Ned McGuire 2004 recipient of Jon G. Butler Award

Ned McGuire, chapter president at Massachusetts Bay Community College, has been awarded the 2004 Jonathan G. Butler Award for outstanding chapter president. McGuire is a learning specialist in the writing center at Mass Bay. The past year has been has been a very challenging one at Mass Bay. There were layoffs of faculty and staff members along with reductions in work year for staff members. Many of the affected members were chapter officers, and these actions were interpreted by some as an assault on the union.

On top of these personnel issues, Mass Bay's Framingham campus had a continuing problem with air quality and hazardous materials. Management was not addressing this problem effectively, requiring constant prodding by the association to solve the unhealthy conditions. McGuire, in only his second term as chapter president, stood up to what former MCCC president and current Mass Bay director, Tom Parsons, labeled "an overwhelming and difficult college administration." In nominating McGuire for the award, Parsons said, "Despite the continuous pressure from the administration, Ned kept the membership focused on the unethical salary cutbacks of professional staff and unwarranted layoffs. At the same time he did not relent on the health and safety issues at the Framingham campus." Many people on campus believe that the announced retirement of the college president was related, at least in part, to the effective defense of union members' rights that McGuire led.

The Jon G. Butler Memorial Award for outstanding Chapter President was established in the fall of 1984 in honor of Jon G. Butler, former chapter president at North Shore Community College, former MCCC Research Coordinator, and an outspoken and active proponent of unit members' rights. The purpose of the award is to recognize the Chapter President(s) whose leadership, acts, or support have made a significant impact on MCCC unit members.