MCCEA President's Reports

1. I have decided to revive the President's Report as a way of keeping the Board informed of my activities as president. These reports will provide the Board with a summary of meetings I have attended, as well as letters, memos, and communications sent and received.

2. I have asked MCCEA Vice President Jim Drummond to serve as parliamentarian for meetings of the EA Board until I feel more comfortable with protocol and procedure. I am currently reading Robert's Rules of Order so I may soon perform this role myself.

3. I met briefly with Mark Kennedy and Mary Ann Cockman regarding the two collaborative bargaining issues currently underway. Each appear to be going smoothly in spite of some communication problems surrounding the Professional Development initiative.

4. I sent copies of the draft report issued by the Professional Development team to CETL co-chairs Tom Crampton and Dan Hodgins. Many of the items on this report are issues currently under review by CETL, which has its Winter planning meeting this Friday. I encouraged CETL input on the matter.

5. Doug Hoppa, Associate Dean of Fine Arts, asked for the help of the EA in clarifying a faculty member's detached service leave. I consulted Jim Hanley, Jim Drummond, and Jim Hines on this issue, and it appears to have been resolved in a satisfactory manner for the faculty member involved.

6. I have scheduled an informal meeting with Dr. Arnold and Leatha Terwilliger, at their request, to "get acquainted." Leatha also suggested a brief opportunity to share her 14 years of experience as MCCEA president.

7. At a lunch meeting during the Intellectual Property bargaining, I shared my views on the exploitation of part-time and adjunct faculty in the Humanities division with Mark Kennedy and Bill Blaha who seemed sympathetic yet unresponsive.

8. I read with interest a recent book on labor relations entitled A Union of Professionals, edited by Charles Taylor Kerchner and Julia E. Koppich. I welcome the opportunity to discuss so-called "professional unionism" with anyone who is interested, and I would be happy to provide copies of relevant chapters in the book.

1. Leonard Meizlish and I met with faculty from the Cosmetology department about changes to their assigned teaching loads. Gary Vandemark has drafted a memo of understanding which will make the full-time load for teachers in the Cosmetology program identical to that of the Dental Hygiene program (18 contact hours for lecture, 24 for lab) Though all parties seem agreed, nothing has been signed.

2. After much complication, Chris Lawler and I were able to procure a seniority list from the department of Human Resources. This list has been distributed to the faculty, and is in the same format as previous lists. It should, however, be checked for errors, and there are other issues surrounding the seniority list such as consecutive hires, previous part-time experience at MCC, and leaves of absence which require our attention.

3. At the end of last semester, payroll problems resulted in several teachers not paying EA dues. Human Resources took on the responsibility of contacting the faculty who had not paid, but letters were never sent. I have published information on the problem in the most recent issue of the Forward, as well as in the Human Resources newsletter. Currently there are some 45 part-time teachers from last semester who still owe EA dues.

4. I spent February making appointments to the bargaining team, which will remain in much the same form as before. We are still in need of a part-time representative, as Cathy Smith will now serve the team as a full-time member. The bargaining team will need to meet to review the proceedings of the Intellectual Property Rights and Professional Development problem-solving committees when those groups finish their reports. The team is also slightly larger than it has been in years past.

5. The EA History Committee has begun to prepare for next year's 30th anniversary. Jan McFarlane has gained access to field recording equipment for any oral histories that may be recorded by former EA officers and members. The first project is an interactive web site, which now contains pictures of the old contracts we received from the MEA office last month. You can visit this page, which is still under construction, at: http://edtech.mcc.edu/~robinson/mccea

6. Procedure has apparently been changing concerning memos of understanding between the College and the MCCEA. In years past, these memos were generated by the College and signed by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and the President of the MCCEA. Apparently Mark Kennedy will be the person to sign such memos for the College, and the procedure for generating the memos seems confused and in a state of flux.

7. After ten years of working with Internet e-mail, I reluctantly made the transition to the College's Lotus Notes program. I find it much easier to contact staff and administration on this system. The Human Resources office uses the system extensively, so Lotus Notes has made communication with them much faster. I've also stayed in touch with Cathy Smith and Jim Hines from the bargaining team using campus e-mail. When you come online, drop me a line!

