Advocate Online
On the Road
with Valerie Wilk
This spring I paid my first visit to Minnesota State CollegeFaculty (MSCF), an affiliate of Education Minnesota , the NEA, and the American Federation of Teachers. MSCF is a statewide local, representing all technical and community college faculty in Minnesota—some 4,000 members in the state’s 30 two-year colleges.
My timing couldn’t have been better because I got to see the union in action. MSCF President Larry Oveson and Treasurer Greg Mulcahy invited me to sit in on a morning meeting of the union bargaining team.
I listened as these two leaders and other MSCF bargainers prepared for the 2005–07 contract negotiations between MSCF and the employer, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, that would begin that afternoon.
That session was a reminder of a fundamental lesson for all union members: Know your contract. It was impressive to hear the MSCF team discuss elements of their contract with such knowledge and thoroughness, and to learn about their priorities and strategies to improve their existing, already strong contract.
I was struck by the challenges to craft an omnibus contract for all two-year faculty. It was humbling to think of all the negotiating team members over the years giving service to their union to improve faculty working conditions and the profession, and to promote a quality education for their students.
In the afternoon negotiating session, Greg Mulcahy walked the employer team through the sections of the contract where MSCF would be making proposals.
Next time it will be management’s turn to outline its bargaining priorities. And then the work at the table really begins.
— Valerie Wilk coordinates NEA higher ed activities |
