Archive for month: April, 2008

NEA HIGHER EDUCATION DIRECTOR’S REPORT

NEA Director for Higher Education
Sally Pestana reported that her idea how to raise political action
contributions for NEA-PAC was well received by NEA Board members.  In turn, she has challenged the 180 NEA Directors to do the same.  She will learn more in May—the next time the NEA Board meets.

She and other UHPA Board Directors
will be attending the NEA Higher Education Conference, which is being
held this year from March 28-30 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in
Washington, DC.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

• President
  Joseph Chernisky reminded Directors that the Annual Membership meeting
  is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2008 at Leeward Community College.  Committee
  chairs have been notified that their reports to be included in the
  Annual Membership meeting packet are due on Monday, April 14.  Committee chairs were asked to update their committee binders.  Additionally,
  he emphasized that we need to practice having clear communications
  between committee chairs, members, and staff to avoid any confusion as
  to the time, place, and date of a meeting.
• A draft of a funding template was shared with Directors.  President
  Chernisky explained that to have due diligence in their fiduciary
  responsibilities, the Executive Committee would appreciate at least
  24-hours’ notice for any funding requests.  Because of the
  number of funding requests received recently and what may be
  anticipated in the future, a funding template has been created.  After it has been finalized, it will be put on UHPA’s website with guidelines.
• President
  Chernisky and Executive Director J. N. Musto met with Governor Linda
  Lingle and her Senior Policy Advisor Linda Smith on February 13
  regarding the Hawaii Higher Education Commission.  The intent of the Commission is geared more toward K-12.
• It was reported that 22 candidates have been selected for the Board of Regents.  Regents Andres Albano, Jr., Michael Dahilig, Ramon dela Pena, and Kitty Lagareta are among those selected.  To view the Regents Candidate Advisory Council selections, go to http://www.hawaii.edu/rcac/.
• It has been nearly 5 ½ years since Bargaining Unit 7 members ratified the 2003-2009 Agreement between UHPA and the UH-BOR.  The faculty contract will expire on June 30, 2009, and UHPA’s priority will be to focus on negotiating the next contract.
• President
  Chernisky expressed his appreciation to the chairs and members of the
  Collective Bargaining Committee, the Legislative/Political Action
  Committee, the Nominations and Elections Committee and to the Ad Hoc
  Committee on Special Projects.  They have all been working diligently on a multitude of things and putting in long hours.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

• Executive Director J. N. Musto reported that the P-20 Council continues to meet.  The
  P-20 Council is a partnership of the Good Beginnings Alliance, the
  State of Hawaii Department of Education, and the University of Hawaii.  Their agenda focuses on preschool through postsecondary education.  For information about the P-20 Council go to http://www.p20hawaii.org/.  UH
  faculty members, including Director Karla Hayashi, have been
  participating in the American Diploma Project that reports that today’s
  workforce requires more education and training, with many high school
  graduates not prepared for college or work.  The Board of
  Education recently approved three graduating degrees—the normal
  18-credit degree, an advanced 24-credit degree, and a more advanced
  28-credit degree that concentrates on math and sciences.  To
  achieve a specific number of students graduating by the year 2020, the
  Council has sought commitments from employers, construction/technical
  unions, and the University of Hawaii to ensure that if high school
  graduates have those earned degrees, they would be accepted if they
  applied to their programs.
• Hawaii AFL-CIO President Randy Perreira is the new Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA).  Executive Director Musto has discussed the scope of bargaining with the state on matters such as health benefits.  Of mutual interest to all public sector unions is having paid family leave including child care and care for the elderly.  The
  public sector unions will be meeting to discuss these issues and the
  best approach to achieve changes in public policies pertaining to them.
• Directors were reminded that after July 1, 1996 newly hired public employees needed to work 25 years before they received the full health insurance premiums at retirement.  Employees with 10 years vested service would receive 50% health insurance coverage.  Those
  with 15 years vested service would receive 75% health insurance
  coverage, and employees with 25 years vested service would receive 100%
  health insurance coverage.  For public employees hired after July 1, 2001, the state will only pay the health insurance premiums at retirement for the retiree and not their spouse or dependants.  The spouse or dependant coverage is still offered, but the retiree must pay the full cost.  Employees
  are qualified to retire if they are 62 years or older (55 years for
  those that remained in the old contributory system) with 10 or more
  vested years of service.  If a faculty member, even if
  they are less than 62 years old, passes away during their employment,
  his or her spouse would receive health insurance coverage based on a
  prorated payout.  If a faculty member is already retired
  and death occurs, the spouse would receive health insurance coverage
  based on the election at retirement.  Information whether or not a domestic partner would receive similar benefits was not available.  Executive Director Musto indicated he would check on the matter further.
• Associate
  Executive Director Jim Kardash provided an overview of the different
  contract matters, faculty issues, and complaints he has been
  addressing, which include the following:  ŒThe
  department/division policies for UH-Manoa, UH-Hilo, UH-West Oahu, and
  the Community Colleges received by UHPA have now been included on
  UHPA’s website under the Members Only section at http://uhpa.org/members-only/DPP.  For the past two months, many of the calls received concerned contract non-renewals.  Recently, UHPA has had more calls regarding denials of promotion or tenure cases.  ŽOver
  the last year, Kapiolani Community College’s administrators were
  attempting to implement policies that they consider to be guidelines
  regarding summer session teaching load.  The KCC administration has attempted to limit the number of courses that faculty members can teach during the Summer Session.  UHPA is filing a class grievance to deal with this issue directly.
• Associate
  Executive Director Kristeen Hanselman reported that she has had similar
  complaint cases dealing with contract non-renewals and promotion
  denials.  Many of the problems stem from administrators’
  behaviors and attitudes toward individual faculty members, and the
  administrators’ ignoring the contract or failing to understand its
  terms.  Directors highly agreed that UH administrators,
  including department chairs, need to be more knowledgeable about the
  faculty contract and recommend that UHPA work with the UH
  administration to establish training programs.
• Executive Director Musto reported that the UH Board of Regents’ monthly meeting was held at Honolulu Community College.  UHPA
  filed a class action grievance for violation of Article XXIII,
  Appointment, Duties, and Compensation for Academic Chairs, Section D,
  which indicates that the duties of academic chairs would be in a
  revised UH System Faculty Handbook.  This has deterred the Regents’ approval of the proposed change to BOR Policy 9-1a(3) regarding academic chairs.  (Note:  Since
  the time of the Board meeting, the UH System Administration has
  withdrawn the propose changes to the BOR policy and the creation of a
  new Administrative Policy concerning the duties of department chairs in
  response to UHPA’s class grievance.)

