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MSCA Newsletter Ben Jacques, Editor NEA/MTA/MSCA June 2005

Serving as a delegate to the annual MSCA Del-egate Assembly, you can’t help but sense how impor-tant our organization is to the professional well beingof all our members. While not every report sets youon the edge of your seat, and while not everyoneagrees on every motion, you soon realize that impor-tant work is getting done. You are impressed with thescope, impact and relevance of our union’s activitiesand gain a deep respect for those who give so muchof their time and energy on behalf of their colleagues.

This year at theApril 30 Delegate As-sembly held at Worces-ter State, President PatMarkunas reported on“our greatest successthis year”: the settle-ment and ratification ofthe 2004-2007 day unitcontract. “This achievement is unique among thehigher education unions,” she said, “all of which arestill waiting for retroactive monies to be paid fromcontracts dating back three or four years.”

Markunas continued: “This achievement did nothappen without the incredible support of the mem-bership. . . . Every action, individually and collectively,helped.”

2005 Delegate Assembly

Doing the Work of the UnionBen Jacques

In a morning highlighted by reports, sale of the“47th” T-shirts, applause for the Bargaining Committeeand MTA consultants, debate on resolutions, luncheonmusic and presentations, the 44 delegates from ninecampuses did the work of the union:

• President Pat Markunas urged delegates to thanktheir legislators for their support of a range of billsand initiatives: from the Senate Task Force’s reportcalling for major reinvestment in public colleges

and universities to thelegislature’s reduction ofthe employee paymentsfor health care insurance.

• Vice President FrankMinasian reported onthe successful campaignto introduce legislationto streamline the

bargaining process—in effect, to prevent thegovernor from having “three bites of the apple.”(see adjacent story and page 3)

• After a presentation by Treasurer Gail Price, thedelegates unanimously approved a FY 2006 budgettotaling $425,160. Dues for the 2,297 members,full and part time, remain the same.

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“This is the most positive thing to happenin public higher education in 40 years.”President Pat Markunas on the SenateTask Force on Higher Education’s reportcalling for major investment in the state’scolleges and universities.

NEW APPAREL ON BEACON HILL—Sen. Therese Murray, chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, displaysa T-shirt bearing the “47th” ranking message, presented by Frank Minasian, MSCA vice president, and Sam Schlosberg, Mass.College of Art chapter president. On May 12 MSCA members packaged and delivered T-shirts to all Massachusetts legislators.See related photo and story, page 4.

Trying to Fix a ‘Broken’Bargaining ProcessMSCA Joins Higher EducationUnions across the State to Press forReform of Chapter 150E

No one thought in 1973 when the current publicemployee bargaining law was adopted that governorswould later use it to systematically degrade the con-tract process for employees in state colleges and uni-versities—with devastating effects on their pocket-books and morale.

At a June 9 hearing on Beacon Hill, educatorsand union representatives from around the Common-wealth packed the room to say the system is broken,and it must be fixed. Public higher education employ-ees must have the same, unobstructed bargainingprocess that other public employees have in this stateand throughout the nation.

They spoke in support of House Bill 530, whichwould amend Chapter 150E to allow signed contractsto go directly to the Legislature for review and fund-ing. This would prevent the governor, who alreadysets negotiating parameters and can later use his vetopower, from “taking three bites out of the apple,” saidCatherine Boudreau, MTA president, speaking beforethe Joint Committee on Public Service.

The governor’s third bite of the apple has costhigher education employees dearly in nullified andunfunded contracts; faculty and staff have gone yearswithout salary increases, after investing uncountedhours in negotiations with their employer.

“The damage this does to our education system isimmeasurable,” MSCA President Pat Markunas toldthe committee, chaired by Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti(D-West Springfield).

“It hurts morale. It hurts recruitment and retentionof faculty, and it has a negative effect on the qualityof education provided to our students.”

HB 530 would “remove pre-legislative opportuni-ties to stymie negotiations and veto contractual costitems by failing to submit them for legislative action,”Markunas said. (See Markunas’s full testimony onpage 3.)

Brad Art, MSCA bargaining chairperson, citedthe “grueling process” of negotiating contracts, oftenstretching over years and seemingly endless meetings.Even when final agreements are signed and ratified,contracts have been returned for renegotiation, orhave gone unfunded, he said, noting actions by thecurrent governor and his predecessors to obstruct ordelay bargaining and contract funding.

