Reminder on health insurance coverage changes, and other news from the FSU
1/30/18
Dear Colleagues:
Please come to the 5 pm speak-out on your health care benefits right next to campus today or express your concerns over proposed health care changes.
► Travel money: Yes there is $1000 of travel money to attend conferences for tenure track faculty. For those in CLA, see the FSU Entitlement Travel form and the CON-2 form here: https://www.umb.edu/academics/cla/info_for_faculty/forms_and_deadlines. For those of you in other colleges, ask your Dean or chair how to submit.
►Health Care Benefit Changes: Thanks to your voices and outcry from across the state, the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), which governs your health care benefits, is reconsidering their decision to eliminate half of our health care carriers and will vote on whether to do this on February 1 (see Boston Globe articles on this here and here). But they are still thinking of making big changes to your health care plans. Here’s what you can do about it:
- Come to the MTA/AFL-CIO rally today Tuesday, January 30, 5 pm, at the Boston Teacher’s Union Hall, 180 Mount Vernon Street (right next to the Bayside lot) to make the GIC rescind its decision and have a GIC that represents your interests and offers health care benefits that you need. More information is attached.
- Contact the GIC electronically here. Because they are examining changing the benefits dramatically in a year, let them know the kind of health care that you need and deserve. They will also consider changes to your health care plans at their meeting on February 1, and we don’t even know what these are yet! For times and locations for the GIC Hearings and to RSVP to speak at these hearings, see here.
- Attend the Senate Committee on Ways & Means public hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, January 31st at 11:00 am in the Gardner Auditorium at the State House regarding the GIC’s recent vote.
- For more information, see the FSU blog.
► For FSU Members Only: FSU Executive Committee elections for Spring 18 will be getting underway shortly. See here for more information.
►Budget Cuts: Call your State Senator now!
Call or email your State Senator today, asking her/him to support including funding for UMass Boston in the Senate capital bond bill by shifting some of the construction debt (caused by originally shoddy and corrupt construction during the 1970s) from UMB to the State. Click here (https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator) to find the name and contact information for your State Senator. Here is a script:
Hello, may I speak with Senator _____ (if the Senator is not available, ask to speak with his/her staff person who handles legislative issues).
My name is _____ and I live in _____. I am a constituent. I am a faculty/librarian at UMass Boston and am calling to ask the Senator to support including funding for UMass Boston in the Senate Capital Bond Bill (S.2244), by transferring debt related to UMass Boston’s infrastructure to the state. The campus is being forced to pay for mistakes made in the state’s management of the original construction of the campus decades ago, and this is now resulting in cuts to faculty and layoffs of long-term employees.
Please let Senator Spilka (Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means) know that you and your constituents support including funding for UMass Boston in the bond bill (S.2244).
The union is only as strong as members are involved. Let us know if you want to be involved in the union, serve on our membership drive, a committee, or help with any of these issues. If you have not yet joined as a full member we urge you to do so now! (contact the FSU office for membership materials).
Marlene Kim
FSU President
Professor, Economics
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