8. Mark Kennedy has circulated a set of Human Resources policies for the College which were submitted for "first reading" by the MCC Board of Trustees at the February 17 meeting. These policies contain several passages directly related to bargaining and union activities. These were attached to the agenda for the February MCC Board meeting, and I will be happy to provide copies to any interested member.

9. Along with Jim Drummond, I will attend a meeting of the 2+2 committee tomorrow. Under review are items from Michael Benner on the issue of Basic Skills Training, and Shelle Kelz on irregular beginning and ending times for upcoming classes.

1. The MCCEA has signed a memo of understanding with the College on the subject of teaching loads for Cosmetology faculty. This agreement makes the teaching load in Cosmetology identical to that of Dental Hygiene. Mark Kennedy has signed the memo, but it is still unclear whether the agreement has been implemented.

2. Allen Arnold asked each union president to write a letter in support of his nomination for the American Association of Community College Trustees Association (AACCT) Chief Executive Officer Award. I wrote such a letter stating only that we were pleased to support Dr. Arnold's nomination and that he has shown a great concern for the future of the College.

3. Along with the four other union presidents, I met with Mark Kennedy and other staff from Human Resources on the topic of a comprehensive health care project at MCC. Other units on campus are looking to change or resolve problems with their negotiated health insurance and benefits packages. I said very little at this meeting, but emphatically stated that faculty are happy with MESSA health insurance, and that the references to MESSA SuperCare1 in the Faculty Master Contract would be vigorously defended by the union.

4. I recently distributed secret ballots for the Region 10 election. Our office was contacted by several of the candidates, but no campaign materials arrived in time to distribute with the ballots, which will be sent to the Region 10 office when they are collected.

5. After the February EA Board Meeting, I appointed Wilma Romatz to the open position of MAHE Delegate so she might attend the last MAHE meeting in Dearborn. Romatz attended the meeting and will represent us well at MAHE.

6. I have agreed to appear in a Human Resources training video on the subject of "collaborative problem solving." This video will be an attempt on the part of the College to promote special training sessions for collaborative bargaining. While these sessions will be mandated to the other bargaining units, I have made it clear to Mark Kennedy and the President that our current bargaining team is not in need of any special training.

7. Mike Griffin from the SEIU arranged a meeting with talk-show host Dave Barber and the five union presidents. Paul Rozycki and I attended the meeting at Walli's East Restaurant, where we helped to persuade Mr. Barber to abandon his negative coverage of the millage and bond issue election. Mr. Barber pledged to stop making negative comments about the election on his show. President Arnold has since congratulated the union presidents and invited us to a special meeting with the MCC Board of Trustees.

8. With the help of EA board members, I reviewed and commented upon several job summaries for faculty positions that will be posted in the coming months. These positions include new hires in Journalism, Geology, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Computer Information Technology. I asked the appropriate deans to standardize the format of these descriptions and conform to past practice in listing minimum and preferred qualifications.

9. The EA office has received its new computer system, and we are in the process of being connected to the College system. This will allow easy communication between the EA Clerk and various offices around campus. It will also allow the EA office to use College computer records and communicate with MEA/NEA and other union locals. This week we begin the migration of our own computer records from MacIntosh to PC format.

1. In response to rumors about reorganization and the termination of contracts for certain academic deans, I have arranged several meetings with President Arnold and a group of EA Board members. I have also had individual meetings with President Arnold to address the concerns faculty have about his denigration of teachers at MCC, as well as his leadership style. One such meeting with Board members is scheduled for the morning of April 21, and those present may wish to report on it at some appropriate time during the 3:00 Board meeting.

2. I received from Region 10 an evaluation form for Mary Ann Cockman, our UniServ director. My review of her performance was overwhelmingly positive, as I have been impressed with Mary Ann's service to our unit at the bargaining table, as well as during special problems with individual members. Her formal evaluation will take place at the Coordinating Council meeting on April 27, and I encourage those who have worked with Mary Ann to attend and show their support.

3. Susan Edwards and I were selected to review advertising copy for the faculty positions that will be posted for the Fall of 1998. Edwards and I met with Mark Kennedy to discuss the objectionable content of the ad. I also circulated copies of the draft copy to a few members of the EA Board. This ad copy caused quite an uproar, as it was very negative and--in our view--insulting toward the faculty currently working at MCC. Susan Edwards did a fine job in revising this ad to make it considerably more acceptable.