“This is not how collective bargaining works inother sectors,” Art said. “It is not how it should workhere.” (Read Art’s full testimony at <www.mscaunion.org>.)

Speakers Counter Kriss’s ObjectionsThe only speaker opposing HB 530 was Eric Kriss,

continued on page 3

2 Perspective June 2005

MSCA PerspectiveA publication of the Massachusetts State CollegeAssociation, the faculty and librarian union forthe nine state colleges in Massachusetts.

Editor:Ben JacquesMassachusetts College of Liberal ArtsNorth Adams, MA 01247bjacq@juno.com

Contributing Editors:Lou Caton, Westfield State Collegelcaton@wsc.mass.edu

Anne Falke, Worcester State Collegeafalke@worcester.edu

Alan Feldman, Framingham State Collegeafeldma@frc.mass.edu

Ben Lieberman, Fitchburg State Collegeblieberman@fsc.edu

Maynard Seider, Mass. College of Liberal Artsmseider@mcla.edu

Susan Sturgeon, Salem State Collegesusan.sturgeon@salemstate.edu

Design and Layout:Susan McCarthy, Salem State College

MSCA Webmaster:Nancy George, Salem State Collegeskinut97@yahoo.com

Websites:Massachusetts State College Association:www.mscaunion.org

Massachusetts Teachers Association:www.massteacher.org

National Education Association:www.nea.org

• Bargaining Committee chairperson Brad Artreported on efforts to approve and ratify the 2004-7 contract for day unit members, its current status,and continued efforts for a compensation agree-ment for the year 2003-4. That process is still in“fact finding,” he said. Although the fact-findingreport is non-binding, “it is influential.”

• C.J. O’Donnell, chairperson of the Salary Data-base Committee, reported on his committee’sextensive work to analyze and verify membersalaries. “The MSCA is in the final stages ofpreparing a list of the names of faculty andlibrarians whose salaries, we believe, were miscal-culated under the terms of the 2001-3 agreement,”he said. Preliminary reports have been used toreview salaries and make corrections.

• Len Paolillo, who represents MSCA on the MTABoard of Directors, reported on MTA legislativeinitiatives to support higher education. Heupdated efforts to repeal Social Security provisionsthat penalize Massachusetts public employees.“All of our Congressional delegation have signedon, bringing the total House sponsors to 252 with17 sponsors in the Senate.”

• Delegates heard from Margaret Vaughan, chair-person of the Grievance Committee, on thereduction of the arbitration case backlog from 164to 83 cases, and the option of mediation, whichled, in one case, to the resolution of 40 grievances.

• Reporting for the Ad Hoc Committee on Librar-ian Concerns, chairperson Nancy George said astudy of librarian salaries indicates continuedinadequate compensation. President Markunassaid a request has been made to the Council ofPresidents for a full study, similar to the Council’shighly publicized report last year on state collegefaculty salaries.

• David Twiss, trustee and treasurer of the MTAHealth & Welfare Trust Fund, reported onincreasing costs of the MetLife dental assistanceprogram, and noted a slight increases in bothmember and employer contributions, with thebenefit level continuing at $750.

From Higher Ed Funding to the WarThe delegates voted to support four resolutions:

• That the Commonwealth make “a long-term,reliable and appropriate investment in its publichigher education system, as recommended in theSenate Task Force Report on Public HigherEducation”; and that “each political party inMassachusetts include a platform plank insupport of this investment in the state’s publichigher education.”

• That the Massachusetts Congressional delega-tion support House Resolution 35, introducedby Rep. Lynn Woolsey in January, “[e]xpressingthe sense of Congress that the President shoulddevelop and implement a plan to begin theimmediate withdrawal of United States ArmedForces from Iraq.” Submitting the resolution,MCLA chapter president Maynard Seider said:“As a union we should be willing to take aposition on national issues. Congress is not beinginundated with protests. This war is wrong.”

• That the Massachusetts Congressional delega-tion submit legislation to appoint a bipartisancommission to examine and report on “torturepractices carried out by United States soldiersand contractors …, including abuses carried outunder the U.S. rendition policy.”

• That the MTA explore the feasibility of a mergerwith the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers.

Honored and RememberedCertificates of appreciation were presented to two

former directors for their contributions to theMSCA: Richard Bisk, for his active role at FitchburgState (he is now at Worcester State); and EdwardMovitz, a founding member of the MSCA, nowretired from Mass College of Art.

President Markunas also led the delegates in amoment of silence in memory of Robert Lee, formerchapter president at Fitchburg State, and MarjorieHellerstein, former MSCA director from MassCollege of Art.

