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The Twelfth Annual Jon Butler Memorial Award in recognition of an outstanding chapter president will be awarded to Don Williams of No. Shore Community College at the MCCC Delegate Assembly on April 20, 1996, at Mt. Wachusett Community College. The MCCC established this award in the fall of 1984 to honor the memory of Jon Butler, was a chapter president from No. Shore Community College and the MCCC Research Coordinator. This award recognizes leaders who possess the qualities and commitment Jon had as a leader and educator and who are strong advocates for unit members' rights. Don Williams is a professor of English at No. Shore Community College. A product of the public schools in Marblehead, the only college Williams could afford in the late 60's was No. Shore Community College. "No. Shore," says Williams, "was a stimulating and supportive place, and I thrived. It made me a true believer in the community college mission." From there Williams went to Salem State College for his B.A. in English and was graduated from the University of New Hampshire with an M.A. in English. In 1979 Williams came to No. Shore Community College where he teaches literature, composition, and technical writing. In addition he has also been a training consultant and contract Miter for General Electric and other smaller industrial firms. Williams' first union activities began with a work to rule vote in the 1980's. The more he learned about the college and the union, the more he realized that the union was the only place where there was true concern for the employees.

"The state government and the college presidents were not looking out for our financial well being," says Williams. "The only way to make our working conditions better was to get involved in the union. Also, I began to realize that more and more of our fight was statewide--trying to get the state administration and legislature to see the importance of what we do. I wanted to make a contribution."

After Jon Butler died Williams became chapter secretary, and in 1991 was elected chapter president. His first challenge was to revitalize the chapter because the chapter had few truly active members. He immediately launched a campaign to increase involvement. He expanded communications, revamped the bylaws, set up an association structure with building representatives, and worked to communicate effectively and regularly with the members. "It has been a real challenge to communicate with three campuses spread out over three communities--Lynn, Danvers, and Beverly." Abe Sherf, the MCCC director from No. Shore says, "When Don was elected chapter president, he brought with him an enthusiasm, energy, and stamina that helped us to overcome apathy and to take on a stonewalling management. He made the chapter a dynamic force in the college community."

Over the last five years, Williams has been involved in MCCC's two most important and difficult political action activities--the funding of the 1990-1993 contract and last semester's contract actions. During the contract activity last semester, Williams was stellar and motivated his chapter to action. The union received excellent newspaper coverage as Williams voiced the concerns of his members. He appeared before the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC), lobbied legislators, spoke at trustee meetings, and at times, says Williams, "incurred the wrath of people in high places." Williams admits that getting members involved in political action is very difficult. "There is a tendency for people to let someone else do the work. In order to get people more involved, it took a lot of talking--one on one--to our unit members to show them the strength we have in numbers." Williams says that the most difficult part of being chapter president is dealing with all the emergencies. "It seems that there is always something that needs to be done on the statewide or chapter level. A trying part of the job is attempting to get our president, George Traicoff, to be a more forthcoming advocate." While Williams has increased the chapter members' participation, it remains a difficult challenge -"Getting people to do things and not retreat hoping that someone else will fight the battle.

"Still," says Williams, "I experience a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I see results. When poor managers are dealt with, when members achieve their rights and they see that the union helped them, and when we get a good turnout at a rally, at a political action activity, or at a union meeting, I feel great.

"We in higher education are headed for difficult times. We do not have strong support at HECC and now, with a change in the legislature, it is questionable how we will survive. The MCCC needs to become a more savvy player in the political arena. Lobbying the legislature is one thing, but we must also change how the public perceives us. If we can improve our image with the public and the legislature by demonstrating the good job we do, then the governor and HECC chair James Carlin will be unable to disparage the faculty and our institutions by underfunding, by violating our contractual rights, or by making us beg for money. I believe that the MTA will help in this, but I also believe that we have to carry more of the burden ourselves." Williams plans to continue his efforts working to make the No. Shore chapter as effective as it can be. "As frustrated as I may get sometimes, I know how hard our leaders work on all levels for the membership. There is no doubt in my mind that if it were not for the union, we would all be in serious trouble. Through all of my activities, I have felt that our cause is just and that we would get nothing from the state or the colleges if not for our union."