4. I am pleased to report that our records migration to the new computer is complete. After trying several different possible solutions myself, I asked for help from Jason Moehlman, Mark Hope, and Dave Holland. The office of Information Systems quickly converted the EA database from Macintosh MS Works format to MS Excel. The EA office is also online, and can be contacted at moffice@email.mcc.edu.

5. A rough skeleton of the MCCEA web site is now online. You can look at the basic structure by visiting www.mccea.org with a World Wide Web browser. I purposely kept the look and feel of the EA correspondence logo and letterhead. With the help of our UniServ director, I have submitted a grant application to MEA to cover the InterNIC registration and other associated costs. Information Systems and Educational Technology have given free assistance and server space. Please inform me if there is something you would like to see on our web site.

6. Before the Forward went to press last Thursday, I was able to change my regular remarks to reflect the EA's gratitude to Leatha Terwilliger for her service to the College. I have talked with several Board members about Leatha's retirement, and many of us agree that we should do something significant to recognize her profound contribution to the College and our union. Please contact me with your ideas about what we might do to formally recognize her.

7. Dave Holland in Information Systems is preparing a list of our members who live out of district and cannot vote on May 5. I will be calling these members to inform them about ways they can help the millage and bond issue election. I will also be sending a message to the faculty as a whole during the last week of the semester reminding them to vote.

8. The EA has purchased a brick from Eric Rettenmund in Institutional Development & the Foundation for MCC for Fred Ashcroft in recognition of his service to the MCCEA negotiating team. The inscription reads: "Fred Ashcroft, for service on the MCCEA bargaining team."

9. Due to a very important family occasion, I will be leaving for Washington D.C. on Tuesday afternoon and will; therefore, be unable to chair the EA Board meeting at 3:00. Vice President Jim Drummond is ill, so I have asked Jim Hanley to chair the meeting. I apologize for my absence, but regrettably it cannot be helped. I will return on Thursday afternoon.

1. On May 1, 1998, I attended the MEA Representative Assembly in Lansing, as well as a luncheon sponsored by MAHE. The delegation voted to oppose the Principles of Unity document and fund a campaign to defeat them at the national RA. Dan Yakes from MAHE was elected to the NEA Board of Directors.

2. A group of EA board members were present at a series of meetings with President Allen Arnold scheduled at our request. Mark Kennedy accompanied the President on these occasions, during which we addressed many problems concerning bad-mouthing of faculty and staff, the dismissal of academic administrators, etc. These meetings were not especially productive, and those present were left with the impression that the President either did not understand or did not care about the concerns raised. In fact, the meetings were mis-characterized in an edition of the President's Post, an event that prompted a memo to our general membership.

3. On May 16, the MCCEA executive committee sent a memo to our membership voicing concerns over the leadership of president Allen Arnold. In this memo, we raised the issue of Leatha Terwilliger's forced retirement, the departure of the academic deans, bad-mouthing of faculty, and the lack of direction and communication on important college issues like workforce development and the regional technology center. Nearly a dozen people were involved in the composition of the memo, which was well received. Channel 12 News aired a story about the memo, which took the concerns out of context.

4. Jim Drummond and I planned a retirement party for Leatha Terwilliger, who served as our president for 14 years. Attendance at the dinner was about 100, and Leatha was extremely grateful for the nice send-off. MCC Board Members, administrators, faculty and staff were present. The EA collected money for tickets and handled the billing with the assistance of Delores Sharpe.

5. On an informal basis, EA Board members have spoken with College board members about current issues on campus. In particular, we have addressed the irrational and unpredictable behavior of President Arnold. It is our intention to keep such volatile issues within the College walls. MCC Board members have shared their concern with us, and some have expressed their intention to address the problems. This dialogue is valuable to the College community, and the MCCEA continues to have an excellent reputation with the College board.

6. I attended the National Education Association Representative Assembly during the first week of July. Among the other issues debated at the RA, the delegation of nearly 10,000 voted on the Principles of Unity, the document that outlined a proposed merger between the NEA and the AFT. The Michigan Caucus voted to oppose the Principles (I abstained). As I am sure you learned, the Principles were soundly defeated. I stayed in touch with the Vice President and Grievance officer via e-mail in the NEA delegate workroom. The College paid for my transportation and lodging. Our local also received an NEA UAW/Saturn Partnership award, which was presented in front of the whole delegation.

