May 9, 2019- FSU Annual Meeting

FSU ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES 5/9/19

Thursday, May 9, 2019, 2PM, ISC, 3300

1. Announcements:

1. Members of Executive Committee for AY 2019-2020 new members are in italics):

President:  Marlene Kim, Professor, Economics

VP: Caroline Coscia, Senior Lecturer, Political Science

Tenured: Tim Sieber, Anthropology; Emilio Sauri, English; Jeff Melnick, American Studies (re-elected); Sylvia Mignon, Sociology

Pre-Tenured: Joseph Brown, Political Science; Meghan Kallman, SGISD

Non-Tenure Track: Ellen Frank, Economics; Monique Fuguet, Mathematics; Joseph Ramsey, English (re-elected); Tracy Brown, Academic Support Programs

Librarian: Jessica Holden

    B. FSU Party May 15, evening, to celebrate FSU achievements, especially for NTT issues.

    C. May 16:  Fund our Future Rally at the State House, 5 pm, and teach-in 1-5 pm.  MTA. 

   2. Discussion of the agenda.  Motion to approve agenda with adding in report from the Centers and Institutes as 5 c.  Under reports, written reports were added from the Centers and Institutes and from the graduated dues committee. Motion seconded. Motion passes.

Reports:

1. Bargaining:  We will be bargaining soon; send us your suggestions. 
2. Mt. Ida update:  Some of us went to the Board of Trustees Meeting in Worcester. 
3. UMass Online update:  We are concerned about this issue; let us know if you want to be part of a discussion with other campuses and unions. 
4. Progressive Dues Committee Report:  submitted (see below). 

   3. FSU and JCC Budgets (contact FSU office for copies of documents)- Motion to approve proposed FSU FY20 budget (middle column; version with organizer position for Fall 19 only). Friendly amendment to allow Ex Com discretion to revisit in the fall 2019 hiring an organizer in Spring 20 if needed. Friendly amendment accepted. Motion as amended seconded. Motion as amended passes. Motion to approve proposed FY20 JCC budget. Motion seconded. Motion passes.

    4. Old Business

Bylaw Change, Article II, Section 7 (see below for proposed changes; contact FSU office for copy of original bylaws): Motion to adopt bylaws change. Motion seconded. Motion passes.

   5. New Business

1. Motion 1:(see below)- . Discussion of motion. Friendly amendment made to change language to the following: The FSU bargaining team will by default allow all FSU members to attend all main- and side-table bargaining sessions, whether negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or a CBA-related Memoranda of Understanding (MOA).  Members will be informed of the time and location of all bargaining sessions. All negotiations should take place at the bargaining table in front of FSU members. A special session of the general assembly will be called to deliberate any proposed decision to engage in limited closed negotiations if these appear to be in the best interest of the FSU.  Friendly amendment accepted. Question called. Motion on calling the question passes. Motion to approve motion #1 as amended made. Motion seconded. Motion passes (see below for amended motion).
2. Motion 2:  (see below)-  Discussion of motion. Friendly amendment made to change language to the following:. All FSU-related course release(s) and additional compensation must be approved by vote of the FSU Executive Committee.  A complete list of FSU course releases and additional compensation will be provided to all members with the budget.  Friendly amendment accepted. Question called. Motion passes. Motion to approve motion #2 as amended made. Motion seconded. Motion passes (see below for amended motion).
3. Reports on centers and institutes (contact FSU for copy of report): Len Fishman presents report. Requests that FSU Ex Com engage with report and that the FSU asks members to ask the administration to uphold the committee’s report to stop the glide path. 

MEETING ADJOURNED

Proposed Change to FSU Bylaws

Article II, Section 7: In the instance where the President is unable to serve, the following shall apply:

            a. Employment Separation and Resignations

                i.  The Vice President serves until a special election is held for the office of President.

                ii. The Executive Committee shall call for an election to fill the President’s remaining

                    term and for the election to be completed within 45 days.

            b. Semester Leaves

                i.  The Vice President assumes the job responsibilities.

                ii.  If during the leave the Vice President is unable to continue assuming the

                    responsibilities then the Executive Committee appoints an interim president from amongst its ranks. If this is not possible then a past President may be appointed.                   

                 iii. New Vice President is appointed by the Executive Committee, the Vice President,

                    and the outgoing President. The member appointed shall come from the Executive Committee. If an Executive Committee member is not willing to serve as Vice President, then the Executive Committee, the Vice President, and outgoing President shall appoint a Vice President from the ranks of the membership.    

            c. Academic Year Leaves

                i.  The Vice President serves until a special election is held for the office of President.

                ii.  The Executive Committee shall call for an election to fill the President’s remaining term and for the election to be completed within 45 days.

Motion #1 as submitted

Motion:  The FSU bargaining team will negotiate ground rules with the university administration that allow all FSU members to attend all main- and side-table bargaining sessions, whether negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or a CBA-related Memoranda of Understanding (MOA).  Members will be informed of the time and location of all bargaining sessions. All negotiations should take place at the bargaining table in front of FSU members.

