MSP EXECUTIVE BOARD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2008

Present: Banach, Barker, Brandt, Brewer, Brigham, Clawson, Gubrium, Ishii, Paynter, Page, Phillis, Smethurst

Staff: Gallagher, Reardon, Wulkan

Absent: Barrington, Danai, Freeman, Ganz, Gencarella, Hemment, Gore, Lawrence, Lovett, McDermott, Scharrer, Sutherland

1. Change in Board meeting

We will try to have fewer reports; there will be more to read in advance; we will have one longer focused discussion at each meeting.

2. Minutes of 12/12/07

Approved unanimously

3. Bargaining Proposals

Some small changes were made at the first session on January 25 – see website for final proposals. The administration had very few proposals

A question about making sure there were no penalties for taking family leave was referred to the Family Issues Committee.

4. Committees implementing current contract

UMA is far ahead of UMB in this regard. Computer replacement, lecturer promotions, health insurance gap coverage for new hires, and child care subsidies for new tenure system faculty are all being implemented. These are significant gains and we should spread the word to our members.

5. State Budget

The Governor’s proposed budget only authorizes a 1% increase to higher education (after taking collective bargaining costs into account). This is an effective cut, and we are not happy, especially combined with him proposal that state workers pay more for their health insurance. It is unclear if any of his proposals for increased revenue (closing tax loopholes, casino gambling) will pass.

6. Raising Revenue

At a meeting initiated by MSP, Anne Wass and Paul Toner (President and VP of MTA) committed to having MTA work on a more proactive tax initiative – in addition to working hard to defeat the referendum calling for repeal of the income tax. There was agreement that we need some sort of increase in tax revenue, and that higher ed had the most to gain from this, so we need to push the MTA. We want to frame defeating the referendum as Step 1 in a several step process to increase revenue for education. The likelihood of success depends on winning the referendum by a wide margin. We are trying to change the political culture in the state, so this is a long-term effort.

7. What if Salary Parameters are Bad?

We are arguing that guaranteed salary increases must be at least equal to the cost of living increase. Last year we didn’t get “parameters” from the state administration until May; this year we expect to get them soon, but they will probably be bad. How should we respond? There was an animated discussion of possible tactics to generate pressure for fair salary increases.

8. MTA Annual Meeting May 9-10

It is important for MSP to be well represented to influence discussions about the budget and a revenue campaign. Sign up now!

9. PHENOM

This spring’s campaign is Higher Ed: Fix It! Fund It! Afford It! The coalition is advocating for passage of the capital bond bill, a significant increase to the higher education budget, and significant increases to need-based financial aid. Major components of the campaign include:

February 14 – Valentine’s Day Kickoff at the State House

February-April – PHENOMobile tour of every campus

April 16 – Big Lobby Day