7. In August I attended the MEA Summer Leadership & Presidents Institute in Sault Ste. Marie, both of which were extremely helpful. In particular, I learned useful information about bargaining, grievance procedures, contract language, and administrative tips for the local office, as well as MIP and MPSERS. Reports on the conference sessions are filed under "President's Page" on our web site.

8. I have sent a letter to other EA presidents at 2-year colleges in the state of Michigan on the subject of part-time/adjunct faculty issues. Based upon a few informal conversations pursuant to that letter, the 2-year college MEA affiliates may schedule a meeting in Lansing to specifically address the issue of part-time/adjunct use and abuse. Since many adjuncts teach at a few schools and belong to multiple EA locals, this meeting should be productive and shed some light on the possibility of building a coalition to improve the situation of adjunct teachers.

9. The EA will sponsor a gathering of the MCC's unions. The meeting will take place on a Friday afternoon in late October--the exact date is not set yet. The program will be a sharing of perspectives on campus issues. The purpose is to coordinate strategies for dealing with the administration, particularly in the context of impending re-organizations and threats to collective bargaining agreements. The gathering will take place at the MEA headquarters on Exchange Drive and is tentatively called the "MCC labor summit." Fliers will be sent out and all EA members and Board members are encouraged to attend.

10. Years ago, a local EA in Troy, Michigan experienced a problem with local leaders who were working with MPSERS upon retirement. Apparently, release time income for association work was called into question by the retirement system. Karen Murray, a UniServ director for Walled Lake, has shared with me contract language that fixes this problem. Potentially, this issue may affect EA members who have served as president or grievance officer in our local. I have forwarded the language to several board members and will pass it on to the bargaining team.

11. Susan Praski of Human Resources has been conducting a series of meetings on "comprehensive health care" at MCC. I have attended few of these meetings due to other commitments, but I have made clear the faculty's allegiance to MESSA and the intention of the EA to defend the current language on health care in the Faculty Master Contract.

12. I sent a letter to Allen Arnold and Mark Kennedy objecting to the unprofessional manner in which anonymous comments from the interviews for the VP for Academics position were distributed. Specifically, I told Arnold that the hasty decision to mail highly negative comments about Dr. Shelle Kelz to the entire college community was unnecessary and damaging the College. Arnold replied and declined to take responsibility for the decision, claiming that he had no choice but to send the comments out since attendance was not taken at the interviews.

13. Jim Hanley and Jim Hines noticed an error in the Master Contract concerning the timing of Spring break for 1999. Hines worked on the problem before Leatha Terwilliger retired, and the error appeared to have been fixed. The issue had to be revisited after the transition in Leatha's old office, however, and once again appears to be settled correctly.

14. On July 20, 1998, I wrote a memo to Mark Kennedy concerning Faculty Hiring Procedures. The issues addressed in the memo were ongoing and the subject of several voice mail exchanges. I inquired about his progress in responding to the memo several times, and his response arrived yesterday. His response and three memos from the EA will be distributed at the Tuesday EA Board meeting. I recommend that the Board explore ways to make the EA position on faculty hiring more pronounced.

15. I have been working on behalf of two women faculty members hired by Shelle Kelz who were not given credit for previous teaching experience. Two subsequent male hires in the same discipline were given such credit, and a gender disparity exists. Kennedy has been slow to work with on this problem, but I feel that the matter will be solved soon. Specifically, the EA wishes to have these women placed on the appropriate salary schedule and compensated retroactively for the inequity.

16. At the beginning of August, the administration attempted to stray from past practice and interfere with the contractually-negotiated faculty hiring process. In an attempt to test the effectiveness of their "change agent" ads, the management team made clear their intention to re-interview candidates for the two English faculty positions. I objected strongly to this and eventually persuaded the administration to cancel the second round of interviews with Allen Arnold, Mark Kennedy, and Bill Angus. Kennedy revisited this topic in a September 13 memo, claiming "retained management rights" to conduct such interviews.