Doing the Work of the Union continued from page 1Consider the Benefitsof MTA/NEA RetiredMembership

If you’re about to retire, or retired, consider this:for only $35 a year you can keep your membership inthe MTA and the NEA.

In the following letter, John McKeon, formerFitchburg State MSCA chapter president and liaisonbetween the MTA/NEA and retired MSCA members,explains the benefits.

“There are a number of reasons why retired mem-bership is desirable. If you are currently a member ofMSCA/MTA/NEA, you support public education.The MTA and NEA are both strong advocates forpublic education and actively involved in issues impor-tant to retired and active members.

“The MTA supports the elimination of the GPO(Government Pension Offset) and the WEP (WindfallElimination Provision), which diminish Social Securitybenefits for public employees, including state collegefaculty and librarians.

“The MTA supports the revitalization of highereducation, and it is opposed to Romney’s desire toincrease our health insurance premiums.

“The MTA also provides many benefits to its mem-bers. For example, there are discounts to over 1,000nationwide cultural, recreational, and entertainmentattractions. Travel anyone?

“If education issues and/or benefits are of interestto you, . . . go to <www.mtabenefits.com> and<www.massteacher.org> to investigate. The annualcost for both MTA and NEA retired membershipis $35, or a lifetime membership for $325.

“If you have any question, you can email me at<jmckeon@fsc.edu>, or call Jo Ann Fitzgerald at800-392-6175, ext. 8314. Jo Ann is the MTA retiredmembers service specialist.”

Retiring from fulltime teaching in 2003, McKeonis an adjunct professor at Fitchburg State College.

Voices from the Assembly“It was unprecedented for collegepresidents to come to the table. It helpedus break the logjam.”Bargaining chairperson Brad Art on thethree-on-three bargaining format that ledto contract settlement.

“It was a great accomplishment. Now wehave to follow through.”Vice President Frank Minasian on intro-duction of legislation to streamline thebargaining process.

“In Guantanamo, in the Afghan prisons,at Camp Bucca in Iraq, at the prison atBaghdad International Airport, at AbuGharib....”Former Boston State College chapterpresident John E. Moon, insupport of a resolutionurging independentinvestigations of UnitedStates use of torture.

“Injury to one is injuryto all. That was hisguiding principle.”Maynard Seider, MCLAchapter president,crediting formerGrievance Committeechairperson FrankMinasian for over 25

years of service directing the grievanceresolution process.

“A personal priority has been theestablishment of health insurance andretirement benefits for hundreds ofpart-time faculty at the state colleges.”Pat Markunas. Higher education union mem-bers lobbied in support of Senate Bill 1535 andHouse Bill 189 at the State House May 12.

June 2005 Perspective 3AT THE STATE HOUSE

Chairmen Kaufman and Buoniconti, for the recordmy name is Patricia V. Markunas. I am president ofthe Massachusetts State College Association, theunion that represents 2,500 faculty and librarians atthe nine state colleges. I am also a professor of psy-chology at Salem State College and reside in the Cityof Salem. I have been involved in negotiations for thestate college faculty/librarian union for 20 years andserved as the chairperson for the MSCA BargainingCommittee for five of those years.

In September of 2004, the MSCA Board of Direc-tors voted unanimously to support legislation tochange the collective bargaining process. On behalf ofthe Board and the membership of the MSCA, I urgeyour favorable report on HB 530, which would amendthe state’s Collective Bargaining Law (Chapter 150E)to allow our employer to submit contractual cost itemsdirectly to the Legislature for consideration.

Simply put, ladies and gentlemen of the Commit-tee, the collective bargaining process for the publichigher education affiliates is broken and it needs to befixed. Our statutory employer of record, now theBoard of Higher Education, does not have sufficientlegal authority to negotiate in good faith with us andour sister unions. Since 1990, five different governorsfrom both political parties, acting through the Officeof Administration and Finance, have stymied negotia-tions through the use of pre-legislative vetoes and badfaith bargaining tactics. This subversion of the collec-tive bargaining process has demoralized the facultyand damaged our national reputation, causing diffi-culty in national recruitment and retention of faculty.Ultimately, this will mean great harm to the quality ofthe education provided to the students of the publichigher education system.

