STCC Professional Association
Emergency Membership Meeting
September 6, 2006
Minutes
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 12:35
Location: Scibelli Auditorium (Building 2)
Attendance: 44 signed in (attendance exceeded that number)
Sole Agenda Item: Tentative Agreement between the MCCC and BHE
Information and ballots have been mailed to the membership. If these have not been received, please contact the MCCC. Completed ballots must be received by September 21, 2006 @ 4:00pm.
STCC/PA President Rodgers opened the meeting with the following comments prior to the presentation by members of the negotiating team (Katie D’Urso, MTA consultant, and Joe LeBlanc, MCCC President and Team Chair). B. Rodgers stressed that if “you” (addressing the membership) decide to vote “no” on the contract, then “you” need to be prepared to take the necessary action to negotiate a new contract. These measures could include job actions, such as withholding grades or work-to-rule – with potential impact upon students. Pres. Rodgers stressed that we need to ask ourselves whether or not we, as individuals and collectively, are prepared to take the requisite steps to make those very actions work. He concluded that members should make up their own minds and consider how the contract affects them, their colleagues, their profession, and their students.
- Katie D’Urso, MTA Consultant for MCCC Day Unit and Chief Spokesperson for Bargaining Team
Katie D’Urso, Spokesperson for the Bargaining Team, followed Pres. Rodgers’ comments with a delineation of the main elements of the tentative agreement (below). K. D’Urso also provided her telephone number – 617-878-8237 – for additional questions or for member assistance. Please note: the information below has been in part reproduced from the meeting handout. Verbal additions to the handout text are noted in italics.
Tentative Agreement between the MCCC and the BHE for a term covering from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2009:
Information
Information routinely provided to the MCCC will be sent to one electronic address.
A small labor management committee will be established to determine the format of the information (i.e. excel, word, etc.).
Student Evaluations
Clarify that administrators may use questions 1-22 (1-13 for form J) on the University of Washington student evaluation form to make comments in faculty evaluations. Clarify that the columns titled Decile Rank on the University of Washington form may not be used by administrators for any purpose. Questions 1-4 on the University of Washington form will continue to be the only questions used to calculate the median overall student evaluation scores for each class in the summary evaluation. The MCCC will hold in abeyance temporarily all grievances filed regarding the use of comments on questions other than 1-4. The MCCC agrees that once the Governor approves and submits the contract to the legislature for funding the MCCC will not arbitrate the grievances. Regarding the decile rank, administrators had previously been using that column to rank faculty against each other.
The University of Washington online evaluation form shall be used for day distance ed courses. The online evaluation for the first two times a day distance ed course is taught will be conducted but will only be used for the information of the faculty member and will not be used for purposes of evaluation. This is a change from the previous contract.
Reassigned Time
The MCCC will be billed by the Colleges at the level 2 DCE rate for all reassigned time sections.
Part-Time Provisions
Part-timers will continue to receive the paid time off contained in the current agreement.
Part-timers will receive a 3% raise on July 1, 2006 and 4% raises September 1, 2007 and 2008.
Licensures and Certifications
Licenses and certificates will be given a point value of 3 times the score they are assigned in the report of the licenses and certifications committee. The payment of these points will be phased in over three years, starting in 2007, with 1/3 of the points paid each year. There will be a cap of 30 for licenses and certificates. A complete listing of licensures and certifications is available on the MCCC website http://mccc-union.org/
(STCC/PA Secretary addendum -- http://mccc-union.org/Ratification/index.html)
College Service
Not later than October 15 for the fall semester and February 15 for the spring semester a faculty member shall submit a list of college service activities proposed to be undertaken during the semester.
Preparations
Any provision to the contrary notwithstanding, any faculty member may request, in accordance with the applicable procedure, a course schedule which results in a number of course preparations beyond three (3) per semester or five (5) per year. As long as the faculty member voluntarily agrees, approval of any such request of a faculty member shall not require a corresponding decrease in advisee and/or office hours and/or college service.
Any faculty member wishing to do so is required to sign a document with the following statement:
“I voluntarily agree to teach more than 3 preparations per semester or more than 5 preparations per year without a corresponding workload reduction.”
Management wanted to increase the number of preps categorically. This provision provides a compromise to assist smaller departments.