17. New faculty hires, both full and part time have called me about membership in the EA, expressing a desire to become "fee payers." As past presidents have done, I explain the concept of agency shop to these teachers and outline the benefits our association has won for the faculty here at MCC. The political actions of our state and national affiliates appear to have something to do with the objections being raised, as well as good old-fashioned stinginess.

18. Rita Vater Darnton has asked me to chair a committee to review the Region 10 Constitution & Bylaws. Work on this revision will begin this semester.

19. Human Resources requested permission to waive the requirement of a formal search committee for the Director of Accounting position in order to move Kelli Maehre into the job. Maher's reputation here at MCC is excellent, and everyone I know has extreme faith in her abilities. I declined the request, however, on the grounds that HR has been bungling the search committee process. I explained my decision to Kelli, telling her that we could not set a precedent for waiving searches for important positions. EA representatives were present at the "interview" which was quickly followed by her taking the job. As expected, she is doing a wonderful job in this position.

20. At the request of the College, the S&M union and the EA attempted to work a solution to the vacancy of the Associate Dean of Business created by the re-structuring of Continuing Education. Specifically, the College wanted an EA member to temporarily take the position held by Floyd McAfee, who was reassigned to a workforce development initiative. The College received an unprecedented amount of cooperation from S&M and the EA. The letter of understanding drafted at that meeting was less than perfect from a contractual standpoint, but it was our desire to help the College correct the problem it had created by waiting to fill the position. Less than a week after the agreement was signed, the College broke the agreement without apology. Our only recourse would have been to file an Unfair Labor Practice claim (ULP), which seemed highly inappropriate given the circumstances that led to the agreement. The whole affair places serious doubt on the ability of the College to enter into agreements with its unions, and certainly damages the possibility of engaging in the kind of cooperation and compromise extended by the EA.

21. I have nominated Tom Crampton for an NEA Excellence in Education Award. President Arnold, members of the faculty, as well as a representative from the Manufacturer's Innovation Council will be writing letters in support of his nomination. Applications are due at the end of October. While he is not a member of our Board, Crampton is an excellent candidate for the recognition.

22. Last year the board approved $150 for domain name registration for our World Wide Web site. Subsequently, I applied for an image grant from the MEA on our behalf for the purpose of building a site, and we received $200. The WWW site is up and running and was constructed at no cost to the local. The WWW address is http://www.mccea.org.

23. When I became president last year, letters of understanding between the College and the EA were in a state of flux, and often required a number of signatures. Mark Kennedy has standardized the format of these letters, which only need two signatures: the HR Director and the EA President. Most of these letters also contain a standard clause which makes them non precedent setting.

24. In the wake of the re-organization and subsequent un-re-organization of Continuing Education, the president requested a meeting with all of the union presidents to address the concerns raised. I had communicated our problems with the administration's behavior to both Mark Kennedy and Allen Arnold prior to the meeting. It became clear at this meeting that the management team was motivated by fear of lawsuits from affected parties in the reorganization. Certain employees apparently lobbied the Board to force Arnold to reverse the decision, which he did. I made clear my view that the whole affair represented poor management and inadequate communication on the part of the administration. Subsequently, I learned from some of the affected employees that people were never consulted about the re-organization, learning about it only when they were told to move or report to different supervisors.

25. The EA will soon sign a letter of agreement with the College on the subject of licensure requirements for part-time counselors. Bill Mitchell approached me about creating a temporary variance in the job descriptions for counselors. Susan Goldner has provided important faculty perspective on this issue, and Jim Hines met with Mitchell and me on the subject before the letter was drafted. The proposed variance will allow the college to hire counselors with a limited license for the period of this academic year.

26. I have appointed EA representatives to several hiring committees, including searches for a Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director of Campus Safety. Obtaining adequate notice for the meetings and activities of such committees continues to be a problem. Further, access to the preliminary screening work of search committees has been hurried along or denied. EA representatives to these committees should demand greater access to preliminary materials and screening decisions.

27. I recently signed a letter of understanding with the College concerning a faculty member who was ill during the time he taught for MCC. The College wanted to let him use the tuition waiver program after the fact, since he was not able to take a class during the semester he taught. I saw no problem with the College extending this courtesy to him and signed the letter, which is not precedent setting. Human Resources apparently misspelled a key word in the agreement and has asked me to sign another copy of it.