Motion #1 as amended and approved

Motion:  The FSU bargaining team will by default allow all FSU members to attend all main- and side-table bargaining sessions, whether negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or a CBA-related Memoranda of Understanding (MOA).  Members will be informed of the time and location of all bargaining sessions. All negotiations should take place at the bargaining table in front of FSU members. A special session of the general assembly will be called to deliberate any proposed decision to engage in limited closed negotiations if these appear to be in the best interest of the FSU.

Motion #2 as submitted

Motion:  Motion: No member of FSU can receive more than two (FSU-related) course releases (or additional compensation in lieu of a course release) per year, except by special vote of the FSU Executive Committee. All FSU-related course release(s) and additional compensation must be approved by vote of the FSU Executive Committee.  A complete list of FSU course releases and additional compensation will be provided to all members with the budget.

Motion #2 as amended and approved

Motion: All FSU-related course release(s) and additional compensation must be approved by vote of the FSU Executive Committee.  A complete list of FSU course releases and additional compensation will be provided to all members with the budget.

Report from the FSU Subcommittee of Progressive Dues Options

At the October 3^rd, 2018 General Membership Meeting of the FSU, a motion was passed calling for the FSU to form a subcommittee that would look into different ways that progressive dues can be or have been implemented by other unions, and to bring back for discussion at least three different options for consideration (motion is below):

Discussion of Progressive Dues by income- The FSU will constitute a committee to investigate different approaches to graduated dues or inequity issues in (FSU) dues. This committee will develop a minimum of at least 3 options at the next General Assembly no later than February, 2019. Motion seconded. Motion passes.

FSU members Ursula Tafe, Monique Fuguet, and Joe Ramsey volunteered for this committee in the Fall of 2018, met in March 2019, and with the help of Lorenzo Nencioli, FSU Membership Coordinator  researched, discussed, and below provide several options for members to consider. 

As a preamble to our proposed options, we thought it would first be important to clarify to members how the present dues structure works.  Specifically, we thought it important for members to understand what portion of total dues paid by members remains with our FSU local, and what percentage is paid up to our statewide union affiliate, the MTA, as well as to the NEA.   The MTA/NEA currently has 4 dues rates based primarily on percentage of time: full-time, half-time (this will apply to most members who are less than 100% but more than 50%), less than half-time, and 25% or less. FSU members who are full-time pay $962 in MTA/NEA/FSU dues in 18-19. Of that total 71% goes to the MTA/NEA with the bulk ($494 total) going to the MTA. Half-time payers pay $492.50 with 71% going to MTA/NEA; less than half-time $291.50 with 71% going to MTA/NEA; 25% or less $185 with 62% going to MTA/NEA.   As FSU, we have direct control only over the FSU portion of the dues. To change other rates would require action through the available channels of the MTA and/or NEA, specifically via changes to the bylaws of both MTA and NEA.  .

Below are 5 basic conceptual options for how FSU dues collection might be made more progressive within our union.  (Note that #1 is a practice that as it turns out FSU is already doing, and that #4 refers to the approach that was previously tested out by the Treasurer prior to last year's report on this issue, though it could be adapted in other ways.) 

1)  Graduated dues according to percentage FTE ) -  We learned that this is already an existing practice within FSU (see dues rates info above)

2)  Dues as Flat % Rate of Member UMB Income -  Many unions determine dues based on a set percentage of employee/member income.  So, for example, members might pay 1% (or 0.8%) of income as dues.  This method obviously results in lower paid members being charged less, and higher paid members being charged more.   

3)  Waiver of local dues amount for low(er) earning members - It is also possible to waive the *local* portion of dues for low(er) income members.   This could be done as a 100% waiver, or as a partial (say, 50%) waiver, for people making below a certain amount.   

4)  Graduated flat fee rates, broken down by earnings-tiers - This concept works by dividing FSU members into a number of income brackets, and then charging all those who fall within a particular bracket a set amount for dues, with this flat fee amount increasing in the higher income brackets.  This is the concept that was experimented with (and negatively recommended ) by the Treasurer prior to last year's report.   We note however that this flat fee by graduated tier concept can be deployed in different ways, by varying the number or the income limits of each bracket, as well as the flat fees associated with each bracket. 

5) Due bill and rebate -  Similar to #3 in intent, this system (employed by our sister union PSU among others) refunds low(er) income members for part or all of the cost of *local* dues.   But in this approach, members, regardless of income, are asked to first pay the standard dues rate. After that, those members falling into the rebate-able income brackets are given the opportunity to have some or all of their local dues refunded, by contacting the FSU office. 

As our committee was charged only with developing possible options, we have not "run the numbers" on these possible approaches.   We submit them to the members for discussion, with the understanding that one or more of the plans can be investigated further with specific and up-to-date numbers, by the Treasurer, by our subcommittee, or by other member volunteers.

Respectfully submitted,

The FSU Subcommittee on Progressive Dues Options