Date/Time: Friday, April 21, 2023 at 9:00am

Location: Zoom Room

Present

APA Statewide

• Seth Bean, President
• Susan McNeil, Vice President
• Mark Powers, Secretary
• Aaron Childs, Membership Coordinator (Non-voting)

APA Chapter Presidents

• Seth Bean, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
• Jenna Shales, Bridgewater State University
• Brian Cahillane, Westfield State University
• Jane Decatur, Framingham State University
• Rebecca Shersnow, Fitchburg State President
• Susan McNeil, Massachusetts College of Art & Design
• Rosa Taormina, Salem State University
• Edward Vacha, Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Guests

• Andrew Lamarche, Fitchburg State University

Absent

APA Statewide

• Maria Brunelle, Treasurer (Non-Voting)
• Gerol Petruzella, Web Manager (Non-voting)
• Roberta James, MTA Field Representative (Non-voting)
• Catherine Santiago, MTA Field Representative (Non-voting)

APA Chapter Presidents

• Peter Fenuccio, Worcester State University

Call to Order

• 9:07 am

Approval of Minutes

• Per agreement of the Executive Board, the Minutes of the March 17, 2023 Executive Board Meeting were approved as amended electronically on March 24, 2023.

Public Comments

• Andrew Lamarche, APA lieutenant at Fitchburg State University (Alamarc2@fitchburgstate.edu) Police Reform Act subjects all Higher Education University Police to the same standards as Municipal or State Police. But are not afforded the same benefits.
  • Issue 1: Injured on Duty – only afforded 60% pay rather than 100% pay that Municipal/State Police received.
  • Issue 2: Retirement Age and the 80% – Higher Education University Police have a much higher age than those afforded to the Municipal Police.
  • In both cases, these are benefits the Commonwealth allows for all municipal and state police officers but is not extended to state employees within the public university system)

President’s Report – Seth Bean

1. Results Analysis of Membership Survey Regarding Contract Items to be considered for Negotiations Approximately 300 Respondents. Interesting comments and suggestions in the written responses.
2. Email & Memorandum from Elizabeth Sullivan of Rubin & Rudman regarding a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Meeting occurred Friday, April 21, 2023 at 9:00am via Zoom.
3. Status of the One-year Collective Bargaining Contract being considered by the Governor & Department of Higher Education (DHE). The $500 based on FTE to be added on the individual employee’s base pay.
4. Initial Bargaining Session with DHE set for April 26, 2023 at 11:00am via Zoom. Typically, this first meeting is to agree on the ‘Ground Rules’ as well as setting the dates and times for the actual meetings where Bargaining Proposals are introduced and discussed. In-person meeting on May 8, 2023 from 10:00am to 4:00pm
5. Reminder: APA Delegates for MTA Annual Meeting April 28-29, 2023 @ MassMutual Center, Springfield MA – 25 Delegates spots are available for Dues Paying Members only.

APA Delegates for MTA Annual Meeting April 28-29, 2023 @ MassMutual Center, Springfield MA – 25 Delegates spots are available for Dues Paying Members only. 

• https://massteacher.org/about-the-mta/committees/bylaws-and-rules-committee

Attending In-Person:

• Seth Bean, President 
• Susan McNeil, Vice President 
• Rosa Taormina, Salem State University 

Attending Remotely:

• Mark Powers, Secretary 
• Jenna Shales, Bridgewater State University 
• Brian Cahillane, Westfield State University 
• Peter Fenuccio, Worcester State University 
• Gretchen Mayhew for Rebecca Shersnow, Fitchburg State President 
• Edward Vacha, Massachusetts Maritime Academy 

Not Attending:

• Jane Decatur, Framingham State University 
• Aaron Childs, Membership Coordinator (Non-voting) 
• Gerol Petruzella, Web Manager (Non-voting) 

Treasurer’s Report – Maria Brunelle

1. Payroll due on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 by 12:00pm.
2. Approval of March 2023 Treasurer’s Report
   • Amendments: None
   • Motion to approve treasurer report as presented/amended made:
     • by: S. McNeil 2nd by: S. Bean
     • Vote: Unanimous Action: Motion Carries

Membership and Data – Aaron Childs

1. 1392 Overall Membership since March 2023. An Increase of 21.
2. 209 Non-Dues Paying Member. An Increase of 13 since March 2023.
3. Still working on cleaning up membership rosters.