1. On October 3, 1998, the Flint Journal carried a story with the headlining "MCC Faculty Finds Fault With Changes." Based upon a recent concern raised in the Forward, Journal reporter Chris Machniack wrote a very pro-administration account of the EA's objection to administrative buy-outs and reorganization. I felt that the article created an erroneous impression about the faculty, and I responded with a letter that appeared a few days later. Meanwhile, I have had several encouraging phone calls and notes about the tone of my articles in the Forward.

2. It has long been the EA's position that the College does not need another VP-level position. Over the summer, we argued against the creation of a Vice President for Finance. Despite a previous announcement to the contrary, the College advertised and interviewed for a VP/CFO position. Members of that committee came to the conclusion that, due to the exceptional performance of Kelly Maehre, the position was not warranted. At a bare minimum, the EA has opposed the VP classification of the CFO position once held by Ron Miller. Initially, I authored a draft letter to the MCC Board of Trustees on the subject and asked for input from the other union presidents. They were not comfortable addressing the Board, so Kelly Banks, Joyce Toet, and I met with Allen Arnold to make clear our position. That meeting resulted in the VP classification being dropped from the position.

3. The screening committee for the VP/CFO has completed its work. Members included Jim Hanley, Barb Schulz, and myself. Two names were forwarded to the president, and Felix Chow was chosen.

4. EA representatives to screening committees have been appointed to the following searches: Assistant Director of Human Resources, Director of Public Safety, and Associate Dean of Counseling. As is usually the case, faculty members have experienced problems with scheduling from HR, which does not appear to understand that we have courses to teach.

5. MaryAnn Cockman, our UniServ director, is under a series of attacks from her supervisors at MEA. At our meeting, I will circulate a signature sheet that will be attached to a letter of support for MaryAnn. Please sign the sheet, as we intend to mount a vigorous defense of MaryAnn, who does an excellent job for our unit in bargaining and member advocacy.

6. I have once again been encouraged to send members of the bargaining team to collaborative problem solving training with Zena Zumeta. Personally, I feel that Zumeta is a gifted facilitator, and that the training may be of some use in the future; however, I have made the decision to hold off on asking the bargaining team to participate in the training. Like Jim Hanley, I feel that our team is experienced in bargaining, and the many hours spent in training would unnecessarily take teachers away from their classes. Again, the administration does not appear to understand that teaching is not a desk job.

7. I have attended several (but not all) of the meetings of the College-Wide Benefits Task Force, which is examining health care and fringes at the College. Representatives from Michigan Employee Benefits Services (MEBS) presented at one of the meetings I attended. This is the company that Swartz Creek switched to when they recently left MESSA. I also attended on the day that Sandy Tyrna, our MESSA rep, gave her presentation. I sent detailed information to the bargaining team about the current efforts to lure EA bargaining units away from MESSA. I have made it clear to Susan Praski, Mark Kennedy, and the college attorneys that MESSA will not be an acceptable bargaining item in the upcoming negotiations.

8. I attended a MAHE Regional Meeting on the campus of Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills. Dan Yakes, president of MAHE, and John VanDyken, MEA Higher Ed coordinator, have held such meetings at various parts of the state. Ron Rogowski, a local leader from Schoolcraft, ran a meeting on the subject of part-time and adjunct organizing drives. It is clear that MAHE is worried that the AFT will begin organizing part-time faculty at community colleges where the bargaining unit is completely made up of full-time faculty.

9. Yesterday I attended a meeting with Mark Kennedy and Joyce Toet to discuss certain proposals currently on the table between the College and the S&M unit. These proposals involved a significant shift in the duties and responsibilities of Associate Deans, including a reassignment of all duties previously held by the two Dean-level positions. Talks between the College and S&M also involve the creation of a "Chief of Staff" to the Academic VP. This position would not be a step between Associate Deans and the Academic VP--the Associate Deans would report directly the Academic VP. I raised a number of specific concerns, including the recently revised academic complaint procedure, and the administration of the Regional Technology Center. Ultimately, I made it clear that many of the items currently on the table between the College and S&M were organization planning items that should not be bargained between one unit and the administration. Kennedy rightly claimed that the administration has no responsibility to bargain organizational changes, but committed to regular meetings where I could voice faculty concerns about the reorganization.

