Berklee Faculty News
On Monday, June 6, the Berklee Faculty Union met with Berklee management to begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The union team consisted of eight people; the management team numbered a robust twenty-two. The union team had dressed for a business meeting; management’s team appeared to be dressed for a softball game.
At Berklee and Boston Conservatory we are teachers, we are artists, we are scholars, we are mentors- but today is Labor Day and we remember that we are also workers.
They are saying that this is going to be the biggest incoming student class Berklee has ever had. We are lucky to have a bunch of new colleagues joining the faculty…
On a misty morning in April, 1986, we let out a roar that could be heard throughout the Back Bay. Then, we began to move, one hundred and fifty faculty and nearly a thousand students strong. Dampness chilled to the marrow, but determination kept us warm.
So many Berklee faculty members are rising to the challenge of on-line teaching and the challenge of teaching in person with 6 to 15 foot physical distancing. It has meant a lot of rethinking and reshaping our curriculum, more prep time, and creative problem solving.
Happy fall! One of the great joys of working at Berklee is interacting with our colleagues. With this semester being remote, we aren't bumping into each other on the sidewalk or in the hall.
News Archive
On Monday, June 6, the Berklee Faculty Union met with Berklee management to begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The union team consisted of eight people; the management team numbered a robust twenty-two. The union team had dressed for a business meeting; management’s team appeared to be dressed for a softball game.
At Berklee and Boston Conservatory we are teachers, we are artists, we are scholars, we are mentors- but today is Labor Day and we remember that we are also workers.
They are saying that this is going to be the biggest incoming student class Berklee has ever had. We are lucky to have a bunch of new colleagues joining the faculty…
On a misty morning in April, 1986, we let out a roar that could be heard throughout the Back Bay. Then, we began to move, one hundred and fifty faculty and nearly a thousand students strong. Dampness chilled to the marrow, but determination kept us warm.
So many Berklee faculty members are rising to the challenge of on-line teaching and the challenge of teaching in person with 6 to 15 foot physical distancing. It has meant a lot of rethinking and reshaping our curriculum, more prep time, and creative problem solving.
Happy fall! One of the great joys of working at Berklee is interacting with our colleagues. With this semester being remote, we aren't bumping into each other on the sidewalk or in the hall.
Little did we know last year the massive changes to come. But we have learned a few things.
In case you missed it, over the summer, Union members voted overwhelmingly to ratify an amendment to (and extension of) the collective bargaining agreement.
Am I eligibile for state and federal unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic? How do I apply?
Do you know what constitutes a grievance at work? Do you know what to do if you think you have a grievance?
Find out in the new video from the Berklee Faculty Union.
What is the law regarding work created by college teachers?
The union has created two short animated videos to help you understand the legal issues.
Last Monday was the Greater Boston Labor Council (GBLC) annual Labor Day Breakfast. The GBLC is an organization that brings together different unions from across the Boston area to support each other. It is made up of teachers, nurses, carpenters, electricians, service workers…
There are different sources of union power, not only bargaining and enforcing a contract but also the power of an active membership that is engaged with management and the broader community
Every year, the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions organizes a conference on collective bargaining in higher education. Notably, conference participants include representatives of “both sides,” academic labor and administration. This year marked the forty-sixth conference. It was my first.
The National Center for Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions holds an annual conference convening hundreds of higher education administrators, union representatives, faculty, scholars, graduate students, and attorneys.
Your Berklee Faculty Union contingent was David Scott (Councilor-at-large), Will Silvio (assistant to the President), Stephanie Reich (Councilor-at-large), Andrew Shryock (Councilor-at-large), and Danny Harrington (Executive Vice President).
Disability Services emails you a notification about a student. Your department chair requests your input on a spreadsheet. Both contacted you through your “Berklee” email — hosted by Google, and you must view those documents on GoogleDrive.
Last Thursday, the Union Executive Committee concluded four consecutive weeks of Union-initiated discussion with College administration on topics related to barriers to student success at Berklee. The Union requested these meetings because many faculty report that their students have needs in the areas of access and support. Specific topics included universal access to physical facilities (Jan. 31), learning support programs (Feb. 7), psychological support programs (Feb. 14), and the Early Alert system (Feb. 21). The image that emerges reveals sustained and substantive investment of physical, financial, and human resources. Yet challenges persist. Hiccups, too.
On January 28, representatives of Berklee Faculty Union leadership met with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. Senior administrators of the College and Conservatory were also in attendance. The two groups met several years ago, and since that time, the Union has sought to establish an ongoing dialogue, in order to share faculty perspective on long-term planning and institutional strategy at Berklee.
Have you visited the Berklee Counseling Center and Health and Wellness Center recently, at 54 and 32 The Fenway? Did you notice that they are not Universally Accessible? The Berklee Faculty Union will be meeting on Thursday with the administration to present our concerns about this situation, and to discuss when the College will make these important offices fully accessible to all. We will be expressing how passionately we feel about this, and that we hope to work together with the College to find solutions.
The union met with management Monday afternoon for another fruitless session.