Breaking News
11 Unions Say UMass Bargaining in Bad Faith (Boston Globe)By Globe Staff August 26, 2008 With contract negotiations flagging, labor unions at 4% Raises for Higher Ed. AdministratorsThe Department of Higher Education has authorized 4% (average) raises for non-unionized administrators at the state and community colleges for Fiscal Year 2009. This is approximately equal to last year's increase in the cost of living in New England as determined by the Department of Labor. No More Pay Cuts! MSP Greets Governor Patrick in Amherst
Save the Date! Annual MSP Reception for New Faculty & Librarians is Thursday 09-25-08 4pm-6pm
MSP Welcomes New Chancellor
Chancellor Search Committee Selects FinalistsFour names have been put forth to President Wilson from the Chancellor Search Committee: Martin Hall, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town; Robert C. Holub, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee; Harris Pastides, Vice President for Research and Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina and Executive Director of the University of South Carolina Research Foundation; and Satish K. Tripathi, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the State University of New York at Buffalo. SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE CANDIDATES ONLINE TO MSP Governor Patrick Wants to Increase Your Health Insurance Premiums!Tell Governor Patrick (617-725-4005) and your state representative and senator that there are better ways to balance the state budget. As you know, despite claiming to be on the side of workers and public higher education, Governor Patrick has indicated that he intends to solve part of the budget crisis (caused in large measure by the failure to raise revenues by more progressive means) on the backs of state employees. He has included in his proposed FY09 state budget a plan to shift more than $51 million in costs to state employees by increasing the premiums you pay for your health insurance coverage. Daily Hampshire Gazette Article Written by MSP President Max PageWhen the search for a new chancellor began last fall, there were many people who said that the Lombardi-Wilson debacle would lead to a failed search and that the campus would be in limbo for a couple of years. They were wrong. We recruited you, Chancellor Holub, and despite some very frustrating times with the governor and Legislature, we can still say that you have arrived in what could become the "best of times" for a new chancellor. Though the governor's dismissive attitude toward higher education employees is disturbing, he has started to fulfill part of his commitment to be the "champion for public higher education in the corner office on Beacon Hill." In the past few months, we saw the release of a visionary report for all of public education, including a commitment to free community college, a billion-dollar life sciences initiative, and a $2 billion capital bill. You arrived at the right time, Chancellor Holub: With much skill and some luck, you could lead a decade of growth and improvement for UMass. AAUP's Annual Report Reveals Worrisome DataAfter a short-lived recovery in 2006–07, faculty salaries are lagging behind inflation again this year. Yet the salaries paid to head football coaches, presidents, and other top administrators do not seem to reflect an economic downturn. Over the past three decades, the ranks of contingent faculty, nonfaculty professionals, and administrators have swelled while the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty stagnated. These are the central findings of Where Are the Priorities? The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2007–08, released by the AAUP. Successful Union Presence at Founder's Day Celebration on April 29th
Members of the MSP, PSU (Professional Staff Union), and USA (University Staff Association) distributed hundreds of flyers and stickers outside the Fine Arts Center prior to festivities being held there to mark the 145th birthday of what is now UMass/Amherst. The flyer and stickers were created to get the message to Governor Patrick and President Wilson (who spoke at the event) that faculty and staff cannot tolerate any more pay cuts and that we deserve fair contracts that truly equal the real increase in the cost of living. Click HERE to view the flyer.
|