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Ming-Bao Yue reported on the fifth month (January 2008) of the UHPA fiscal year.    She
explained the various expenditures incurred for the past month that
includes attorney fees for the work done to be in compliance with the
not-for-profit corporate laws of Hawaii, outside service fees for the
design modifications of the Akala building, etc.  Directors passed a motion to receive the Treasurer’s report and to refer it to the Finance Committee.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

◘       President Chernisky reported that the Executive Committee approved two requests from the Ad Hoc Committee on Special Projects.  §Students
from Maui Community College, Leeward Community College and UH-Manoa are
planning a two-day visit with state legislators, UHPA’s lobbyist, and
UHPA leaders to experience and learn about Hawaii’s politics.  The visit is tentatively scheduled for March 13 and 14.  The Executive Committee passed a motion to approve $600 for the travel costs of five Maui Community College students.  Chair
Joshua Cooper was asked to communicate this activity with other
campuses via their student groups and suggest that funding for travel
expenditures be supported by those groups.  §The Fourth Annual Human Rights Day will be held on March 13.  The theme this year is “Human Rights: Quality of Life.”  Organizations will have their displays on the third floor of the State Capitol.  The Executive Committee passed a motion to approve $500 for tee shirts for volunteers and a banner to hang during the event.

◘       The
Executive Committee received additional information on the 2008 Hawaii
Symposium on Palestine; however, the event was already half way through
and there were still some unanswered questions.  Due to the untimely submission of the request, funding could not be considered.  The
Executive Committee also received a request from the Ad Hoc Women’s
Committee, who were participating in Women’s Rights Day by providing a
series of films that would be free to the public to view on March 8, 9,
10, and 14 at the Art Auditorium on the UH-Manoa campus.  Director Josh Cooper was instrumental in getting the films at no charge from the United Nations.  The
Women’s Committee requested funding for tee shirts for this event,
which had already begun and tee shirts still needed to be printed.  Due to the untimely submission of the request, funding could not be considered.

◘       Due
to the number of funding requests UHPA has received, a draft of a
funding request form has been created and shared with Directors.  Guidelines are still being worked on.  Directors agreed with the concept and felt it should be accessible to members via the UHPA website.