Website – Gerol Petruzella

1. 1 March – 31 March 2023
   1. Website Overview – Users
      • During March 2023, maapa.org saw decreases in users and sessions, relative to February 2022 (Figure 1). The most popular days/times for users to visit the site were Fridays between 8a and 10a ET, and Thursdays between 2p and 4p ET (Figure 2).
   2. Website Overview – Traffic
      • Traffic to maapa.org was predominantly direct traffic or the result of a Google search (Figure 3). The top 10 most visited pages are indicated (Figure 4). 
   3. Website Overview – Other
      • I performed content updates on the site including:
        1. I performed content updates on the site including: 
           • Updated meeting minutes. 
           • Prepared maapa.org for re-launch. 
           • Prepared switchover from Universal to Analytics 4 service. 
        2. B. Prepared the WordPress site for site switchover/relaunch on 1-April, including content review, domain name services work (with thanks to Aaron for support), site ownership transfer (with thanks to Maria), and communication with hosting vendor Pantheon. I prepared the site for launch with the Google Analytics 4 service, sunsetting the Universal Analytics service ahead of Google’s 21-July deadline. Note: Analytics graphs in future web manager reports may look different because of the new product. I anticipate monitoring site behavior and traffic closely throughout April for issues, and invite all board members to convey to me any issues reported to them by members.

Health and Welfare Fund Report – Susan McNeil

1. Next meeting to take place April 26th.
2. MTA is getting involved to facilitate possible changes to the H&W Trust Fund benefits.

Committee Reports

1. Budget Committee – Rosa Taormina & Seth Bean
2. Employee Relations Working Group – Vincent Pedone on behalf of the Council of Presidents (CoP) wants to have this working group active again prior to Negotiations.
3. Professional Development – Edward Vacha
4. Special Committees:
   • Committee on Legislative Action – Susan McNeil, Seth Bean, & Sherry Horeanopoulos
   • Committee on Health & Safety – Renee Bernier & Susan McNeil
   • Negotiations – Contract Committee
   • Employee Relations Committee – Brian Cahillane, Jane Decatur, & Rosa Taormina

Old/New Business

1. FAQ of the Month for the Website for May
   Summary of MTA Annual Meeting and the votes 
2. APA Unit members of University Police Lieutenants – Asking for support regarding to bills that will be introduced this year (R.Shersnow).
   • First bill – to allow University Police Lieutenants to receive 100% pay when receiving workman’s compensation.
   • Second bill – to allow University Police Lieutenants be eligible for an earlier retirement age.

Institutional Issues

Announcements

• None

Adjournment

1. Motion to Adjourn made at 1:15pm
   • by: B. Cahillane
   • 2nd by: S. McNeil
   • Vote: Unanimous
   • Action: Motion Carries

APA Meeting Schedule 2022-2023:

• APA Executive Board | 10:00am | Friday, September 16, 2022 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 10:00am | Friday, October 21, 2022 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 10:00am | Friday, November 18, 2022 | Hybrid | Zoom/TBD
• Annual Statewide Membership | 12:00am | Friday, November 18, 2022 | Hybrid | Zoom/TBD
• APA Executive Board | 10:00am | Friday, December 16, 2022 | In-Person | TBD
• APA Executive Board | 9:00am | Friday, January 20, 2023 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 9:00am | Friday, February 17, 2023 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 9:00am | Friday, March 17, 2023 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 9:00am | Friday, April 21, 2023 | Virtual | Zoom
• APA Executive Board | 10:00am | Friday, June 16, 2023 | In-Person | Mass Maritime Academy

Topics for next round of negotiations:

• Salary Compression
• Wage/Salary Equity
• Longevity
• Workload
• Sick Bank Leave Committee Language
• Bi-Annual Review and HR’s responsibility