In This Issue:

Rizzo Awarded Lemieux

Joseph Rizzo, currently the MCCC's Grievance Coordinator for the Division of Continuing Education, was awarded the organization's highest honor, the Raymond C. Lemieux Award at the May 1, 1999 Delegate Assembly.

Raymond Lemieux, a devoted Springfield Technical Community College professor, and a renowned Treasurer of the MCCC died in 1987. In 1991, tile MCCC established an award in Ray's memory for a unit member 11 whose service, leadership, and dedication have contributed significantly to the Massachusetts Community College Council. Criteria for the award are service to higher education and to tile labor movement in the quest for improved working conditions, maintenance of high standards of professional excellence, and demonstrated leadership in higher education at the chapter, MCCC, MTA, and NEA levels.

A Professor of Behavioral Science at NECC since 1973, Mr. Rizzo assumed NECC Faculty Association and local grievance officer duties in 1984. His success in attaining unit status for six faculty in the developmental studies (who have since distinguished themselves at that college) after a four year struggle, won him local renown and systemic acclaim. His stellar performance as a local president was noted in 1985 when he was the recipient of the MCCC's John Butler award.

After six years of distinguished service at NECC, Mr. Rizzo was selected, in 1990, to become the MCCC Division of Continuing Education Grievance Officer when DCE was organized after a lengthy campaign in which he, among others, was instrumental. His diligence, personability, management of detail, and successful negotiations in groundbreaking resolutions have won him the respect of unionists and representatives of the employer over these nine years.

Mr. Rizzo has developed and delivered exceptional presentations in the areas of the conditions of part-time faculty, virtual employment, and distance education. His mastery of developing presentation software technology has given him an edge in effective, commanding. and succinct communication of relevant issues.

Mr. Rizzo recently chaired the Distance Education Negotiating team which is in the process of wrapping up a package of Distance Education material which will be adjunct to our contract. This material includes forms which prescribe the conditions of employment surrounding distance education offerings. The work has drawn national attention.

Mr. Rizzo was introduced by last year's Lemieux recipient. distinguished Abe Sherf of North Shore CC.

Border Gets Butler

James Border, President of the Berkshire CC Professional Association, was honored at the 1999 MCCC Delegate Assembly with the Jon Butler award for distinguished service as an MCCC chapter president. This was the seventeenth award of the Butler, established in 1984.

Jon Butler was chapter president at North Shore CC, and MCCC research coordinator noted as an exemplary leader, and advocate for members' rights. The award recognizes chapter presidents who possess the qualities and commitment Jon demonstrated in leadership and education.

Currently presiding over about 90 unit members of the MCCC's westernmost chapter, James Border has held some office at Berkshire for about twenty of the last twenty-five years.

He enjoys telling the story of how he first assumed the presidency in 1974. Arthur Finney, Gus Nelson and he were motoring back from an early MCCC organizational meeting at STCC. He nodded off in the backseat and awoke to find himself proclaimed president of tile nascent BCC chapter.

Border married his wife Karen in 1973. Eight years ago she became the chapter's vice president. It is notable that Karen was among the "BCC Eight" who launched the ultimately successful sex equity suit.

When the BCC unit members first formed a picket line in the mid-'70s, the state police were called in for what, perhaps, was an overreaction. Cold winter weather found the police monitoring the lines from inside the building, while picketers warmed hands around coffee cups.

In 1974, unit leaders prepared for an imminent strike by purchasing sandwich makings for 90 or so members. When the strike did not materialize there were sandwiches three-meals a day for weeks.

Mr. Border describes the BCC unit's relations with their administrations as generally cordial. He recounts instances among the some 25 times he recalls his members on the picket lines when administrators joined unit members in informational picketing.

Local Strategic Action

The political action ball is rolling on community college campuses across the commonwealth. Local strategic action on Classification has been effective in laying groundwork for a coordinated push when the study crystallizes as a definitive piece of legislation in the coming months.

At Bristol CC President Farley invited the BCC Unit officers to attend her annual legislative luncheon on March 12. Most of the representatives and senators were receptive to the classification study being fully funded. Unit members stressed the fact that the retroactive money would be used by potential retirees as a retirement incentive. More senior faculty and staff leaving will open the door to hiring new unit members at a lower salary. This would Rep. Travis told me he filed an early retirement bill. The Lane Bill had some positive feedback.

One representative described the impact of telephone calls on various initiatives...

five calls = this is an important issue

ten calls = this is a very important issue

15 calls = this is a crisis and we better act on it

The STCC chapter invited its area legislators to a large annual legislative breakfast on May 21. In past years STCC has been very strong in legislative contacts. These legislators heard the message last year from that chapter - this will be their second time.

North Shore's President Don Williams has led successful meetings with several area legislators. Rep. Bruce Tarr and Rep. Cahill and Senator Berry are notable examples.

