The Unity Negotiations Team met with Joe Rossi and Karen Beckman for the Board 12:30 April 4, 2006 in the Board Room. In attendance were Marsha Patrick, Jim Usilton, Phil Cragg, Michelle Bevan, Heather Peterson, Nick Ganaway, Dennis Huey, and Will Parsons.

Marsha presented the proposed changes in the Culinary Faculty’s working conditions. Some of the proposed changes include better job security, better benefits, and an increase in salary comparable to that of the other bargaining units. After the Culinary proposal, Joe said they needed more time to respond. Just before he and Karen left, however, he made a two-minute doom-and-gloom speech in an attempt to soften up the Team before he presents some proposed major changes in the Culinary working condition.

Right now, the process is very slow with one side making a proposal and then two weeks later the other side responding. It should speed up soon with more give and take. The next negotiations session will be April 7 with the Faculty Unit up at bat. Will Parsons, Unity Negotiation Team Coordinator

The annual Higher Ed over-night conference was March 31 to April 1 (Friday/Saturday) at the Princeton Hyatt Regency Hotel. Representing the ACCCEA were Mitch and Gail Michlich, Alice Rainey, Yechiel Lehavy, Michelle Bevan, John Stratton, Phil Cragg, and Will Parsons. There were ten different workshops on topics like “OPRA – Open Pubic Records act”, “Health and Safety –Hazard Awareness”, “Association Obligation to Nonmembers”, and “Grievance and Contract Enforcement”.

Lorraine Tesauro, a mediator from the NJ Public Employment Relations Committee (PERC) was the keynote speaker Friday night. She stated some recent changes in the NJ mediation process. She also explained her role as a mediator. When one or both of the parties asks for a mediator, PERC assigns one. Lorraine first determines what the road-blocks are to settlement. Sometimes the roadblocks are issues and sometimes they are personalities. She then works toward getting a settlement.

Over the years we have gone to PERC for mediations about four times. Each time we were able to reach settlement after one or two sessions with the mediator. The chances of getting a decent settlement are better earlier rather than later in the process.

After that we headed for the desert bar, socialized, and networked. Later some people headed for the Comedy Club. I, however, was the designated “Old Fart” and went to bed.

I attended my first workshop in 1972 when Tom Boghosian was president of the “Faculty Organization”. That was before we joined NJEA/NEA. He signed me up for a workshop in Atlantic City on “Contract Enforcement”. I probably have gone to a thousand workshops. Each time I learn something. The workshops often involve group dynamics that also apply to the family, Scouts, classroom, and church. And it has been free. Will Parsons, Coordinator for the Unity Negotiations Team

On March 24 and 25, twenty ACCCEA members participated in the Atlantic County Education Association overnight at the Hilton in Atlantic City. It was a chance to network with the County people, to meet the new NJEA government relations representative from South Jersey, to eat surf and turf, and to have a good time.

On Saturday, Chris Berzinski, NJEA Higher Ed, lead a four hour mock negotiations workshop for the ACCC members. First Chris divided us into split up into management and labor. Then we had meeting, proposals, caucuses, and counter proposals. Some of us thought we were headed for a stalemate, but I thought that we would have reached a settlement if we had more time.

Jim Usilton was the labor spokesperson and did a great job as did Clair Farnum for management. The management team had decided that people other than the spokesperson could speak, so no one was surprised when Penny who was on the management team jumped in attacking Jim. Fortunately no blood was shed. Chris said it was the most realistic mock negotiations he had ever observed.

ACCCOSAP presented their proposed contract changes on March 21st. The Board representatives, Joe Rossi and Karen Beckman respond back the same day. Those present form the Unity Negotiations Team were: Nick Ganaway, Heather Peterson, Marsha Patrick, Penny Wells, Michelle Bevan, John Stratton, Jim Taggart, Dennis Huey, Will Parsons and, of course,. Dominic Nigro our NJEA Higher Ed Spokesperson.