MCCC Home | Year Index | 1993 Index

In This Issue:

• Unfunded Promotions
• Sabbatical Leave Complaint
• MTA & NEA Elections
• Governor's Budget

Weld Proposes $40 Million New Funds

In the governor's proposed Fiscal 1994 state budget (House 1), higher education appears to get an increase of $81 million over last year. Upon closer examination, however, the increase is offset by some takebacks and tuition retention. The pertinent parts of his budget for higher education are:

Shortfall

In a new initiative, the governor reallocates to the various agencies the cost of the state's share of our health insurance. Presently, the state's share is paid through a centralized account under the Group Insurance Commission. The governor appears to be increasing the campuses' budgets to reflect the agencies' cost of the health insurance. Beside the fact that this is a bookkeeping procedure, the real trouble is that there is insufficient monies to pay the state's 90 percent share of our health insurance costs. Weld provides monies to pay 80 percent and expects the employee to pay 20 percent thereby increasing our contribution 100 percent.

Charge Backs

The university presently has 100 percent tuition retention; Weld proposes tuition retention for state ($32.6 million) and community colleges ($24.7 million).

Tuition retention funds can be used for salary; therefore, the governor proposes to pay only a portion of the fringe benefits cost for employees on tuition retention funds.

New Money

A six percent increase in the maintenance account to carry the cost of the six percent increase we just received. As noted below, this account does not reflect the remaining increase due employees.

With the advent of a foundation budget, the governor proposes $5 million each to the state and community college for "mission enhancement" or performance grants. The university, on the other hand, will receive approximately $30.5 million in expansion funding.

June Salary Increase

The remaining 7.2 percent increase due employees in June does not appear in the higher education budget but rather in a $122.6 million reserve for human resource costs. This account appears in the budget of the Executive Office of Administration and Finance and does not reflect whom this increase is slated for all contractual employees, all state employees, or some state employees. What Weld's budget does indicate in its narrative, however, is his intent to distribute these monies by some type of "pay for performance" scheme.

The Debate

Based on last year's debate, when the governor's budget moves through House Ways and Means, some of the same arguments, no doubt, will surface. The main points will be tuition retention, increase in health insurance costs to employees, and health care chargebacks. Most likely, the House Ways and Means budget will look quite different than the governor's. The MTA and the MCCC will be following the budget debate very closely along with the early retirement, sabbatical leave, and retroactive salary increase issues.

Presidents' Promotion Offer: Some Get, Some Don't

On January 7, 1993, union and management came to the table to discuss the unfunded promotions. At that session, management submitted a written proposal which provided for the funding of promotions but as a local option -- some presidents could fund promotions and some presidents didn't have to fund. At that session, the MCCC responded with a written counterproposal stating that all promotions had to be funded as of November 28, 1992. Steve Fanning, the presidents' counsel and spokesperson at the bargaining table, informed the MCCC Team that he would have a response by January 12. When the MCCC Team Chair Dennis Fitzgerald received no response, he requested that the teams meet and continue negotiations over the promotion issue. Fanning said he would let Fitzgerald know about a meeting by January 27. Instead, Fanning sent a letter stating that the presidents "renewed" their position of local option for promotions. At the request of the MCCC, the parties returned to the table on February 10, and the MCCC, as a compromise to the deadlock, made a proposal in writing that the presidents could fund the promotions at their discretion between now and July 1, 1993, but all promotions, regardless of when the college paid them, would be effective November 29, 1992. On February 11, 1993, the Council of Presidents met, and the MCCC was informed by Fanning that the presidents took no action on the union's proposal regarding promotions and have delayed any action until their March meeting.

The presidents argue that the legislature should fund promotions and that they are letting the legislature off the hook. But for years, in fact, promotion monies have come, in part, from the colleges' maintenance account. In addition, the presidents very well may have let the legislature off the hook for the six percent increase for all the non-unit employees by subsidizing that increase from their maintenance account. For the first time in memory, the colleges have funded across-the-board salary increases for a group of employees.

In December, UMass President Michael Hooker already had set aside money to pay the six percent increase to all employees, regardless of what the legislature did. When the legislature funded the unit employees' raise, Hooker gave all non-unit employees the increase at the same time.

The state college presidents went back to the table and agreed to fund, retroactively, all the department chair stipends and outstanding promotions for the state college unit employees from their maintenance accounts. With the rollover, the cost of this was close to $3 million.

But at the community colleges, some presidents do not want to fund promotions for their employees. The MCCC has proposed that these promotions be effective November 29, 1992, and have offered presidents the ability to delay, but to no avail. This cost would be approximately $260,000 for all 15 campuses.

The six percent increase given in December is incorporated into the governor's proposed budget; the remaining 7.2 percent increase is in a reserve account; and a late file bill sits in the legislature that may reimburse the colleges for the six percent non-unit increase the colleges funded. There certainly is no guarantee, whatsoever, that the colleges will be reimbursed for the six months of non-unit pay raises which came from their maintenance account. So why would only a few community college presidents hold so firmly to not funding these promotions when other college presidents in the system have expended monies from their maintenance account for salary and other increases usually funded by the legislature?

