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Letter from the President

FALL 13

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the 8th issue of Union News.  As usual we’ve got interesting stories about, for example, the proposed retirees’ health insurance changes and the non-tenure track organizing going on around Boston.

Salary Raises

I remind you that you’ll get the last negotiated raise for this contract in January 2014.   You’ll get an average of a 1.75% salary increase; 0.50% is across the board and 1.25% is merit.

Negotiating Parking & Transportation

The FSU (with other UMB unions) continues to try to engage the administration in negotiations over parking and transportation.   We have not had a response from them to our latest proposal.   Note that there has been no increase in parking rates since we began this process over 2 years ago – which is itself a good thing.

ORP section 60 Pension Reform legislation

Those of you in the ORP retirement system have been notified that you will be given a one-time opportunity to switch to the state retirement system (SERS) sometime this Spring.  We’ve sent you a recent email suggesting you start thinking now about whether you want to switch or not.  For some of you, switching can make a substantial difference in your expected retirement income.  (This legislation is due to several years of effort by Massachusetts’ public higher education unions).

Our next collective bargaining agreement

We start bargaining our new contract this Spring.   We have a negotiations committee which determines which issues will be put on the table; (much of this is based on the bargaining survey you completed earlier this fall).  Anyone is welcome to help out; our next meeting is Tuesday, December 3rd, 12:30, in the FSU office.  The bargaining team (who will do the actual bargaining with the administration) includes Christopher Fung, Marlene Kim, Jonathan Millman, Tina Mullins and Amy Todd. ▪

Catherine Lynde, FSU President