The collective bargaining statute as it exists nowallows the governor too many opportunities to thwartthe bargaining process. Every possible roadblock thata governor could erect in the collective bargaining

Hearing of the Joint Committee on Public ServiceTestimony in Support of HB 530 - June 9, 2005Patricia V. Markunas, PresidentMassachusetts State College Association

process has been actualized over the past 15 years: re-fusal to provide economic parameters for negotiations,refusal to submit ratified and executed contracts forlegislative action, reneging on economic offers madeand accepted at the bargaining table, and vetoes of thefunding for contracts authorized, ratified and executedby the governor himself or herself. This situation can-not continue.

The proposed amendment to Chapter 150E wouldnot affect the governor’s constitutional veto power overany bill passed by the Legislature. It would removepre-legislative opportunities to stymie negotiations andveto contractual cost items by failing to submit themfor legislative action. It would allow the employer ofrecord, the Board of Higher Education, to negotiatecontracts and submit the cost items for their fundingdirectly to the Legislature. In this regard, the Board’sauthority would be the same as other state agenciesand the judiciary, which have functioned appropriatelyin terms of the collective bargaining process.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Committee, the mem-bers of the MSCA have long appreciated the supportafforded by the Legislature to the state’s public highereducation system and to its employees. The work ofthe Senate Task Force Committee on Public HigherEducation and the restoration of group health insur-ance premiums for state employees are only the twomost recent examples of this support. Although ourlast collective bargaining agreement was fully funded,we also appreciate the legislative overrides of guberna-torial vetoes of funding for pay increases and retroac-tive monies due our colleagues in the other highereducation unions.

It is time to fix the problem so that legislative ac-tion to remedy the bad faith tactics of the governor isno longer necessary. The faculty and librarians of thestate colleges want the collective bargaining process towork in good faith. Amending Chapter 150E to allowthis process to work properly is good for our member-ship, our institutions and our students. Thank you foryour consideration of this legislation and my testimonyin support of it.

secretary of administration and finance under Gover-nor Mitt Romney. First to address the committee,Kriss claimed the bill would be “a serious assault onthe separation of powers” and would lead to “unsus-tainable wage increases.”

But speaker after speaker, including other legisla-tors who dropped by to state their support for HB530, countered his assertions, and said the time forreform has come.

Rep. John E. Quinn (D-New Bedford), the bill’sprincipal sponsor, said it will restore “fairness andreliability” to collective bargaining in public highereducation.

Daniel Georgianna, president of the FacultyFederation at UMass Dartmouth, called the currentprocess “dysfunctional,” and said Massachusetts isthe only state in which a governor can choose not tosubmit a signed contract to the legislature.

Kathleen Kelley, president of the MassachusettsFederation of Teachers, reminded the audience thata contract is a shared agreement. “It’s not a unioncontract. It’s a union and management contract,” shesaid. When a governor is allowed to thwart the pro-cess, it harms not just the union members, but theinstitutions themselves.

Laura Jensen, vice president of the Society ofProfessors at UMass Amherst, said HB 530 wouldmake the process “fairer and more accountable to allparties involved... and eradicate the serious produc-tivity losses that result from endless bargaining andconflict.”

Joe LeBlanc, vice president of the MassachusettsCommunity College Council and chairperson of itsbargaining team, said the current process “is blatantlyunfair. [The bargaining law] is broken and it has tobe changed.”

MSCA OfficersPatricia V. MarkunasMSCA Presidentc/o Salem State CollegeSalem, MA 01970(978) 542-7282 (978) 542-7284 FaxPmarkunas@aol.com

Frank S. MinasianMSCA Vice Presidentc/o Worcester State CollegeWorcester, MA 01602(508) 793-8000Fminasian@worcester.edu

Gail A. PriceMSCA Treasurerc/o Bridgewater State CollegeBridgewater, MA 02325(508) 531-2793 or (508) 531-2794(508) 697-9421 Faxprice@bridgew.edu

Nancy GeorgeMSCA Secretaryc/o Salem State CollegeSalem, MA 01970(978) 542-7182skinut@yahoo.com

Jeffrey Cook, vice chairperson of the Board ofTrustees of Berkshire Community College, said it isregrettable that “we have to come to you, the GeneralCourt, to set things right.” He urged the legislators to“do the right thing. We are with our faculty,” he said.

Morale Takes a Hit

Susan Jhirad, professor of English at North ShoreCommunity College, said faculty agreed in a contractthree years ago to increase their teaching load in ex-change for step increases, “which we’ve never seen.”She said morale suffers among both faculty and stu-dents, and she hears colleagues talking about movingto other states.