10. I have declared my candidacy for a Delegate-At-Large position to the MEA Board of Directors as a 2-Year College Representative. The election will take place at the MEA Representative Assembly on November 7, 1998. If you know any delegates to the MEA Fall RA, I would appreciate a word of support. In any case, wish me luck in the upcoming election. A seat on the MEA Board could potentially help our local get important information and access to resources. I am asking that our RA delegates attend the convention.

11. I am traveling to Washington D.C. next week to meet with NEA President Bob Chase and members of the Higher Education Research Department. Members of the Intellectual Property Rights committee have informed me that I may share our progress in drafting the new article of the contract, provided I do not supply copies or endanger the ratification process in any way. Our efforts in Intellectual Property Rights are significant, and many of the people I have spoken with at NEA are interested in our progress.

12. On Thursday, October 22, at noon, there will be a luncheon in honor of the NEA UAW/Saturn Partnership award at the president's residence. Former UAW VP Don Ephlin will be there, and members of the EA Board are welcome to attend. Also in connection with the award, MCC union presidents will be traveling to Spring Hill, TN for recognition with the other award winners. A visit to the Saturn plant and UAW union hall is planned.

1. I had a series of buttons printed to support Grievance #187. There are three different designs, and they were printed by Impression Printing in Clio for a total cost of $80.03 I ask that you encourage members to wear the buttons, which can be picked up in the EA office. I will also be giving each division representative a packet of buttons to distribute.

2. The MCCEA was represented by its full complement of delegates at the Fall 1998 Representative Assembly. I think this is the first time that all three of our delegates have attended a RA. The RA decided two new business items, one concerning the timing of the Fall RA, and another concerning a response to P.A. 112. There was also an election for the Higher Ed At-Large seat to the MEA Board. I am pleased to report that I won that election, 332/215. My term as an MEA Board member begins immediately, and the first meeting is in January.

3. I continue to meet with Joyce Toet and Mark Kennedy on the subject of expanding the role of the associate deans. At our last meeting, I made raised objections to the suggestion that branch campus managers might assist academic deans in recruitment and evaluation of faculty. I also continued to raise questions about the formation of a "super dean" position that would not appear as part of the reporting line between associate deans and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

4. At the October meeting, the Board directed me to request a time limit on interim/acting appointments in exchange for waiving our rights to a screening committee process for the position of Vice President of Administration. Mark Kennedy said he needed to "run the idea up the flagpole," with the administration. Recently, he got back with me saying that he cannot make that exchange. Since the issue is on our November agenda under old business, I hope that the Board will take a position on what to do in light of this development. A great deal is at stake with acting/interim appointments, and I feel that a creative and proactive response is required.

5. Last year, I began working with Human Resources to correct a gender disparity in starting pay for three women faculty members. Mark Kennedy has prepared three letters of understanding which attempt to redress these pay equity problems. I am in the process of reviewing those documents, and I will explain them in detail to the faculty members involved. I expect that the arrangements will be satisfactory.

6. Representation on screening committees for new positions at MCC continues to be a problem. One problem is scheduling. The more significant conflict is over interpretation of Article XI, Section A. Kennedy contends that the provisions in this section of the contract apply only to "professional positions" as defined in the recognition clause. Years of well-documented past practice prove that this is not the case. I have also consulted with past presidents Jim Hanley and Leatha Terwilliger, who contradict this claim as well. Article XI, Section A gives the faculty association the option of appointing members to screening committees for any position that we feel impacts faculty or instruction. It is our view that we are entitled to be consulted about our option to appoint screening committee members for all positions. Obviously, there are many positions for which we have no interest in doing so. I am preparing a letter to Kennedy to make our position clear.

7. Chris Machniak of the Flint Journal is interested in doing a story on Grievance #187 and the issues surrounding part-time employment at MCC. He is looking for a "full-time part-timer," to interview, i.e. someone who teaches a full load by teaching part-time at two or more institutions. If you know a part-time MCC faculty member who teaches a full load in this manner, please let me know.

