December 6, 2019
FSU Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2019
Ex Com Members Present: Marlene Kim; Jessica Holden; Caroline Coscia; Jeff Melnick; Monique Fuguet; Joe Ramsey; Tracy Brown; Emilio Sauri; Tim Sieber; Meghan Kallman; Sylvia Mignon; Joe Brown
Others Present: Lorenzo Nencioli, FSU Membership Coordinator; Katie D’Urso, MTA Field Rep; Sandy Howland, FSU Member/FSU Organizer ; Trei Martin, FSU NTT Grievance Organizer
ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS
- Report from Sandra Howland FSU organizer
- Report from John Hess on Health and Safety Committee
(contact FSU office for these reports)
BUSINESS
- Introductions?
- Approval of the agenda: Motion to remove #7, add sabbatical issue to item #13. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
- Approval of the minutes: Motion to approve 11/15/19 Ex Com minutes. Motion seconded. Motion approved unanimously.
- Meeting time next semester: Agreed to do Tu, 9:30-11. Dates to be sent later.
- CLA Travel Funds change in wording (see document below): Agreed to accept proposed change.
- Academic technology committee redux: Joe Brown cannot be on committee in spring 2020 but can be as of 20-21. Need a volunteer for rest of 19-20 AY. Suggestion to ask FSU members in CIT if they are interested. Tim will coordinate with others to coordinate with CIT. Suggestion to ask Alex Mueller to serve. Joe R. will ask him; Tracy will reach out to people; Patricia Krueger-Haney will be contacted.
- Consolidating colleges and schools: Discussion of whether or not FSU should be involved in decision making process. Noted that once decisions are made, Admin must engage in impact bargaining on decisions. Discussion of whether or not there has been any formal response to report released last year regarding administrative costs. Jeff M. volunteers to serve on Admin committee that will look at this issue and will self-nominate.
- Updates from the Chancellor: Update on Shorelight: The Administration said all courses will be taught in same manner as all regular UMB courses. The Chancellor said there was no update on Salesforce. ICE raid protocols: The Administration said there is no protocol. Discussion that there are groups on campus pushing for such proposals to be adopted (they are working with FSU member Andrew Leong). Meghan will work on this with these groups. Discussion that FSU should provide guidance to FSU members in event that an ICE raid occurs, and that there have been an email with information or a directive on ICE raids given to faculty a few years ago, but the details are unclear. We will ask for this information that was previously given out at Labor-Management. Those with suggested items for topics to raise should email Marlene.
- FSU Organizer Sandra Howland report and discussion: Sandy summarizes her report. She will work on getting liaisons in Spring 2020 (she will not take/need a CLR for this work). She discussed reasons for not joining, including belonging already to a union and paying dues and said that there is need for a sliding scale and for lower dues for low-paid Associate Lecturers/NTTs. She wants to work with liaisons to encourage non-members in their department to join. She signed up 11 new members this semester.
- Elections items: Motion that the FSU Executive Committee authorizes the FSU Elections Committee to enter into an agreement with election buddy to fully manage our Spring 2020 FSU Executive Committee election at a cost of $1,188. Motion seconded. Motion passed with 10 in support and 2 abstentions.
Motion that the top vote getter in the Spring 2020 Non-Tenure Track Election complete the remainder of Ellen Frank’s 2018-2020 term by taking office immediately and then serve their full two-year term. If the top vote getter is a current FSU Executive Committee member, then the second-place vote getter takes office immediately and then serves their own two-year term. Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Motion that the top vote getter in the Spring 2020 Tenure Track Election compete the remainder of Sylvia Mignon’s 2019-2021 term by taking office immediately and then serve their full two-year term. If the top vote-getter is a current FSU Executive Committee member, then the second-place vote getter is a current FSU Executive Committee member then the third place vote getter is the person to fill the open seat.Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Motion to approve the following FSU Elections policy change:
Only FSU members in good standing are eligible to participate in elections for the FSU Executive Committee. ‘Good standing’ for purposes of determining eligibility to vote in FSU Executive Committee elections requires the following: (1) that the person in question is in the FSU bargaining unit, (2) that the person in question is a member of the FSU, (3) that the person in question is not in arrears regarding dues payments, and (4) that #1, #2, and #3 have been verified at least 30 days prior to the start of any FSU Executive Committee election. In cases where there are disputes or uncertainty over a member’s standing, final determination shall be made by the FSU Treasurer.
Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
The FSU has a dedicated email account, FSU.Elections@umb.edu.
11. Increased course enrollment caps: According to the contract, department chairs and faculty have authority to set these caps. Discussion that NTTs are not being allowed input into departments’ decision to raise caps, and that chairs are being told by administration that they must accept cap increases (i.e. they must have a certain number of seats filled, with only a certain number of sections allowed). Perhaps the contract language should be clarified.
12. Update on Bargaining/Grievances:
a. SGISD- updates given
b. Cross campus bargaining- updates given
Motion to extend meeting to 4:45 passes unanimously with 12 supporting.
13. Discussion about academic freedom.
14. Ken Reardon statement on Bayside: Motion made to release the following statement. Motion seconded. Motion passed unanimously with 9 in support. The FSU Executive Committee releases the following statement:
Whereas the Bayside developer’s proposal promises to replace a surface parking facility with an attractive mixed-use live, learn, and work district featuring a variety of public, private, and non-profit uses while also generating needed funding to address UMass Boston’s capital improvement needs we support the Bayside Expo Site’s development.
Whereas the Accordia Partners’ preliminary Bayside development proposal features the construction of 3 to 3.5 million square feet of new building in an ecologically sensitive waterfront area located in the midst of three historic neighborhoods experiencing increasing gentrification and displacement pressures, we believe the developers and the UMass Board of Trustees, have an obligation to adopt a planning approach to this mega-project that achieves the following social justice objectives consistent with our institution’s urban serving mission.
. Insure an open and transparent planning process that actively engages those most directly affected by the project
· Reflect principles of good practice for resilient coastal and waterfront development
· Mitigate the project’s most serious environmental, economic and social externalities based upon a rigorous social benefit cost analysis
· Emphasize active and alternative modes of transportation, including water based options, given existing congestion problems
· Offer socially-integrated/family-cycle housing on site
· Maximize employment opportunities for Section 8 eligible residents throughout the project’s planning, design, development and operational phases
· Feature well designed public spaces and facilities that promote community-building and social capital formation
· Create subsidized spaces for community businesses and non-profits offering important neighborhood oriented retail and human services
· Offer strong connectivity to the site’s adjacent residential neighborhoods
· Devise an inspired urban design scheme that evokes a strong sense of place
Whereas the impact of Accordia’s Bayside development project will be profound for those living, working, and studying in the Harborpoint, Dorchester, and South Boston neighborhoods.
Now, therefore be it resolved by the FSU Executive Committee to strongly urge the Acting Chancellor and the UMass Board of Trustees to require the developer to negotiate a legally-enforceable Community Benefits Agreement that mitigates the project’s most likely externalities and provides local stakeholders an equitable share of the project’s benefits. We believe the Community Benefits Agreement should be negotiated with a representative group of community, business, labor, faith, homeowner, tenant, youth senior, and minority organizations before Accordia seeks a review of their project under the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Article 80 Large Project Review process.
Furthermore, we urge the Acting Chancellor and the UMass Board of Trustees to require the developer, the BPDA, and local officials participating in the scoping sessions that establish the terms under which new developments are to be evaluated and the Project Impact Report that summarizes this evaluation to explicitly address the social justice objectives identified in this resolution.
MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION SECONDED. MOTION APPROVED
MEETING ADJOURNED
We are proposing a change in the wording (which was derived from the CLA’s documents in 2012, as is obvious from the wording) covering the FSU travel funds referenced in section 26.6.1 (a) of the FSU contract between the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts and the Faculty Staff Union/MTA/NEA -- July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018 and July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020.
The purpose of this change is to remove the burden for FSU members who travel over the change of the fiscal year who currently are unable ineligible for these funds simply by virtue of their travel dates.
Proposed wording:
TRAVEL TO PRESENT PAPERS AT SCHOLARLY MEETINGS
APPLICATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT
AY 2020-2021
Funds may be used for travel ENDING on or between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
Eligibility: Any tenure-track or tenured CLA faculty member may be reimbursed for up to $1000 for travel to present a paper at a scholarly meeting, upon receipt of the following (all …