Please come to the MSP meeting Tuesday at 3:00 pm in 168C Campus Center to hear from the MSP team that developed the exact language of the agreement and experienced the whole process from start to finish.  We hope the members will have a vigorous and thorough discussion about the issues at hand.

Then make up your mind and vote.

NOTES:
The MSP and the administration have been in discussions for months about the administration’s plan to award large base salary increases to a minority of the faculty for exceptional, or extraordinary, merit. 

The MSP worked in good faith to make improvements in the details as many members were distressed by specific aspects of the administration’s plan.  We arrived at the best language we could reasonably get last week, and are presenting it to the membership for a vote.  The MSP Executive Board puts this forward with a very mixed recommendation.

In an unprecedented move, the campus administration has stepped into the middle of this union vote and is holding meetings prior to the vote hosted by the deans of the colleges.  This raises many questions that include:  

1.  Why is the administration putting on a full court press?

2.  Will faculty feel free to speak their minds when the deans/administration clearly wants approval of the proposal?

3.  Will there be consequences for participating or not participating in these meetings?

4.  Where will you get the broadest possible set of perspectives on this issue?

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Campus Center 168C.

Randy Phillis

MSP President