Health and Welfare
Increase amount contributed by Colleges by $1/week each year. It is hoped that a corresponding
increase in benefits will result.
Professional Staff Grades
Eliminate Pay Grade 1 during the second year of the agreement (move current grade 1 unit members up to pay grade 2). No change for grade 2.
Workload
New workload computation form designed that eliminates the left hand side of the form (units of instruction). Workload will be computed using instructional hours. Workload language re-organized with no substantive changes. Should changes occur, contact MCCC representative.
Salary
July 1, 2006:
3% across the board raise
Raise the minimum and maximum salaries and the point value by 3%
3% Raise for part-timers, raise the part-time minimum pay by 3%
July 1, 2007:
Payment of the points from the October 15, 2006 snapshot
Payment of 1/3 of the points for licensures and certifications
Payment of dollar amount on base equal to the value of 16 points (seniority and
experience) for faculty and professional staff.
Payment of differential on base for professional staff so that they receive the same value
of points as faculty.
Raise the minimum and maximum salaries and the point value by 3%
September 1, 2007:
4% raise for part-timers, raise the part-time minimum pay by 4%
Fall 2007:
Payment of the dollar value of a 3% across the board raise minus the dollar value of the
increase in salary paid out on July 1, 2007 and September 1, 2007
July 2008:
Payment of the points from the October 15, 2007 snapshot
Payment of 1/3 of the points for licensures and certifications
Payment of dollar amount on base equal to the value of 16 points (seniority and
experience) for faculty and professional staff
Payment of differential on base for professional staff so that they receive the same value
of points as faculty
Raise the minimum and maximum salaries and the point value by 3%
September 1, 2008:
4% raise for part-timers, raise the part-time minimum pay by 4%
Fall 2008:
Payment of the dollar value of a 3% across the board raise minus the dollar value of the increase in salary paid out on July 1, 2008 and September 1, 2008
Sample 2006-2008 contract salary calculations were also provided. Please see attached PDF file for the calculation table available through the MCCC website.
- Joe LeBlanc, MCCC President and Team Chair
MCCC President and Team Chair Joe LeBlanc followed the presentation by K. D’Urso. He stated that while this is not his “dream come true” contract, it is an “on time” contract. Moreover, the contract represents reaching an agreement vs. going to war. Pres. LeBlanc expressed concern over the tendency to “go to war” in the past and enduring repeated “zero years.” He also stressed the importance of timing and that this 3-3-3 contract is indicative of current financial parameters especially with the Romney administration. Regarding the recalibration of points for senior membership, J. LeBlanc noted that the State still needs to recalibrate and maintain the classification rates.
After the presentations by the members of the negotiating team, a period of discussion and question and answer occurred. The following bulleted points represent questions and concerns raised by the membership:
- How many members at STCC are affected by the elimination of Pay Grade 1? Approximately 25.
- Concern over the fact that the 5/semester courseload was put into writing and the 75th percentile agreement was not. It was later stressed that 75% is not dead and is still a goal.
- Is there a reopener clause? Yes, but it hasn’t been used.
- Concern raised over perceived disparity between older members and newer hires. This concern particularly centered on the post-tenure evaluation process and the absence of points. When asked later in the session whether evaluations can be refused, the answer returned was no.
- Regarding the value of particular certificates and licenses, members were referred to the website (see link above).
- As to why point values reflected the previous year’s rate – points are based on the snapshot taken October 15th of the previous year.
- Regarding the election of a new governor, J. LeBlanc suggested that the effects of such a change would not be beneficial for some time, if at all.
- It was also reiterated that given the new workload form, no change should occur and the membership should definitely not lose. If such a change occurs, Union officials should be notified.
- Clarification was offered regarding the college service forms in that they are not intended as punitive measure.
- Clarification was given on the sample salary calculations. To wit, the label “classroom evaluations” also includes corresponding professional staff evaluations.
- The question of whether other state unions get a c.o.l.a. (cost of living allowance) was debated.
- Several members had case-specific questions and were invited to discuss these individually after the general meeting.
Adjournment: At approximately 1:50, the meeting shifted from a group to individual q&a format.
Daniel J. Emerson
STCC/PA Secretary
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