Higher Education Budget

The House has concluded debate on the Fiscal 1997 budget. During a week of descendancy and ascendancy, the debate began in earnest on Tuesday, April 9 and concluded on Saturday morning, April 13. Highlights of the budget are:

1. An outside section set aside a practically unrestricted $64 million "reserve" incentive fund distributed by the Board of Higher Education (BHE--formerly the Higher Education Coordinating Council, HECC). The outside section states, "For a reserve to be distributed according to guidelines established by the board of higher education for efforts and improvements by campuses to increase classroom teaching time, improve product efficiency, eliminate redundant, underutilized, and duplicative programs of study."

   Final House recommendation: This outside section remained, but the amount was reduced to %2.8 million. U.Mass. was removed from this section and was fully funded. The colleges were level funded, and the one percent increase ($2.8 million) is the incentive money. Though this amount is certainly better then the %64 million, the fact remains that the colleges' budgets were cut. When a budget is level funded it results in a cut because there is no inflation factor. This is another move at centralizing the power in higher education. The community and state colleges will need to work very hard with senators to have the one percent increase restored to the colleges' line item budgets.

2. Centralization of the process for setting tuition rates and fees. Presently the laws gives HECC the power to set tuition while the campuses set fees. This outside section allows the BHE to set tuition and fees and then incorporates the retention of tuition by the boards of trustees. Final House recommendation: U. Mass. was removed, and this outside section remained for state and community colleges.
3. The governor signed our collective bargaining funding bill, and it has gone to the House.
4. Health insurance increase was removed and remains at 85/15 (House proposed 83/17).
5. Change in Chapter 150E (collective bargaining law) in House budget. The change would allow higher education locals to submit executed contracts directly to legislature. Under the present law, our contracts must be submitted to the governor after execution and the governor submits funding bill to legislature.
6. The proposal to increase pension contributions to 10% for all new hires was amended to 9%. Our work is cut out for us in the senate. It is critically important that everyone make the calls when asked. The two outside sections will impact everyone!

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Day and DCE Contract Updates

DAY

The funding bill was signed by the governor on April 12, 1996, and was sent to the House. The MTA and MCCC have been assured that there should be no problems with this bill moving through the legislature. The MCCC should be able to ascertain soon when this process will be completed and a time frame for when the raise would be in the paychecks.

Educational Needs Money

The educational needs money policy is still in the process of being finalized. In the meantime, receipts back to July 2, 1995, should be set aside, and no purchases of equipment should be made until the policy is finalized. Presently the MCCC, the presidents, and HECC are working out a final policy agreement. A draft of the agreement includes:

General Policy

1. All requests will need to be receipted
2. Requests can include all professional activities and/or purchases between July 2, 1995, and January 1, 1998. All funds must be expended prior to June 30, 1998, or they will revert to the state.
3. Receipts may be submitted with an application or may be submitted after the activity or proposed purchase has been completed. No disbursements will be made without receipts.
4. Deadline for submission of receipts is January 1, 1998. This will allow reimbursement of remaining monies after January 1, 1998, to full-time unit members whose requests were not fully funded.

Eligibility

1. Full-time unit members employed in the unit between July 2, 1995, and June 30, 1996.
2. A unit members hired between July 2, 1995, and September 5, 1995, will be eligible to receive a full allocation of money. Unit members hired after September 5, 1995, will be eligible to receive at least one half of the allocation of money.
3. Unit members no longer employed as of June 30, 1996, are not eligible.
4. Again, this is a draft, but it provides some general information for unit members. Until the funding bill for the contract has passed the legislature, no educational money will be disbursed.

The 2.5% pool equals $1,858,371.77. That money will be divided equally among all full-time unit members.

Classification

Chancellor Koplik is in the process of selecting the people who will serve on the committee that oversee the bidding and selection process for the consultant.

DCE

The DCE contract was ratified by the members on February 7, 1996. The agreement, however, has not been executed by the MCCC and the presidents. Though there was no question on the amount of percentage increase for unit members, the MCCC bargained those same percentage increases for the hourly-wage employees. and the employees on non-standard salary schedules. During the editing process of the final language, the specific percentages were not stated for these categories of employees. What has transpired between the parties is that the presidents are saying that they have total discretion to determine the level of compensation, and therefore, the college does not have to apply the negotiated increases to hourly or non-standard salary schedule employees. There is no question that the MCCC bargained percentage increases for all DCE employees.