“Something dies in your commitment to your jobwhen this happens,” she said.

“Morale is horrendous,” said Donnie McGee, aBristol Community College professor. “We cannotretain our nursing faculty. There are 700 students onthe waiting list in nursing. The checks and balancessystem is out of whack.”

Trying to Fix continued from page 1

Additional speakers included faculty from othercampuses and other campus unions. David Morwick,president of Association of Professional Administra-tors (APA), which represents 952 middle managers,and Andrea Mullen, representing over 4,500AFSCME employees in higher education, also urgedpassage of HB 530.

What’s Next?Last year, a bill similar to HB 530 received a favor-

able recommendation from the Public Service Com-mittee, only to die in House Ways & Means.

Given Governor Romney’s refusal to file theMCCC one-year extension for 2002-2003 and hisveto of retroactive monies due UMass faculty and staff,APA and AFSCME members, HB 530 has a muchbetter chance of becoming law this year.

Updates on the bill’s progress will be posted onthe MSCA website. Should lobbying efforts beneeded, MSCA faculty and librarians will be con-tacted directly.

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A CALL FOR REFORM—Members of the Joint Committee on Public Service hear testimony from Brad Art, MSCAbargaining chairperson. Pictured are Edward Miller, committee research director; Sen. Stephen Buoniconti (D-Springfield),co-chair; Owen Murphy, aide to Buoniconti; Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lenox); Rep. James Eldridge (D-Acton); and Rep.William Greene (D-Billerica).

“Has the Governor Acted onOur Contract Yet?”

As we go to press, the governor has not yetacted on the submission of our contract fundingto the Legislature for its action. As soon as adecision has been made by the governor, MSCAmembers will be notified by campus email and onthe MSCA website <www.mscaunion.org>. I willnot forget to tell everyone, at the same time, aboutthis decision when I know it has been made.

MSCA faculty and librarians should check theMSCA website for the most current informationas to the status of the contract funding. Thankyou for your patience. —PVM

4 Perspective June 2005

FACULTY/LIBRARIAN SPOTLIGHT

Until recently, WestfieldState College professors whowanted to share ideas arrangedmeetings at the Student Center,the campus diner, or a locationdowntown. Like small collegeseverywhere, Westfield State didnot have a stable, consistentlocation for teacher gatherings.After years of ad hoc schedulingof meetings, a few forward-thinking individuals beganconsidering the possibility of afaculty center.

Philosophy Professor JackLoughney, one of the foundingmembers, noted: “It is alwaysdifficult to distribute neededservices among 235 or sotenured and adjunct facultymembers.”

As soon as Robert Martin,Westfield’s associate vice presi-dent at the time, heard the idea, he was supportive.The argument for a center was a slam dunk: if teach-ers had a permanent gathering place for hearing eachother’s ideas, more classroom successes of all kindswould occur.

Originally proposed by Professors Julian Fleronand Phil Hotchkiss (Mathematics) and Emily Todd(English), the center attracted other professors assponsors and volunteers: Michael Engel and MarshaMarotta (Political Science), John Catalini (English),and Jack Loughney (Philosophy).

The faculty members began working with Martinto establish a budget, find a location, and buy thenecessary furniture and supplies.

“From the beginning, we wanted to come up withprograms that would bring together faculty fromvarious disciplines to share ideas about the work wedo—about our classroom experiences, our service,and our scholarly projects,” Professor Todd said.

“But we also hoped to build community on cam-pus through social events,” she continued. “So rightfrom the start we not only organized ‘brown bag’lunch discussions and faculty development workshopsbut also hosted parties and weekly coffee hours.”

The Faculty Center has been in operation sincethe fall of 2000. At first located in a small room, ithas been expanded. Although the current budget of$2,500 a year is modest, it allows the center to pur-chase faculty books and academic subscriptions, in-vite outside speakers, organize social gatherings, andoffer “mentoring” luncheons for first- and second-year faculty.

The center became the nexus for many activities:from luncheon discussions on pedagogical concernsto work-in-progress presentations of developing aca-demic research.

Some discussions that have taken place include:

“Creating a Positive Learning Environment inthe Classroom”

“Is It Too Late to Teach Our Students toThink?”

“Diversity at WSC: The Dialogue Continues”

“What Do You Do When a Class Turns South?”

