program, a jointly managed trust would provide access to health care for all our employees, full and part time.

MTA Public Relations Grants

The 1992-1993 MTA Public Relations Grant Program has $15,000 in matching funds available to MTA local associations for a public relations project. The grant must:

• expand public awareness ofand support for public education;
• enhance the image of all members; and
• publicize the professional expertise and accomplishments of the MTA, its local iliates, and its members.

Any college is eligible to participate. Chapters will receive reimbursements of 50 percent of net costs, up to a maximum of$1,250 for any one project. Each chapter is limited to $2,500 in total assistance each year, regardless of the number of projects submitted. Grants are funded on a first-come, first-served basis. Any chapter interested in applying should get approval from its appropriate chapter committee. All applications must be signed by MCCC President Tom Parsons prior to submission. Deadline for application is February 1, 1993. Any chapter interested should contact MTA Division of Communication (1-800-392- 6175) and request an application which spells out in very specific detail the criteria for the grant.

No destroying of posters In April, 1990 Gerald Jackson from Bunker Hill Community College, a member of the MCCC Board of Directors at the time, participated in the DCE strike. A professor of economics, Jackson also teaches a course in labor history and collects memorabilia of labor management disputes such as posters, banners, buttons, and flags which he has on his desk and on his office walls. A member of the Bunker Hill administration perceived this collection as a strike-related incident. Jackson took some signs, walked through the building to join his colleagues on the picket line. When the administrator told Jackson he could not have the signs in the building, Jackson objected. He returned to his office, put the signs on his desk and went to make a phone call. The administrator then went to Jackson's office and not only removed the signs, but destroyed them. The chapter grievance officer immediately filed a grievance, alleging a violation of academic freedom and constitutional rights. The grievance was denied at Step II and moved to arbitration. Right before the arbitration, however, this issue was resolved when the college agreed that it was wrong for the administration to remove and destroy placards located in Professor Gerald Jackson's work area.

MCCC Vacancies On MTA Bulletin All you need is a computer and a Hayes compatible modem, and you can sign onto the MTA Bulletin Board and send and receive messages to and from other MTA members. Still in its fledgling stage, time is limited to only one-half hour, but with increased usage, that will change. The MCCC has now put all MCCC vacancies in the system on the Bulletin Board. If you would like to get onto the Bulletin Board system, dial 1-800- 523-8883 (1200 or 2400 baud, 8 data bits; 1 stop, NONE parity). Follow the prompts. When you first logon, you will be asked a few questions. After that, last and first name and password are all that is needed. Once on the main menu, select [B]. You can now access Community College Vacancies (HIEDVAC). Once on, any questions about the bulletin board go to Ron Miller or to the SYSop.

Professional Development Grants

Unlike public relations grants, these grants award up to $500 for costs incurred in the design and implementation of a professional development program. The goals of the program administered by the MTA's Professional Development Council and Division of Professional Development are:

• to improve local conditions for teaching and learning;
• to assist MTA members in their continuing professional development; and
• to assist MTA members to achieve an increased, effective role in the management of their professional and working lives.

Any MTA chapter, group of MTA members, or an individual MTA member.

• Defining clear, measurable educational goals for our students
• Developing qualitative measures of student performance, such as portfolio assessments;
• Fostering the greater use of educational technology in our schools;
• Developing and implementing local policies and programs to eliminate violence in our schools;
• Encouraging the restructuring of our schools through school- based decision-making teams; and
• Designing local programs for the induction and mentoring of beginning teachers.

Anyone interested in applying should contact the Division of Professional Development (1-800-392- 6175) for an application.

There are three review periods for applications.

Deadline for October review is October 16; December review, December 11; and February review, February 12.

Early Retirement Bill Filed

An early retirement bill was filed (Senate 1707) by Senators Rosenberg, Havern, Norton, Birmingham and Representatives Story and Lambert and sits in the Public Service Committee.

The bill is similar to the one filed last year and has the following components:

• a window period for application. The present bill states September 30, 1992 and November 30, 1992. Since this bill has yet to be taken up, these dates are void and a new window would be established upon passage of bill.
• employees of the state and community colleges could choose one of two dates to retire--August 1, 1993, or February 1, 1993. University employees could choose these days up through and including February 1, 1996.
• early retirement incentive would be an additional five years of age or five years of service or a combination of age and service which could not exceed five years.
• for calculation purposes, an employee's salary would be frozen at the rate in effect on November 30, 1992. Any increase granted would be in the form of a bonus and would not be deemed regular compensation.
• each institution would pay the state retirement board, on a monthly basis, the cost of the early retirement for each employee taking a superannuation retirement.
• all positions funded by state appropriations vacated as a result of early retirement may be refilled by each institution.

In the last issue of the Newsletter, it was reported that the governor did not file an early retirement bill because the college presidents and Administration and Finance could not agree on the health care costs. Components of this bill, such as a salary increase being dealt with as a bonus, were rejected last spring by the MTA's Higher Education Leadership Council. This is the bill presently sitting in the Public Service Committee; it is not necessarily the bill which will come out of this committee. Once a bill begins to move, all campuses will be notified.

Know Your Contract

Oct. 1	Sick Leave Bank Open Period
Oct. 1	Tenure eligibility list distributed
Oct. 9	Course materials evaluation returned
Oct. 15	Full-time seniority list due to chapter president
Oct. 15	Reappointments for fourth-year or longer employees
Oct. 15	Position list, payroll, and enrollment figures to chapter president
Oct. 25	Spring sabbaticals awarded
Oct. 30	Preferred schedule and courses submitted
Oct. 30	Sick Leave Bank Closed Period

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.