◘       Associate
Executive Director Kristeen Hanselman reported that in preparation for
Hawaii’s 2010 Constitutional Convention (Con Con), she has had meetings
and conversations with the leadership of the National Education
Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association, namely with
their new Executive Director Michael McCartney.  The three
organizations have agreed to a coalition to do a base-line political
poll to deal with the issues relating to the Con Con and to determine
how to proceed.  Each party will put $20,000 toward this poll, which will be conducted by Market Trends Pacific, Inc.  Funding from UHPA will come from the PAC Fund.  Directors
were informed that if there is a Con Con, citizens of Hawaii will be
looking at 3-4 years attached to a new governance document that could
be radical, dealing with delegate selection, etc.  Directors passed a motion recommended by the Executive Committee to
designate $20,000 from the PAC Fund to be used to survey and poll
members in preparation for Hawaii’s Constitutional Convention.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COMMITTEE

Directors received copies of UHPA’s
initial draft bargaining proposal package, including salary schedules,
for their review and input.  They were asked to send their comments/suggestions to UHPA by 2:00 p.m., Thursday, April 10.  The draft document will be placed in the Board of Directors’ folder on the UHPA website, which would enable comments from them.  UHPA Executive Director Musto reviewed each of the changes being proposed.  The Collective Bargaining Committee will meet on April 11 to finalize the draft.  At
its monthly meeting on April 12, the Board of Directors will be asked
to approve the bargaining proposal for submission to the State’s Chief
Negotiator, the Board of Regents, and UH President David McClain.  On
Monday, April 14, UHPA Executive Director J. N. Musto will send a
formal letter to the employer, demanding that bargaining begin.  Directors
gave a round of applause to show their appreciation to UHPA Executive
Director Musto, Chair Karla Hayashi and members of the Collective
Bargaining Committee for their hard work and dedication in putting this
proposal together.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

In the absence of Chair Richard
Nettell, Associate Executive Director Hanselman reported that in the
interest of accruing funds for Con Con, the Legislative/Political
Action Committee agreed not to contribute the maximum amount allotted
political candidates in this second round of endorsements.  The recommended candidates will be posted on the website and may be viewed at http://uhpa.org/members-only/committees/legislative-political-action/uhpa-political-endorsements-for-march-2008/.  Directors passed the motion to approve the list of political endorsements and allowable contributions subject to the membership’s concurrence.  It
should be noted that UHPA members who objected to have $5 from their
statutory dues go toward the Political Action Fund will not have access
or be able to participate in this process.

The House has
approved HB2521 HD2 which provides funding for UH
maintenance and repairs from 2008 to 2014.  It has crossed over to the Senate.  Faculty members will be asked to submit
photos to UHPA of UH campus buildings in dire need of repair that can be shared
with legislators to support passage of this bill.  Photos will also be placed on UHPA’s website
and may be viewed at http://www.uhpa.org/legislature/photos-march-2008/

NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

Chair Adrienne Valdez reported on the activities of the Nominations and Elections Committee.

• Since UHPA needs
  about 300 proxies to meet the quorum requirements in order to take a
  vote on the Amended Articles and Amended By-Laws at the Annual
  Membership meeting on April 25, a plea was made for Directors and
  Faculty Representatives to contact their constituencies to turn those
  proxy forms into UHPA.  Even if members plan to attend the
  Annual Membership meeting, it is recommended that they submit their
  proxy forms, which can be taken back on April 25 if they wish to change
  their vote and attend in person.

• The biographical
  information and personal statements of candidates running for the 2008
  UHPA Board of Directors’ election have been received and may be viewed
  at http://uhpa.org/members-only/2008-uhpa-board-of-directors-election/.  Only one-third of the UHPA Board of Directors is elected annually.  Active UHPA members in those constituencies have been sent written ballots.  The deadline for Board election ballots to be received at the UHPA office is 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 4, 2008.

• During the week
  of March 17, all active UHPA members will be notified by email that
  nominations will be accepted for UHPA delegates to the 2008 NEA
  Representative Assembly (NEA-RA) meeting.  The NEA-RA is the annual meeting of the primary governance and policy-making body of the National Education Association.  This year, the NEA-RA will be held at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC from July 1 through July 6.  Delegates
  who currently serve as a Board of Director, a Faculty Representative,
  or as a committee member are allotted reimbursement of expenditures up
  to $800.  The deadline for nominations to be received at the UHPA office is 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

• Nominations for the election of Faculty Representatives will open shortly.  The entire election process will be conducted electronically.  It is anticipated that we may have 67 Faculty Rep positions up for election.

• The election of
  officers and at-large Executive Committee members will take place at
  the UHPA Board of Directors’ May 10 monthly meeting.  Since UHPA President Joseph Chernisky is serving a two-year term, there will not be an election for the Office of President.  Current Directors are eligible to vote in this election.

• Due to the
  resignation of Mari Nakamura, Faculty Representative for Primary
  Academic Unit (PAU) 124, Directors unanimously passed a motion to approve the appointment of Professor Mary Bass-Segura, Windward Community College, as the Faculty Representative for Primary Academic Unit 124 effective immediately.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Hawaii CC Director John Cole recently underwent surgery and is recuperating at home.  Directors requested that their get well wishes be conveyed to Director Cole for a speedy recovery.