Board of Trustees meeting this Friday at 9 am and other actions and information
12/6/17
Dear Colleagues,
Thanks to those of you who turned out for the Nov 29 protest against staff layoffs. More on these layoffs is below:
► This Friday, December 8, at 9 am at UMass Lowell’s Inn and Conference Center is the Board of Trustees meeting. Union Presidents will be speaking about the staff layoffs and cuts at UMB, bad salary increases being offered, and bad pay, security and working conditions for adjuncts at UMass Lowell. Please come support this effort if you can. 50 Warren Street, Lowell, MA. First floor, Main Ballroom.
► Layoffs: the Boston Globe has an excellent story about the staff layoffs here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/03/after-public-recognition-beloved-umass-janitor-losing-his-job/5djosX2i1isdEz7BkSLIiI/story.html. Those of us at the recent Faculty Council spoke up against the layoffs of staff who serve students and departments and against cutting staff and replacing them with software (which will cause more work for departments now) and cutting a painter to hire an outside firm and instead charge departments for painting. This does little to reduce costs and hurts departments, staff and faculty who remain.
Staff will be testifying at the Senate Budget Committee tomorrow, Thursday, December 7, asking the State of Massachusetts to take on some of the construction debt for UMass Boston. Help us in this effort!
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Call or email the following:
Tell UMass and the Board of Trustees to endorse having the State take on some of UMass Boston’s construction debt: UMass President Marty Meehan: mmeehan@umassp.edu 617/287-7050 UMass Board of Trustees Chair Bob Manning: rmanning@umassp.edu 800-637-8255 Students, faculty, and staff should not have to pay the price for the state’s shoddy construction of the UMB campus. Go to fsublog.org for further information. |
► Please sign the petition advocating for junior faculty to have a pre-tenure sabbatical here.
►The FSU continues to work with the UMass unions across the state in bargaining. Please see here.
►The FSU now has a blog! Go to fsublog.org to read more about the budget cuts, the Dec 8 event, and the blog.
►The FSU is looking to hire a part-time Administrative Assistant (see attached job description for details). If you know of any pro-union, enthusiastic people looking for part-time work tell them to contact the FSU.
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For FSU members in good standing:
►Retirement Counseling is available to FSU members: see here for more information
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The union is only as strong as members are involved. Let us know if you want to be involved in the union, serve on our membership drive, a committee, or help with any of these issues. If you have not yet joined as a full member we urge you to do so now! (contact the FSU office for membership materials).
Marlene Kim
FSU President
Professor, Economics
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