The calendar says it is fall, but lately the weather has been more like summer. Hopefully everyone has settled into the fall semester and things are running smoothly. We have ratified a one-year contract and will soon be meeting to start the bargaining process for a successor contract. USA has many irons in the fire, and I would like to update you on where we are.

       Bargaining - As I stated above, we will begin later this fall to meet and write up new proposals for the next round of negotiating which will begin after the first of the year.

       Re-Classification Study - We have met with Vice Chancellor Joyce Hatch and made our case with her and her staff. She has spoken to other vice chancellors at our sister campuses and has advocated for this to be a system-wide procedure. Bob Whalen, our MTA consultant, has begun to get dates from representatives from other campuses, as well as the President's office, so we may meet in the near future and discuss what our next steps are. 

       Health and Safety - Jim Plaza and I have met with representatives from the Physical Plant, and we are beginning to receive reports and will begin training on the EMPAC system-hopefully this month. Once we have all the reports we will be receiving, we will meet with the Health and Safety committee to decide what we need and what we will then do with the information we have. The University has also agreed to meet with us before any major construction or renovations occur. This has been slow in happening, but trust me when I say that we are staying on top of them to make sure they adhere to our agreement.

       PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts) - Aggie Mitchkoski, our representative on this committee, is forging a relationship with faculty and students that are involved with this network. She and I will be attending a summit on October 26th to discuss the issues facing public higher education which may help us devise a plan on how to proceed legislatively and regionally.

       Higher Ed Leadership Council - The MTA council will be meeting soon for a retreat with higher ed leaders across the state to discuss bargaining issues and strategies. This will be beneficial to us as we will all be bargaining our contracts together again and solidarity on mutual issues is crucial.

       Health and Welfare Trust - Our representative, Linda Hillenbrand, has been elected treasurer of the trust and continues to represent our interests both for dental and vision.

       These are just a few of the many agendas we are working on for our members. As I have done in the past, I will keep you updated on all these issues as things progress.

       We have seen an increase in our membership in the last few months, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new people to the university-and into our union. If you are interested in getting actively involved in helping out your Union, please feel free to contact me at djohnson@english.umass.edu--or you can contact Jane Litwin-Taylor, our office manager, at usa@external.umass.edu.

       Please remember that if you have questions about the contract or your rights, you can contact your district steward. For a list of stewards, you can visit our website @ www.umass.edu/usa. You will also find a list of committees, our constitution, and our current contract. 

In solidarity,

Donna Johnson

President USA