At QCC, on Feb 5, unit members brought the message to 16 area legislators at a legislators' luncheon. BHCC Trustees sent a letter to Governor Cellucci approved and endorsed at their March 29 meeting encouraging funding of the recommendations of the DMG Classification study recommendations. "We were pleased to learn that the long-standing internal and external salary inequity was finally being addressed in a systematic manner".

Joe Nardoni is coordinating at Middlesex. Two meetings with legislators are scheduled for the Bedford Campus on April 15th and 16th, at 3:00 in the afternoon.

MBCC met with five legislators and two chiefs of staff on May 12. They reported that their legislators were appalled at what they heard. Legislators not only didn't know about Classification, they didn't know the community college had a separate contract from the state colleges!

Local Pres. Nancy Dempsey approached CCCC Pres. Schatzberg asking trustees to send letter similar to Bunker Hill to Governor. Schatzberg was positive and was going to work trustees for us.

Some campus meetings have generated newspaper coverage of legislator meetings. Northern Essex CC was front page in the Newburyport News in late April.

HCC's meeting organized and run by Bill LeFrancois, received sympathetic coverage on May 11 in the Springfield Union News. Holyoke administrators seemed very supportive of Classification in quotes peppering the article.

Grass roots political action has thus been energetic. Concern that existing energy is available at the moment necessary to move the legislation has been expressed. Effective channeling and coordination of this energy is hence MCCC VP and statewide SAC Phil Mahler's current focus.

See the article on the May 26 Strategic Action Meeting in Auburn on page 4.

Privatization of Operations at UMass

Directed by the Trustees, in December UMass Amherst's Chancellor David Scott hired two consultants to conduct a review of the feasibility of privatizing cafeteria and snack bar food services and the University Bookstore/Textbook Annex operations. The consultants, College Bookstore Corporation & Coryn-Fasano Group, have completed extensive reports delivered to the Chancellor & Administrative Staff on May 6th, 1999. On that date the Chancellor met with a 15 member Advisory Committee, comprised of the 5 participating Unions (USA-MTA, MSP-MTA, AFSCME, SEIU, & GEO) representatives and other Auxiliary Services representatives. The Advisory Committee's Chair is Prof. Brian O'Connor of the Biology Department.

The report was particularly critical of retail food services citing outmoded equipment, inefficient layout, hours of operation, deferred maintenance, and wages in accounting for a $220,000 annual loss. The report projects a $250,000 profit if the facilities were run privately. Though the University Bookstore and Annex were not found to have the infrastructure and programmatic weaknesses of the food services, the consultants recommended combining operations under one roof and increasing staff training to improve overall operations.

The Advisory Committee held two meetings with the consultants to discuss the concerns and impact upon the campus community and the targeted areas for privatization. The Amherst Chamber of Commerce, student groups and businesses have also voiced their concern about the potential loss of autonomy, and opportunity for cooperative business experience, if privatization becomes a reality.

Opponents of privatization listed the loss of sense of community, competition with student businesses, and reduction of jobs for student workers that might ensue with privatization as among their concerns. Labor Studies Professor Frank Borges, a member of the advisory committee expressed a concern that the study was hastily prepared and possibly inaccurate in its estimates.

The study said the Faculty Club, despite its popularity with professors, is a consistent money loser, which should probably be closed.

DCE Salary Increase

contributed by Joe Rizzo

The last pay raise under the current contract became effective for the fall 1998 semester. The DCE collective bargaining agreement expired on December 31, 1998. This contract, however, remains in effect until a successor agreement is negotiated. The MCCC has filed a demand to bargain with the employer and negotiations are expected to commence shortly

Foreseeing that a new contract is not necessarily in place when the previous contract expires, the negotiators of the 1995-98 DCE contract stipulated that another salary increase will occur in the event that the new agreement is not yet in place by September of 1999. This increase is effective in the fall session 1999. The Memorandum of Agreement provides unit members with an average increase of 3% as a contingency in case the negotiations are not completed. A Step 3 instructor reaching a three-credit course will then receive $2,352. This outside-the-contract raise will adjust the schedule as follows:

Step 1 - $680 per credit

Step 2 - $ 729 per credit

Step 3 - $ 784 per credit

As in the past, the laboratory component of a course will be paid at the rate of 1.5:1 (1.5 contact hours per week during a regular semester = 1 credit salary).

With rollover and the final pay adjustment, the Division of Continuing Education Unit salary increased 20-37% from the salary rates paid in 1996. The wide variation in this increase is because of the implementation of a statewide pay scale. These uniform rates ended the disparate salaries that had existed in DCE at different colleges in the past. The current agreement took effect in May of 1996. At that time, some of the colleges paid no more than $1710 per three-credit course where others paid $1935 for the same work.

In September 1990, when the first salary increases negotiated by the MCCC were about to be implemented, a three-credit course in the Massachusetts Community Colleges paid between $900 - $1,125, depending on the campus. One campus required that 36 students needed to be enrolled in order for the instructor to be paid at the regular rate.

