Welcome and update from the FSU
9/11/17
Dear Colleague,
Welcome back to campus for those of you who are returning. For those of you who are new, welcome to UMass Boston. As you can see, we have been busy:
►Budget Cuts and Course cancellations:
- The university is telling us that they do not have a plan yet to close the budget deficit.
- We continue to hear about problems with course cancellations resulting in problems for faculty and students. Please update us about your department if you have not yet done so. We continue to monitor the situation to ensure that faculty rights are being protected. We are pressing the university for transparency in the budget and budget cutting process. If you have not yet signed our petition, please do so here.
►The FSU continues to bargain this semester. Please see our previous updates here. We have not yet received information about proposed raises from the administration but will update members as soon as we learn more. Stay tuned for more information on bargaining (be sure to come to the October 12th FSU meeting mentioned below).
►FSU Meeting: Thursday, October 12, 11-1 pm, Campus Center, 2nd Floor, 2540: To discuss the budget cuts and update you on bargaining. Lunch will be served; let us know if you plan to attend so we can ensure adequate food for you.
► AFR’s Are Due This Thursday, September 14th: You will not be eligible for merit if you do not complete the AFR so be sure to complete and submit.
►This Thursday, September 14, 12-1 pm in the ISC Lobby: The report, Crumbling Public Foundations: Privatization and UMass Boston’s Financial Crisis will be unveiled with a press conference/rally (see flyer here). The FSU Executive Committee has endorsed this report (see the Executive Summary of the report here].
►Hearing on $15 minimum wage in MA: Come to the hearing on raising the minimum wage to $15 on Tuesday, September 19. Information is here. The Massachusetts Teachers Association is in coalition with other unions to pass this legislation, which covers both private and public sector workers in Massachusetts. Let us know if you want to be involved in this effort.
► FSU Pre-Tenure Faculty Meeting: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017, 11-12, Campus Center, 2nd floor, room 2540. Meet fellow pre-tenure faculty, share concerns and issues, and learn about bargaining issues specific to pre-tenure faculty. FSU president, Marlene Kim, and Sofya Aptekar and Jason Rodriquez (pre-tenure track FSU Executive Committee representatives), will listen to your concerns and answer questions.
► DPC/CPC training: is on Thursday, October 5th at 2:30 pm in the Chancellor’s Conference room, Quinn, 3rd floor. Co-sponsored by the Office for Faculty Development and the FSU, this is designed to aid DPC and CPC members and inform faculty of their rights and responsibilities in promotion and review.
►The Massachusetts High Technology Council opposes the Fair Share Amendment and plans to spend $1 million on a lawsuit to stop it. The Fair Share Amendment is a ballot initiative that will raise $2 billion/year by taxing multimillionaires in Massachusetts an extra 4% on earnings above $1 million to fund education (including higher education) and transportation in the Commonwealth. Interim Chancellor Barry Mills has a seat on this Council, and we, the Presidents of 3 UMB unions (Classified Staff, Professional Staff, and Faculty Staff Unions), have asked him to use his position to change this decision, prevent this lawsuit and ask this Council instead to support the Fair Share Amendment. We have yet to hear back from him.
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
Faculty Staff Union President, and
Professor
Department of Economics
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
Email: Marlene.Kim@umb.edu
Voice: 617/287-6954
Fax: 617/287-6976
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