8. The union presidents have scheduled a meeting with President Allen Arnold for November 19 to discuss the proposed College funding of half of Chery Wagonlander's salary at Mott Middle College High School. MaryAnn Cockman is also exploring the legality of this arrangement with MEA Legal. The agenda item dedicated to this issue at our October meeting has been placed in Old Business for the upcoming November meeting. I am hoping that the Board will take a position on the matter so I can present a strong, unified view to the president.

9. I had a very productive meeting with Rachel Hendrickson at the NEA Higher Ed Research Center in Washington, D.C. I shared with her our current draft of the proposed article on Intellectual Property Rights, and she was very impressed. She is anxious to have a copy, as she feels that it can be a national model. She has asked that we submit a presentation proposal for the 1999 Higher Ed Conference in San Antonio, TX. John VanDyken, MEA Higher Ed staff member, is sending us the application materials.

1. I have had ongoing discussions with Mark Kennedy over the composition of the current screening committee for the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The three faculty representatives to the committee have recommended that two additional associate deans be added to the group. At present, the committee is heavily dominated by non-academic personnel. I have shared this view with Mark Kennedy and Bill Angus. We suggested that the administration add one associate dean from Liberal Arts & Sciences, and one from Career and Technical Education. So far, this has not been done. Several associate deans have expressed concern over the problem as well.

2. The MCCEA and the Technology Division co-sponsored an event to honor Tom Crampton, winner of the 1998 MEA Excellence Award. This event was an important way to showcase the quality of our faculty, as well as celebrate our recognition by the MEA. I am interested in finding ways to celebrate and honor EA members from all sections of the College. MaryAnn Cockman, in her tenure as a K-12 local president, used to highlight innovative members at school board meetings. Please contact me if you would like to promote the innovative work of faculty members in your division.

3. I have been elected vice-chair of the 10-C Coordinating Council. While this is not exactly a significant position, the coordinating council is an important place for funding of projects. Our web site, for example, was funded through this council. I will report on action taken at the 10-C council in the president's report.

4. We need a Region 10 delegate. Barring a write-in campaign, the seat will be vacant next year. Over the past year, our local has stepped up participation in region, state, and national activities. This directly benefits us in terms of relevant, timely information from the state and national level. It has also saved us some money. While MEA/NEA is very heavily dominated by K-12 education, we need to gain a voice in the areas that matter. If you know of someone who will be willing to serve as a Region 10 delegate to our local board, please contact me.

5. MAHE is lobbying for an MEA Task Force on part-time and adjunct issues. Hopefully, MEA will create the task force as a commission/committee with state funding. As a member of the MEA Board of Directors, I am entitled to serve on a number of committees. I have spoken with Ron Rogowski (Schoolcraft) and Dan Yakes (President, MAHE) about serving on the committee.

6. As faculty get new computers, EA Board members may want to investigate the Human Resources database in LotusNotes. I received a voice mail message from Mark Kennedy about errors in the database. It apparently has several, and HR is working with IS to fix them. The database will prove to be useful, once it is accurate.

7. We are currently in the process of appointing EA representatives to screening committees for the following positions: Director Business and Industrial Resources, VP Administration, Branch Manager for Lapeer. Two of the positions have internal candidates. The customary difficulty in working with HR on faculty notification, scheduling, and participation on committees continues.

8. The EA web site now has a link for press releases. There is a link from our main page (www.mccea.org). I have posted the policy I have used in dealing with the media, which is: "It is the policy of the MCCEA to withhold comments from the media under the following circumstances: 1) issues of member confidentiality and privacy; 2) internal conflicts for which we have not yet made public comment; 3) sensitive bargaining issues currently at the negotiating table." I will be asking the Board to review/approve this policy at the upcoming Board meeting.

9. 9. I am interested in "content" for the EA web page. I will be bringing my digital camera to the Board meeting, and Board members who agree to be photographed will have their pictures on the web site. I would also be interested in any input on additions to the web site that might make it more helpful. Use that new computer of yours to look at our web site. The "president's page" is a disproportionately well-developed part of the site. Send me your ideas for our site on the web!

10. At the January meeting, the Board will consider the 1999 budget. If you have ideas or concerns about the budget, contact Barb Schulz or let me know about them. Also, early next year I will be making appointments to CPSC, the Bargaining Team, the Sabbatical Review Board, Ed-Pac, and the Outstanding Staff Member Award Committee.