MSU Administrative Professional Association

by Membership Chair, Kandy Slack

On Wednesday, March 4, MSU APA hosted “A Night at the Museum”. The event provided an opportunity for members to bring their families out for a fun filled evening of exploring one of our local treasures right here on campus, The MSU Museum. More than 200 people participated in the adventure which included exhibits such as “Science on a Sphere”, “Finding Our Voice: Sister Survivors Speak” and “Habitat Hall” plus a scavenger hunt.

Employees who are grade level AP 08 through 11 are eligible for overtime at the rate of time and one-half for scheduled hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a work week. Compensatory time at the same rate may be used where mutually agreed to by the Employee and the Unit Administrator. If a department indicates they cannot pay the overtime money and can only give the employee comp time, this is inaccurate. The default is an employee is entitled to the cash payment, but if the employee would prefer the comp time and their unit administrator agrees, then comp time should be entered into EBS.

An employee cannot enter their own comp time in EBS; it must be done by the supervisor. It is important that the comp time gets entered into EBS and not kept on a “spreadsheet in the department”, because in the event a supervisor leaves, the incoming supervisor may be unaware that an employee has comp time on the books if it is not entered into the EBS system which is the official time and attendance system for the university.

Unit administrators or designees are responsible for the approval of overtime prior to the performance of work. Approval means time worked as directed by the Employee’s supervisor and does not include casual or unscheduled time spent at work beyond the normal workday or work week.

Per Article 18 of the APA contract, Employees at grade level AP 12 and above are not eligible for overtime pay. However, where unusual staffing and work requirements exist, the unit administrator may approve compensatory time off equal to the number of overtime hours worked.

For employees who are unsure what their grade level is:

· Log onto EBS

· Click on the Personal Profile tile

· Under “Salary Data”, look at the numbers which appear to the right of Pay scale level and this will be your grade level.

Please note that in health care delivery facilities where bi-weekly work schedules of eighty (80) hours are maintained, overtime pay or compensatory time off will be given for any overtime eligible employees scheduled for hours worked in excess of eighty (80) hours in a bi-weekly period.

by Tonya Jamison

Dear Members,

I hope all is well with you and your family and friends! COVID-19 is impacting us all. For some, it has meant (re)learning how the legislative system works, understanding what powers the state governors have versus the President of the United States. Plus learning new terms like “Executive Orders” and their impact on your own life and those around you.

As the APA legislative chair, I wanted to provide you with some helpful COVID-19 links during these times, but before I do that, I would like to provide a link to something to keep you uplifted.

The GoodHousekeeping site is a place to go when you need a positive word.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/g2401/inspirational-quotes/

Make sure you are checking https://msu.edu/ for updates as this website is a great resource to keep you informed during these ever-evolving times.

Some other recommended sites are:

1. The John Hopkins site is the most comprehensive site for Coronavirus worldwide. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

2. The CDC (COVID-19) site has information and ways to minimize the spread of virus. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

3. State of Michigan COVID-19 site. https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus which also provides quick links to K-12 school meal pick up sites, updates from MDHHS and news releases from the Executive Office of the Governor for the State of Michigan.

Be well, be kind, and maintain a distance of six feet from others.

Have a great day!

At the February APA Board Meeting, Pat Hampton was elected to fill the vacant Vice President seat after Martin McDonough was voted to take over the President/Chairperson position following Maury Koffman’s departure.

Pat has served on the APA Board since 2014, but in case some of you do not know her already, we asked her to tell us a little about herself and what she brings to the APA in her new role. See her introduction note below.

“I have worked for Michigan State University for over 30 years in various positions and roles, from Manager/Supervisor to Personnel Development, Training and Development, and Management Analyst. I have been part of a union since I started working for MSU. I care about the APA and the rights available to APA members, and I genuinely care about people and what is important to them. As an APA member I have gotten to know member needs and expectations, and most importantly, member concerns. As an involved APA Representative, I gathered Right to Work petitions, participated in successful APA coat drives and outreach programs such as voter registration, and advocated to meet member needs.

