Special Election Update

The Elections Committee (Committee) had its first meeting on October 25, 2010. The members of the Committee consist of Grover Furr, Michael Heller, Jennifer Hunt, Matthew Pierce and Jack Samuels. They elected Jack Samuels as chair, and have sent out a Notice of Special Elections to the membership for the position of President.

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State College Presidents' Lobbying Efforts

As a result of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals’ (Council) efforts, we now have a copy of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council’s document [click to download] which presents what they believe to be “unfunded mandates and areas of over-regulation across all sectors of higher education in New Jersey.” The New Jersey Presidents Council is the lobbying entity for the State College and University Presidents, of which Dr. Cole is a member. Here are some of the highlights that detail what Dr. Cole and her fellow Presidents are seeking:

• State funding for mandated tuition-waiver programs. (Page 1)
• The elimination of caps on tuition and fees in the annual State budget. (Page 1)
• Control over health-care costs by “(a) revising the State Health Benefits Plans to make them more affordable; and (b) opening up competition by permitting management to substitute health or dental carriers if the primary coverage limits are substantially equal to existing coverage. Currently, management must negotiate a change in the health insurance carrier if the union asserts in any coverage element or claims processing procedure is not the same or better than the existing plan.” (Page 2)
• At the end of the current Statewide Contract, if no successor agreement is reached, step increases will not be granted. This would include a suspension of longevity, promotional, and educational credit increments. (Page 3)
• The elimination of our bargaining unit and designation of the “state colleges and universities as the employer of record of their employees.” (Page 3)
• Changing the existing tenure procedures and thereby authorizing “the state colleges and universities to establish a probationary period for faculty consistent with the needs of the institution and national practice.” It is proposed that “[t]his can be accomplished by amending the provisions of the State and County College Tenure Act (N.J.S.A. 18A:60-8 through 18A:60-15) regarding tenure and career development, and expanding the authority of the institutions’ boards of trustees . . . to cover these matters under appropriate personnel policies.” (Page 3)

The Council’s President, Nicholas C. Yovnello, has written a response to this document. The response points out that our bargaining unit has “existed for decades without any labor strife” and that wage increases have been modest, or there have been none at all. Most importantly the break up of our bargaining unit, the Locals that represent the Adjuncts, along with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and Local 195, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), would result in the need to negotiate 36 separate contracts (four bargaining units times nine institutions), and thus lead to “administrative chaos, strikes, destructive competition between institutions and the deterioration of working conditions.”

Also, the October 2007 State Commission of Investigation Report titled, Vulnerable to Abuse: The Importance of Restoring Accountability, Transparency and Oversight to Public Higher Education Governance and the July 5, 2010 Moody’s Investor Service Report both document the “excessive borrowing by the state colleges and universities, more State oversight, not less, is clearly in the public interest.”

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Election Victory for Labor Supporter

Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, a Democrat from Plainsboro, won a special election, beating out interim state Senator Tom Goodwin, a Republican from Hamilton, to secure the 14th District state Senate seat vacated by Bill Baroni earlier this year. [learn more]

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Professional Staff Holiday Luncheon

It’s that time of year again. Professional staff are asked to save the date Thursday, December 9th for the annual holiday luncheon. Lunch will be served from 12:00-2:00pm in Student Center 419. Historically, the luncheon provided a formal presentation on a topic of relevance to professional staff. This year, while the luncheon will be more informal and serve as an opportunity to connect/reconnect with your colleagues from across the campus, there will be a small presentation about performance-based promotion and reclassification. As always, we look forward to seeing you and enjoying a festive afternoon full of smiles, stories, and some giveaways as well! Questions or comments: contact Lisa Ambrose at lisa.ambrose@aftlocal1904.org.

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Missed the Workplace Bullying Workshop?

If so, [click here] to read the presentation that Debra Davis, Staff Representative, presented on October 27, 2010. To learn more about the problem of Workplace Bullying, check out The Workplace Bullying Institute's website.

November 2010

President's Corner

It is with great pleasure to announce that AFT Local 1904's new website has been launched. Please check out the new design and features. Some of the changes that will be most helpful to you are a fully searchable website, archived news and newsletters and a new Contact Us page that allows members to submit questions to the Union without sending an email.

In Solidarity,

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Save the Date

New Faculty Program Union Session—Monday November 8th from 4:30-5:00pm Representatives from MSUFT Local 1904 will be addressing new faculty at this program, which will be held in University Hall's Conference Center on the 7th Floor.

General Union Meeting—Wednesday November 10th from 2:30pm to 4:00pm in Student Center 419.

Professional Staff Holiday Luncheon—Thursday December 9th from 12:00pm to 2:30pm in Student Center 419 [click here] for more information

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