“Teaching Life of Pi: Or How to Teach aNovel When You’re Not an English Professor”

“Disruptive Students Revisited”

“Strategies for Writing Letters of Recom-mendation”

“Tax Issues for Professors”

“Plagiarism Revisited”

“Can Faculty at a Small State College CompeteSuccessfully for Fellowships and Grants? Yes!”

Faculty Center workshops have included “GoodTeaching and Learning: How do You Know?” byMary Deane Sorcinelli; and “Using Writing to HelpStudents Learn: Writing as High Stakes and LowStakes” by Peter Elbow.

Professor Marotta remembers some of those pre-sentations: “What a thrill it was to fill the room forthose first brown-bag lunch discussions. We hadfaculty and librarians, and sometimes administrators,spilling out into the adjoining areas. And what a plea-sure it was to discuss concerns about teaching andother issues with professors with different experiencesor from different departments. As a new facultymember on the steering committee, I found it a greatway to meet people from across campus. I still try toattend every event. I enjoy it, and I learn a lot.”

The center has even helped in recruiting newfaculty. Psychology Professor Ricki Kantrowitz, acurrent volunteer, stated, “Several job candidatesmentioned in their interviews that they looked overthe Faculty Center website and were impressed bywhat was being offered.”

Governance of the center is maintained informallyby faculty volunteers, who meet monthly to planactivates, sponsor events, and resolve any problems.

For more information on the Westfield State Fac-ulty Center, visit the web page at: <www.wsc.ma.edu/facultycenter>.

—A contributing editor, Lou Caton teaches English atWestfield State College.

A Place for Coffee and IdeasWestfield Faculty Center Supports Faculty and Learning

Lou Caton

MCLA Liberal Arts JournalWelcomes Submissions

The Mind’s Eye, a liberal-arts journal published bythe faculty at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts,welcomes submissions of scholarly and creative workfrom other campuses, reports Bill Montgomery, man-aging editor and professor of interdisciplinary studies.

“We accept expository essays, including reviews,fiction, poetry and art,” Montgomery says. “Any sub-ject is welcome, but we have a particular interest inthe Berkshires.”

Founded in 1989 and reissued in 1997 in a newformat, The Mind’s Eye has increasingly publishedthe work of regional writers, as well as faculty artistsand authors.

For a sample copy, writer’s guidelines and deadlineinformation, please contact Montgomery at<wmontgom@mcla.edu> or 413-662-5516.

To subscribe, send $7.50 to The Mind’s Eye, Mass-achusetts College of Liberal Arts, 375 Church St.,North Adams, MA 01247.

A PLACE TO GATHER—Westfield State College professors find their FacultyCenter is a comfortable place to share ideas with colleagues. Pictured from left arePhil Hotchkiss, Julian Fleron, Ricki Kantrowitz, Emily Todd, Marsha Marotta,and librarian Corinne Ebbs.

BENEATH THEIR ROBES—Framingham State College faculty took their “47th” message to graduation by wearing T-shirts designed and produced by colleagues Jennifer Dowling, Derrick TePaske and Leslie Starobin. MSCA members picturedinclude (front row) Yaser Najjar, Abdul Momen, Margaret Carroll, and Susan Massad; and (second row) Arthur Nolletti,Alan Feldman, Elaine Beilin, and Pam Ludeman.

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T-shirts Tell a Story thePublic Needs to Hear

First it was an idea. Then it was a PDF file sent toMSCA President Pat Markunas for her advice. Thenit was a T-shirt, designed and produced by faculty atFramingham State College, carrying a union label,and the ironic message that Massachusetts, first inbaseball, first in football, is 47th in support of publichigher education (see photos below and on page 1).

Then it was a question: who would wear them?That question was quickly answered as the initial

order of 400 T-shirts sold out, not only to MSCAmembers, but to a broad audience.

“I knew higher ed people would want them,”Markunas said in a report to the MSCA Board. “Inever expected K-12 people to want them. Peopleeven wanted them in children’s sizes.”

The T-shirts were also a big hit on Beacon Hill,as MSCA volunteers distributed them to all senatorsand representatives. Lobbyists, attorneys, UMass fac-ulty and community college faculty (MCCC) wantedthem. They were distributed at the State DemocraticParty Convention in Lowell and the MTA AnnualMeeting in Boston.

The T-shirts “had a powerful and creative messagefor everyone who supports public higher education inthis state,” Markunas said. “Many people working to-gether made the T-shirt project a success, and I thankthem all,” Markunas added.

MTA is considering producing more T-shirts.For updated information, check the MTA website at<www.massteacher.org>.

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