As for the increases due this semester for all other employees, three colleges have already incorporated the increases in the paychecks. Other colleges are waiting until the contract is executed. Since the increases will be forthcoming, it certainly makes sense that the colleges give the increases in the regular paycheck. Otherwise payroll offices, much to their dismay, would have to issue a separate set of checks for all employees.

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Report your Blue Cross Dental Woes?

Anyone having a complaint or concern about the Blue Cross Dental plan and coverage should direct his or her comments to

Abe Sherf,
North Shore Community College.

He is the community college representative on the Health and Welfare Trust Fund.

What is NEA DUES-TAB?

No cost life insurance for all eligible members!

Five times the basic benefit for accidental death and dismemberment !

$50,000 AD & D coverage while on the job or serving as the Association leader!

Questions & Answers About NEA DUES-TAB?

What is NEA DUES-TAB?

NEA DUES-TAB is insurance coverage consisting of a life insurance benefit, an accidental death and dismemberment benefit, and a special S50,000 benefit for accidental death and dismemberment that occurs while on the job or serving as an Association leader. This program is an automatic benefit provided at absolutely no cost to eligible NEA members.

Who is eligible for NEA DUES-TAB?

All active, Reserve, Staff, and Life members are eligible for NEA DUES-TAB. Life members must be actively employed in the field of education.

What is my initial NEA DUES-TAB Life Insurance Benefit?

The DUES-TAB benefit for natural death will depend on your number of continuous years of NEA membership. Quite simply, is an amount equivalent to your NEA dues paid since membership year 1981-1982. This amount will increase each year until it reaches a maximum of S1,000.

Please note that membership must be continuous. This means that if you leave the Association. all accumulated coverage will be lost.

Will the Benefit always stay the same?

No, your life benefit will increase every year by the same amount as that year's NEA dues, up to a maximum of S1,000. Of course, the continuous membership requirement still applies.

What is the DUES-TAB accidental death and dismemberment benefit?

All eligible members will also receive no-cost accidental death and dismemberment insurance equal to five times their life insurance benefit! This valuable coverage will increase every year, to a maximum of $5,000.

How can I find our more about NEA DUES-TAB?

For additional information or to register your beneficiary, write to: NEA Member Benefits, 900 Clopper Road, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878-1356. Or call toll free at 1-800-637-4636 and register right over the phone!

Looking for a Job

The vacancies within the community colleges are easily accessible on the MTA Bulletin Board System (BBS) (1-800-523- 8883) You can read, download, and/or print these vacancies at your terminal. If you do not have access to a modem, a printout can be faxed to you. Fax your request to the Communications Coordinator at 617- 236-0448. You must include the name of the college(s) where you work.

For the first time user. When you call into the BBS, you will need to provide some information to the systems operator. You can get on the BBS immediately and choose your password. Once you get on the BBS, follow these steps to get to the vacancy area. Enter your name and password, Select F(ile); 6(Vacancies in community colleges); (F)files in this area; (V)iew and type in the first two numbers of the last dated entry e.g., 42-11-1996 (You would type 42).

Only questions specific to the MTA BBS should be directed to the systems Operator (SYSop) Ron Miller (1-508-653-7244), preferably through the BBS. If you have specific questions about a vacancy, call the college.

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Know Your Contract

Apr. 30	Faculty assignments for fall
Apr. 30	Full-time faculty schedules sent to chapter president
May 1	President's tenure recommendations
May 10	Faculty submit College Service (E4) and Student Advisement (E5) forms
May 20	Tenure decisions 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.

MCCC Newsletter Editor: Catherine A. Boudreau MCCC/MTA Newsletter 20 Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108

The MCCC Newsletter is a publication of the Massachusetts Community College Council. The Newsletter is intended to be an information source for the members of the MCCC and for other interested parties. The material in this publication may be reprinted with the acknowledgment of its source. For further information on issues discussed in this publication, contact Catherine Boudreau, Massasoit Community College, Brockton, MA 02402.

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