Parking at UMB and information on tuition/fees paid on UMass campuses
8/6/2018
Dear Colleague,
I hope you are having a great summer. Two important updates are here:
►Tuition/fees remission for spouses and dependents at UMass Campuses: As you know, your benefits have been enhanced in our new contract. Those who have been on campus for two years or more have an increased benefit of 60% of the tuition and fees (now a combined, single entity called ‘tuition credits’) at UMass campuses. However, it appears that many of the UMass campuses bursars’ offices have not notified members of the change in the amount owed for fall 2018. Contact your bursar or look at your invoice online to see if the reduced fees/tuition you should pay are now reflected in these, and if not, contact your Bursar’s office. The amount should be reflective of the 60% tuition credit benefit you now have.
►Parking: The email of parking rates that the administration sent out on Friday, July 27 is for non-unit (non-union) employees (not faculty or librarians—you if you are receiving this email), so understand that these are not the rates for you. However, these are the rate structures that the administration would like us to pay for the debt of the new garage. Know that we continue to be very concerned about these high parking fees that the administration says they need from faculty, librarians, staff and students in order to fund the new garage.
The Executive Committee of the FSU strongly reaffirms its commitment that the FSU will continue to work in solidarity with the unions on campus and our students to roll back the parking fee increase proposed by the administration, and come to an agreement that is workable for our faculty, staff, and students. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that UMass Boston is an affordable place to study and to work.
- We are working closely with the other unions on campus about this issue, as we have been over this past year.
- We have spoken to the Chair of Faculty Council about working in cooperation with the Faculty Council on this issue.
- The FSU has formed a parking committee—let us know if you want to participate.
- We will need your testimony, written or in person, when we resume bargaining with the administration in the Fall.
Together we can stop outrageous fee hikes. Let us know if you are willing to help.
In the meantime, here are answers to questions many of you are asking:
- Will faculty still pay $6/day to park at Bayside, Lot D, Campus Center garage? Yes, until negotiations conclude, or until the administration imposes their last best offer, parking will remain $6 in the current lots.
- Will semester passes, multi-use passes, and annual passes be priced as last year? Yes. These rates will not change for these lots.
- What will the rates be in the new West Campus Garage? We don’t know. The administration will likely increase these rates (they have told us they will), but the FSU continues to assert at the bargaining table that no change in parking rates be implemented until the parties have negotiated a final agreement on parking. We also continue to assert that any unilateral change before such an agreement is reached would constitute bad faith bargaining in violation of state law.
- If parking rates remain the same for the Fall semester but negotiations/mediation result in a higher rate in January, will that be retroactive (for semester pass users)? We don’t expect this to occur, but we cannot predict the outcome until we have concluded negotiations.
- What will happen to my multi-use parking pass when parking fees increase? The university will buy back your unused amounts.
Sincerely,
Marlene Kim
FSU President
Professor, Economics
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