Executive Board Meeting

Longy Faculty Union (LFU)

May 21, 2010

Present: Executive Board members:  Liz  Anker, Deborah Beers (Debbie), Jonathan Cohler,  Erik Entwistle,  Peter Evans, Clay Hoener, Shizue Sano; AFT Field Representative, Diane Frey

The meeting was called to order at 11:42 a.m.

The minutes for the May 14 LFU Executive Board meeting and an addendum for the previously approved  minutes for the April 2 LFU Executive Board meeting were both approved.

The announcement was made that membership has continued to grow and we now have 54 members.

We will soon be applying for AFT local number recognition.  After we obtain our local number, benefit packets will be made available (welcome letter, life insurance, shopping discounts, etc.) to LFU members.

The following two committees with one contact for each will be listed on website and in the next newsletter:

Negotiation: Clay Hoener (Chair), Erik Entwistle, Peter Evans, Jonathan Cohler

Communications: Debbie Beers (Chair), Liz Anker, Jonathan Cohler, Ken Pierce

Membership contact: Shizue Sano

The idea was discussed of looking into Longy’s compliance with NEASC and NASM requirements.

Different means of communication were discussed regarding carrying our message forward.  The desirability of empowering the Communications Committee to set up different levels of communication was discussed.

It was reported that the Negotiating Committee met on Monday with the administration. This committee has requested twice-weekly meetings with the administration for the next several weeks, and will be meeting once each week for three weeks.

The emphasis of the Negotiating Committee for the present is to lay our groundwork solidly. Proposals are being offered to the administration regarding rules that are not radical but which would improve our lives. After any agreement is reached between administration and Negotiating Committee, LFU members will vote on whether to ratify the agreement.

The administration has now agreed to let LFU use parts of a bulletin board to post announcements and to allow LFU use of some facilities for meetings when those facilities are not needed for other purposes.

The administration is now considering some proposals which the committee has presented. These proposals include:

• establishing some basic rules before establishing the minimum number of students per faculty member
• requiring the administration to give faculty members advance notice before student minimums must be met
• having a provision that there will be meetings from time to time to discuss issues of mutual interest
• including a provision that there will be a "recognition clause" explaining who is in the bargaining unit
• including a provision for non-discriminatory language
• requiring new job openings to be posted and members of the Collective Bargaining Unit to be given first choice to fill those jobs
• requiring that a person who has been cut from the faculty will be first to be rehired unless the person had been fired for just cause.

The Negotiating Committee is now also working on more proposals to present to the administration regarding professional development, funds for recruitment, student assignments, teacher evaluations, and "just cause".  A "just cause" provision would require the administration to follow a standardized process to fire somebody, a process which was not required in our "at will" faculty agreements of the past. Also being worked out is a proposal for the union security agreement called "agency shop" in which all faculty in the Collective Bargaining Unit (CBU)would be protected by the union contracts, but in which those in the CBU who choose not to join the union will have to pay an agency fee instead of full dues. Those who do not pay full dues will not be qualified to vote or to run for office.

The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

Deborah Yardley Beers
LFU