As of the fall 1999 semester, DCE faculty salary will have increased as much as 161%. Although these negotiated increases appear impressive, there is much work to be done before we can say that part time faculty, or full timers teaching an extra course, are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

The Time to Act is Now

editorial comment by Nancy Teel,
Roxbury CC, MCCC Editorial Board

Recent events have hit us hard. Mr. Koplick wants to have fewer tenured faculty. The pressure is on for five courses, a huge increase in our workload. No one believes there will be proportional compensation. The Board of Higher Education refuses to give us full information on the classification study, violating our agreement with them.

In negotiations for the past two contracts we been patient and principled in our relations with the Board. We have waited out their stalling tactics and argued our positions based on strong research and information. But the Board has acted as though the state is above the law and beyond reason. Because of the past actions of the Board and their current attempts to create a negative climate, I think we should change our strategy.

Rather than wait for the contract to expire and for the Board to come back from summer vacation, let's begin to act now. We can respond to their issues by writing to the media and to our legislators. We can speak out to our students and communities. We can go to the State House and we can hold informational events in the colleges. Our union officers and negotiating committee need to focus on the difficult work of negotiations. Let's take some of the pressure off them by making it clear that the union is alive, well, and aware of the negative tactics the Board is using.

If we become active, we can have a powerful, articulate voice. Let's do it now!

Biweekly Pay Scam

Dennis Fitzgerald. MCCC Day Grievance Coordinator presented an insidious problem in the Human Resources Management/Compensation Management system Plan to the Executive Committee at its April 3, 1999 meeting. Apparently all state employees will be shorted a week's pay at the time the CAPS program is initiated.

Recently most state employees, including our union members, received a flyer describing the early 1999 shift to a biweekly direct deposit pay system. It rhetorically asks "Will salary change", responding "No, you will be paid every, other week instead of once a month, but your salary will not change." Closer examination of the explanation of the "transition period" reveals that employees will receive a check for two weeks on April 13, though three weeks will have elapsed since the previous check on March 23.

Initial inquiries to the office of Administration and Finance suggest they are aware of the glitch. They assured Dennis that they intend to repay the missing money at the time of retirement or severance- sans interest, of course.

Dennis filed a grievance which was certified for arbitration by the MCCC Executive committee May 1. MTA attorneys will file after appropriate communication with other collective bargaining agents in Higher Education.

MTA Rally June 16

The MCCC is encouraging each chapter to muster 5 unit members to attend the MTA Ask A Teacher Rally on June 16. Participants will assemble on tile Boston Common Wednesday June 16th at 3:30 to 4:30 P.M. After organizing, they will march up Beacon Hill beginning at 4:30. At 5 P.M. the rally will commence in front of the State House.

The rally was announced by President Stephen Gorrie at the MTA Annual Meeting May 14 and 15 at the Hines Conference Center, Boston. The intention is to press the MTA's positive agenda for public education, and to defend public education against the dismantling agenda of the Pioneer Institute programs and the current governor.

While the rally highlights the concerns of K-12, the issues ultimately are shared by higher education employees. Gutting of professional rights by the proposed Lane Bill, teacher and public education bashing, charter schools, neglect of special education and early childhood education, and erosion of quality public education in K-12 are all threatening to the preservation of quality in public higher education.

Make an effort to be sure your chapter is well represented at the State House June 16th.

May 26 Strategic Action Statewide Meeting

Arlene Isaacson of MTA Governmental, will be tile featured guest at an MCCC Strategic Action Meeting on Wednesday, May 26 at the Ramada Inn, Auburn, MA. MCCC' VP and Statewide political Action Coordinator Phil Mahler has called the meeting in response to requests of local campus political action coordinators.

Each chapter's Strategic Action Coordinator and President have been notified and invited to attend. If neither can attend, each local is urged to recruit a replacement.

The meeting will be held Wednesday, May 26 from 4:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Dinner will be served.

Agenda as follows...

• Report on campus activities - Trade war stories and experience with legislators
• Report on strategies for chapter communications over the summer
• Renew strength and commitment
• Meet the other SAC persons
• Talk about/plan strategies for expanding legislative contacts over the summer
• Report on activities and plans of the MCCC leadership on political action. What is the projected funding mechanism? The legislative route it will take? The timeline? How is the MTA helping? How will it help as a bill develops?
• Update on the Classification Study progress
• Open discussion

Know Your Day Contract

May 30	Professional Staff submit E4 and E5
June 1	Professional Staff work assignment
June I	Sabbatical applications due
June 5	Leave of absence decisions due
June 5	Fall sabbaticals awarded
June 15	Professional staff summary evaluations
June 15	Part-time student evaluations
June 15	Sabbatical requests for Spring 1999 to committee

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 be accomplished before the date indicated.