Mass. Bay Thaws DCE Salary Schedule

Mass. Bay Community College has a multiple step salary system in the Division of Continuing Education. Like other community colleges with such policies, movement from one step to another is based on the accrual of teaching experience at the college. Such movement, at Mass. Bay, however, was frozen prior to the implementation of the DCE contract because of financial difficulties which existed at the time. College President Roger Van Winkle, in agreement with the MCCC, has stated that the college will reinstate seniority-based movement on the salary schedule. The same criteria for movement which existed in the past will be used again except where mandated by contract. The college is in the process of drafting the particulars, and the affected faculty members should be notified soon.

Vacant Seat on MTA Board for Community Colleges

Because of the increase in membership over the past two years, the MCCC will have two seats on the MTA Board of Directors effective July 1. Joe Murphy from Bristol Community College is our representative on the Board now. All MCCC unit members, full time, part time, and DCE employees are eligible to run for the new seat. Elections will be held at the MTA Annual Meeting in May. If anyone is interested in running, the MTA Today will carry the necessary information for the filing of nomination papers. Nomination papers must be obtained by requesting them in writing from MTA Executive Director Edward Sullivan. The deadline for filing papers is Friday, March 5, 993, at 5 p.m.. The MTA Board meets six weekends a year, and meetings are usually held at the Holiday Crown Plaza in Natick. The two board members are also members of the Higher Education Leadership Council which meets once a month on Fridays.

DCE Team Vacancies The MCCC is accepting applications from DCE unit members in good standing (dues are paid) who are interested in being a member of the 1993-1996 DCE Negotiating Team. If you are interested in serving on the team, send a resume and a cover letter to MCCC President Tom Parsons, II Cottonwood Road, Wellesley, MA 02181. Deadline for application is March 1, 1993.

Looking for a Job The number of vacancies within the community colleges is expanding, and this information is easily accessible. If your do not have a Hayes compatible modem, someone on your campus will. Vacancies can be read directly from the screen, or they can be downloaded and printed at your terminal. To access the BulIetin 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 are needed. Once on, any questions about bulletin board go to Ron Miller (1-508-653-7244), the SYSop, either through the bulletin board or by calling him. Once on the main menu, Select [B]. You can now access Community College Vacancies (HIEDVAC).

Do You Know Where They Are?

All female faculty and professional staff who are part of the equity suit settlement should have received a correspondence from Attorney Betty A. Gittes. A number of letters, however, have been returned, address unknown. In the next couple of issues of the Newsletter, an updated list will be printed of women who need to be contacted. If anyone knows anyone one this list, please contact her and ask her to call Attorney Gittes.

Berkshire
Judith Aronow; Kristina Cimini; Susan Quinland-Brown

Bunker Hill
Patricia Brown; Cheryl Holmes; Lobna Ismal-Kronamer; Adele Ladonne; Molly Leong; Pamela Perkins-Johnson

Cape Cod
Karen Burns

Mass. Bay
Ann Marie Clougherty; Sharon H. Dunn; Susan M. Santucci

Middlesex
Geraldine Dansky

No. Shore
Linda A. Boyer; Marguerite Gerstell

No. Essex
Bonnie A. Neuhardt

Roxbury
Josephine Apperwhite; Carol Camlin; Adrienne Scott

Springfield
Susan Delf; Nancy Santaniello; Estate of Marion A. Watkins

Note Bene. The full-time unit members' W-2 for 1992 will reflect a higher yearly salary because of the furlough monies which were paid back to us in January, 1992. Also, in addition to our retirement contribution being pretax monies on our Federal base, our health insurance contributions are now pretax dollars on our State base. The law for pretax insurance passed this Fall; therefore, it only reflects a couple of months for 1992. These three items were gained through MTA filing suit in Superior Court and filing legislation, respectively.

Mark Your Calendars for Deadlines

Mar. 1	Deadline to apply for DCE negotiating team.
Mar. 5	Deadline to file nomination papers with MTA-for the new community college seat on MTA Board of Directors
Mar. 10	Deadline to file nomination papers with MCCC to be delegate for MTA and NEA annual meeting.

MLRC Issues Complaint on Sabbatical Change

When the State Retirement Board changed its policy and discontinued the practice of granting one year credit for full year, half pay sabbatical. the MTA filed a prohibited practice charge against the employer for failing to notify higher education affiliates of this change. In addition the MTA also filed a suit in Suffolk County Superior Court and a bill with the legislature (Senate 1169) to correct this change.

The Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission (MLRC) has issued two complaints (one against the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC) and one against the Univ. of Mass. Board of Trustees) in this matter which will result in a full, formal hearing. The Complaint also cited HECC and the Trustees for failing to respond to demands to bargain from the higher education units over this change. The MLRC stated that the matter of determining retirement benefits for sabbatical leave is a form of compensation and a mandatory subject of bargaining.

Day Contract Survey

All full-time and part-time (Quinsigamond and STCC) day unit members should have received the survey for the 1993-1996 contract. Please take the opportunity to put down what you like, what you would like to see changed, and what you would like added to our contract. The survey information will be compiled by your chapter representative, and the Negotiating Committee will then compile the information from the 15 campuses. The results will become the basis for the demand package for our next contract.

Know Your Contract

Feb. 23	Full and Part-time new hire list to MCCC
Feb. 26	Course material evaluations due faculty
Mar. 6	Fall, 1993 leave-of-absence applications due
Mar. 6	Fall, 1993 Sabbatical Committee recommendations due
Mar. 5	Title change recommendations due Unit Personnel Practices Committee tenure recommendations due

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.