February 27, 2012

FSU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 2/2/12

Members Present: Catherine Lynde   John Hess   Peggy Walsh   Phil Chassler   Larry Kaye   Marlene Kim   Kathy Kogan   Xiaogang Deng

Others Present: Lorenzo Nencioli, Membership Coordinator   Mickey Gallagher, MTA Consultant  
Marilyn Frankenstein, member, FSU Bargaining Team

March 8th Public Education Lobby Day at the State House
The FSU will coordinate with the CSU and PSU on attending the Lobby Day. It was noted that the lobbying might affect passage of UMB contract funding bills.

Budget Hearings on the State House
The hearings will take place on 3/9/12 and are open to the public. MSP has already submitted written testimony to the Ways and Means Committee.

Pratyush Bharati
Member Pratyush stepped down from the Ex Com at the start of the Spring 12 semester when he became chair of his department.

Contract/Bargaining Issues

RES Funds- There was discussion of the need to know how much of the RES Funds are left over from the 09-12 contract and whether or not those funds will be rolled over into the proposed 12-14 contract.

Parking- It was noted that language on parking for the proposed 12-14 contract was altered to allow the FSU to ratify the proposed contract (parking language, as it existed prior to this change, might have held up ratification as it is a coalition issue; the CSU and PSU would have had trouble agreeing to the prior language).

2/2 course load for TT faculty- Admin did NOT want to bargain this issue but they agreed to roll out a 2/2 load serially (College of Management and College of Science and Mathematics seem to already be doing this; CLA will probably be the last college to enact 2/2).

Distance Learning- FSU member Amy Todd submitted a list of concerns to the Ex Com re the distance learning bargaining committee agreed to for the 12-14 contract.  Those concerns included a worry that this committee, like a similar committee from the 09-12 contract, will not succeed due to Admin stonewalling. She was also concerned that distance learning not be bargained separately from in-person courses as they will affect each other greatly. It was noted that there are some differences from the last time the DL committee was supposed to bargain: 1) Admin was embarrassed by the prior failure. Both Jeff McCue and Mark Preble expressed strong commitment to make this process work (Mickey noted that she will be adamant about enforcing ‘bargaining in good faith’ provisions), 2) all the current grievances filed by the FSU are a strong reminder to Admin of the need to bargain, 3) the new UC Dean does not seem to be anti-union.

Course Releases/Committee Bargaining Composition- There was a question of whether or not the DL bargaining committee would have course releases. Mickey noted that she was able to secure 4 additional course releases for committee bargaining that could be used for the DL committee. There was discussion of the process by which members of the committees would be selected. It was noted that the NTT Caucus would like to vote on names of possible members of the NTT and DL committees to be submitted to the Ex Com. It was also noted that Admin agreed to 2 additional course releases for members to address NTT issues. Admin asked that these not be called ‘grievance officers’ but rather would be Admin-FSU liaisons charged with aiding in contract implementation. Mickey noted that this is often what the current NTT Grievance Officer does anyway. She changed the proposed Admin language on this to ensure that the members’ activities would be under the jurisdiction of the FSU rather than Admin.

Gender Equity Study- MSP wished to have language on a gender equity study included in the 12-14 proposed contract. It was noted that this was less important to FSU members (a prior survey did not prioritize this) but that the FSU bargaining team agreed to have one on our campus as well. There was concern expressed that there was no equivalent equity study proposed on race and that this may not sit well with FSU members. It was noted that the materials on the gender equity study already exist, making it easier to implement. It was suggested that the FSU mention the possibility of conducting an equity study on race after the contract is ratified to members.

Other Issues- Questions were raised about proposed Admin changes to PMYR language, paid parental leave for NTT after 3 years, and for changes to official holiday schedule.  The PPL for NTT issue can be taken up by the NTT bargaining committee. The holiday change schedule is as follows: Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day will no longer be contractually mandated holidays; instead, 2 days during the week of Christmas will be made official holidays.

Vote to Recommend Approval of Proposed 12-14 Contract
There was a motion to recommend approval of the proposed July 1, 2012- June 30, 2014 MSP/FSU contract. The motion was seconded. Vote passes unanimously.

Newsletter
There are 4 candidates who have expressed interest in replacing Dorothy Nelson as FSU newsletter editor. Interviews of these candidates have been delayed due to bargaining.

ORP/SERS
The recent legislation allowing a window of time for state employees to switch from ORP to SERS was recently signed by the Governor. However, the bill needs to be examined by the IRS for a legal opinion so it could be months before the legislation can be enacted. Mickey gave an update on the NTT faculty members who are part of the ORP/SERS class actions.

Department Meetings
The FSU has embarked on a plan to send an FSU rep to department meetings. The rep would discuss the FSU briefly with department members, provide updates, and solicit comments and suggestions. Lorenzo has so far attended two of these meetings. Catherine Lynde will attend the next one for Gerontology on March 5th. Any Ex Com member interested in participating in future meetings should contact the FSU office.

Campaign for the Future of Higher Education
John Hess reported that CFHE is planning a national day of action in April. They are currently trying to come up with a slogan to highlight the student debt problem. ‘T-Day’ might be used as it was noted that student debt will reach $1 trillion sometime in April.

Grievance Committee Update
Updates were given on grievances filed for the 33% rule (the FSU is contesting Admin’s interpretation of the clause limiting faculty members’ additional compensation to 33% of their base salary), Nursing (a date is currently being scheduled for the step III arbitration hearing), and 3 other class-action grievances related to NTT issues (non-issuance of departmental priority lists, multi-year contracts not issued to Senior Lecturers, and many NTT being paid below contract floors; the FSU is currently reviewing the written decisions on all 3 recently issued by Peter Langer). There was also discussion of a recent arbitration decision for a faculty member in Management that was lost.

NTT Caucus Update
The NTT Caucus has been discussing the case of a faculty member whose contract rights are being violated by the new department chair. The issue relates to compensation for large classes and to compensation for ‘discussion groups’. Phil Chassler noted that he has spoken to this faculty member and a grievance filing is being contemplated.