Meeting: Berklee Faculty Union Executive Committee

Date: May 28, 2020 at 1:00p, via teleconference

In Attendance: Will Silvio, David Scott, Andrew Shryock, Elizabeth Seitz, Wendy Rolfe, Prince Charles Alexander, Michael Abraham, Dennis Cecere, Marti Epstein, Paul Masters, Denise Pons- Leone, Utar Artun, Alicia Bower, Michael Johnson, Stephanie Reich, Vanessa Morris, Mike Scott, Rebecca Cline

Call to order 1:03p.

1. Minutes

MOTION: “To approve minutes of Union Executive Committee meetings on May 14 and May 22, 2020.” (PONS-LEONE)

SECOND: MASTERS

VOTE: unanimous approval, motion carries

2. Equity Subcommittee Summary

SHRYOCK summarized work of Equity Subcommittee in Spring 2020, including preliminary research on pay equity with respect to gender. BOWER summarized limits of data. CLINE summarized pleasant surprise at outcomes suggesting limited inequity. EPSTEIN referenced past study, which found disparity for women of color. BOWER identified potential next steps.

3. Spring 2020 Meeting on Sexual Misconduct with Student Government Association

EPSTEIN and SEITZ reported on a meeting (in March) with Christa Duggan, incoming president of Student Government Association, to discuss responses to sexual misconduct, including

a) mandatory training for all members of the community,

b) transparency of process undertaken by equity office, and

c) code of conduct and reporting procedure published on dept. websites and syllabi.

4. Discussions with Administration re Union Response to Covid-19

SILVIO summarized ongoing discussion with College, including Union’s most recent proposal. In response to Union proposal, College counterproposal included an option to trigger contract negotiations in 2021, which might include efforts to weaken faculty protections in order to increase staffing and scheduling flexibility . Union intends to respond with an option that triggers negotiation on wages alone. Discussion followed.

MOTION: “Union will offer a reopener limited to wages in response to College counterproposal of May 26, 2020.” (PONS-LEONE)

SECOND: SEITZ

VOTE: unanimous approval, motion carries

5. Amendment to By-Laws, Contract Ratification

SHRYOCK summarized need to amend by-laws in order to clarify contract ratification process, which is ambiguous in its current form. Desire to enable online voting motivated current language, but restricting online voting to American Arbitration Association is onerous, expensive, and unnecessary. State law regulating corporations, including the Union, already allows General Meetings and ratification votes to occur via telephone or teleconference.

MOTION: “Amend by-laws to strike from Article 18 - Ratification, ‘In the Fall of 2018, to include more members in the process, we are incorporating an online vote through the American Arbitration Association.” (SHRYOCK)

SECOND: JOHNSON

VOTE: unanimous approval, motion carries

Meeting adjourned 2:31p.