As the new APA Vice President some of my roles and responsibilities will include:

· Coaching and Training of Area Representatives (ARs)

· Area Representatives (ARs) Recruitment

· Assist in Member Recruitment

· Assist in Member Engagement

· Assist in Creating and Organizing More You Know Training Sessions

I am looking forward to making a difference by taking the APA to the next level in these challenging times. I will advocate for the hard-earned rights available to APA members at MSU, and you will be able to count on me to do all I can to contribute to the continuing success of the APA.”

In solidarity,

Pat Hampton

It is at moments such as these that we understand why we are a union. Due to consequences of the global pandemic, the University recently announced a bleak long-term outlook. There were hints at the chances that staffing changes may be one of the options used to address the forecasted challenges. Prior to that public announcement, your APA had already been at the front line, in talks with the University. Your APA successfully pushed back on proposed ideas which would have removed several of your existing contractual rights and protections. The situation has highlighted a need for additional language in our bargaining agreement regarding potential furloughs, as furlough language is not addressed in our current contract. Your APA has proposed conceptual language for a Letter of Agreement to the University to help clarify the situation. We continue to be that fortress wall, advocating for your protection. The key strength at those discussions is your shared perspectives, and it was your voice that said, sacrifice of our previously bargained rights and protections is not how we build bridges to a brighter future for all of us.

We all understand and feel the pressure as we hope for a quick solution to a short-term problem, but good decisions are not made in haste and especially during a crisis. It is too soon to tell whether this will indeed be a short-term problem or whether it will span a longer duration. Your APA will not gamble with your livelihood by rolling the dice and agreeing to a solution that does not consider both possibilities. Your APA drives to keep our families secure. Imagine a bridge being built over a chasm. Those who wish to pass safely have a mutual interest in working together. How we build that bridge, as a team is important to the whole team. We welcome the chance to continue dialogue with the University as this path forward is developed with the goal being for everyone to arrive at our brighter future with as few bumps and scrapes as possible.

Pandemics and University business decisions, as a combination, can be formidable. We have been sending you notes of encouragement and support as the uncertainty of these days permeates every part of our lives. We already are learning to deal with the changes in our work. And honestly that never quits changing. Where we do need to focus is on our long-term self-care. If you need a day to de-stress, take it (following the terms of the contract, of course). Don’t delay when helping yourselves. The work-life balance is more important than ever in these stressful times.

Please be sure to check-in on each other. Keep letting your APA leadership know how you are doing and by all means share your perspectives. Be safe.

In solidarity,

Martin

Congratulations to the last newsletter winner, Nancy Blomfield of University Services, who correctly answered that it was true that an employee can review their personnel file at Nisbet to see what a hiring manager would be allowed to see about them.   

This month’s question is:  Name the building on main campus where you can find a 12–foot polar bear? 

Email your answer by February 17, 2020 to [email protected].  Limit of one guess per person.  One member who correctly answers will be randomly drawn to win a prize and the winner will be announced in a future newsletter.  Must be an APA member in good standing to win; however, APA Board Members, Area Representatives and Communications Committee Members are not eligible to win. 

 

Periodically APA hosts community lunches for neighboring buildings on campus where members can get updates on APA issues. It also provides a chance for members to bring forth topics for discussion.  These informational sessions are a means to generate some additional two-way communication over a light lunch so that your union leaders are aware of issues and concerns from out in the individual units.   

These lunches are typically hosted by one of the APA Area Representatives, a Board Member or Kandy Slack, the APA Membership Chairperson.  These lunch meetings rotate around campus depending on the availability and willingness of someone to host the meeting.  If you work in an area of campus that has not hosted a community lunch in a while and you would be willing to help reserve a meeting room, please contact Kandy Slack at [email protected] and she can assist with the logistics.   

Have you ever wondered why you may have been invited to one of these events in a building not even near where you work?  This could be that your department has your campus work address listed incorrectly in SAP.  Go into MSU people search and if the work address and phone number that is listed for you is not correct, you will need to contact your departmental HR representative to have that updated as you cannot edit that yourself.