Membership Update

Dear APA Members,

First, my sincere appreciation to those of you who have reached out to me directly – concerning your written or verbal communication with the Senators and Representatives in your home districts.  Your feedback has corroborated much of the information that we have been receiving.

Our collective effort to accurately inform Legislators and Governor Baker’s Administration with pertinent information about this untenable situation has been understood by the right people.  Senators and Representatives across the State, including many who serve on the Joint Committee on Higher Education, have responded and have offered support.
Continue reading “Membership Update”

Quick Update

Hi Everyone;
This is an update for the Board, but feel free to share if anyone is asking you about what has happened since Friday.

We WILL be meeting in Boston at the MTA office – Ashburton Place – at 10:00 am on September 21.  Katie will follow up with instructions.

Several of us communicated with local reps (I got email and calls from a few reps outside of my District and had several conversations)
Continue reading “Quick Update”

Contract Update Letter

Dear APA Members,

By now you are fully aware that the funding for 2017-2020 APA Agreement is stalled at the Massachusetts Office of Employee Relations (OER). The APA contract was delivered to OER, approved by DHE Commissioner Santiago, on August 8, 2018. Delivery of the letter of agreement from the DHE to the Governor’s administrators starts the countdown of 45 days in which the contract can be approved and forwarded to the Legislature for funding. Our Executive Board has been told that the OER will not recommend funding this Agreement. Continue reading “Contract Update Letter”

APA Agreement Update

Dear APA Members:

Today the Board of Higher Education informed the APA that the 2017-2020 APA agreement, which was ratified by the Association on May 10th, has been deemed by the Office of Employee Relations (OER) to exceed the financial parameters provided by the Governor for bargaining.  As you may recall, the Governor authorized the Board of Higher Education to settle contracts with raises equal to 2% per year. OER has informed the Board of Higher Ed that, in their view, the APA Agreement exceeds these parameters because, in addition to the 2% per year raises, the contract includes additional cost items such as an increase in the clothing allowance for University Police Officers and an increase in the Cruise stipends for the Mass Maritime Academy.  These stipends have always (historically) been addressed outside of the financial parameters offered by Administration.

What does this mean? Continue reading “APA Agreement Update”

Facebook