MSU Administrative Professional Association

Per Article VII of the APA Constitution and Bylaws, the APA must begin preparations to negotiate a successor agreement by appointing the Negotiations Committee in January of the year our current contract is set to expire.  

An initial solicitation for anyone interested in serving on the committee was included in the January/February APA Newsletter and those who responded were appointed to the committee by the APA Executive Board. The committee is a cross-section of more than 30 APA members who work in varied classifications and departments and come to the committee with different interests and years of service at MSU.

As you likely recall, the APA negotiated and ratified our current wage and health care agreement, which is in effect through 2020 – 2021, that ensures wage increases each year as well as fully funded health care for the base plan (BCN).  A reminder that this October 2019, all APA members will be eligible for a 2.75% base wage increase. Therefore, the topics of base wage and health care will not be open for negotiation in the APA contract bargaining cycle this year.

The APA anticipates negotiations with MSU to begin in late summer.  Prior to that time, the APA will be engaging members and soliciting input for bargaining through surveys, feedback forums, and email.  Ultimately, any tentative agreement reached at the bargaining table must be ratified by a vote of all APA dues paying members.

Be sure to watch for official APA ListServ messages regarding contract input surveys and open meeting dates prior to and during the 2019 bargaining cycle. If you have questions, please feel free to email [email protected] or contact the APA office at 517.999.4004.

We invite APA members who are new (or not so new) to MSU or the Greater Lansing area to feel more included in the community by attending the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau’s (GLCVB) 24th annual “Be a Tourist In Your Own Town” event on Saturday, June 1 from 10:00am-5:00pm.  The APA is tagging onto an existing showcase event designed to create awareness of campus and local attractions.  Members would have over 90 attractions to choose from which in the past have ranged from kid-friendly like Potter Park Zoo and Impression 5 Science Center to others geared more towards adults, with breweries and various museums.

The APA will make available 200 passports for the event free of charge for members.  APA members in good standing can order up to 2. If members need additional passports they can purchase for $1 each directly from one of the passport selling locations.  http://www.lansing.org/events/be-a-tourist/.

This unique event brings together 15,000 residents and visitors who come out to enjoy the day, to explore and discover what makes Greater Lansing so great. This passport allows attendees into all the participating area attractions, hot spots and one-of-a-kind tours throughout the region for free on the day of the event. The list of participating attractions is still being developed by the GLCVB so check their website for further updates http://www.lansing.org/events/be-a-tourist/.

To order APA Passports (maximum of 2):

Last day to order passports is May 1.  

Passports will be available on a first-come-first service basis or until we are sold out.

Passports will be available for pick-up in person by the APA member (bring photo ID) during the following times only:

• May 21 at the APA Board Meeting 2:00-4:00pm
• May 21 at the APA Picnic, 4:30-7:00pm, Patriarche Park, 960 Alton, East Lansing 48823
• May 29th noon-1pm on the benches across from the Athletic Ticket Office in 1855 Place, 550 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing
• May 30th 7:30am-8:00am on benches across from the Athletic Ticket Office in 1855 Place, 550 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing

The day of the event, June 1st, we plan to have a “meet up” point for APA members at a designated time and location to do a photo opportunity.  More details to follow.

This month’s question: The building in Flint where the MSU College of Human Medicine Building is located, used to house what former business?  

For a bonus entry, name the year-round shopping building that shares part of the parking lot with CHM-Flint?

Email your answer to Sue Brandt at [email protected] by April 12, 2019.  Limit of one guess per person.  Two members who correctly answer will be randomly drawn to win various prizes.  Winners will be announced in the next 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.

Congratulations to the last newsletter winners: Katie VanDyk and Jody Knol who won MSU Hockey tickets and specialty cookies from MSU Bakers.

They were drawn at random from those who correctly answered one of the following:

“How many hours of sick leave does a full-time APA member accrue annually?” 104. We accrue 4 hours every 2 weeks.

“How many of those hours can be used annually for a dependent child/parent/spouse/Other Eligible Individual?” 24 hours can be used for a member of the immediate family or member of the employee’s household, plus 56 hours for the care of a dependent child/parents/spouse or Other Eligible Individual.

May 21 4:30pm-7:00pm

MSU-Administrative Professional Association members and their families are invited to our annual picnic at Patriarche Park, 960 Alton in East Lansing. Join us under the pavilion where picnic food, drinks and tableware will be provided. Kid-friendly games and activities will be available.

This event provides a chance for new members to network and meet other Administrative Professionals outside their immediate department, while allowing those who have been here a bit longer to reconnect with former co-workers who may have moved to other areas of campus.

So we can get an accurate food count, please RSVP by May 10th.

When you arrive at the picnic, bring a photo ID for check-in at the welcome table. Members will be entered in the door prize drawings.

We have obtained an alcohol-permit should you wish to bring your own.

For questions, please contact the APA Office at 517-999-4004.

Gerlind Kiupel

What is your job title?

Systems Engineer III

What area of campus and department do you work in?

East campus, FRIB

How long have you been at MSU?

Since October 2009, approaching 10 years

How long have you been an Area Representative?

About 2 years

Why is being a member of the Union important to you and what value does it bring?

When our bargaining team sits at the table with MSU, I want them to have a strong mandate from a large membership so they can negotiate further improvements to our contract. We already have a pretty good contract but I’m sure everybody can think of something that they would like to see included or expanded.

Furthermore, should I ever run into problems endangering my employment, I can count on the union to fully support and fight for me.

What words of advice do you have for the new hires at MSU?

Try to take advantage of the many free events on campus. Get to know fellow APA members by attending More-You-Know Lunches, community lunches, the picnic or other events organized by APA. Read the contract and ask questions.

What do you love about working at MSU?

It is such a diverse, international community: I love meeting and working with people from all parts of the world and hear their stories.

What do you like to do when you are not at work?

I like to spend time with my family, travel the world, scuba dive, and I always look forward to my weekly horseback riding lesson.

The AR’s are appointed by the Executive Board and their role is to assist with distributing APA materials and information and to serve as a resource for members. AR’s are assigned to a geographic area of campus, so if there is not an AR in your immediate building, you can find one nearby. For a list of AR’s go to http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/about/area-representatives-2/

Gerlind Kiupel in Krygyzstan summer 2018.

Professional Development Funds – Use it or Lose it!

You may not be thinking about the 2019-2020 academic year yet; however, if you have any remaining Professional Development money – it needs to be used before the next academic year begins.  All eligible APA members should consider how to use any remaining Professional Development funds before the 2019-2020 academic year begins on August 26, 2019.

Article 41 – Educational Assistance

Employees may apply for reimbursement and release time for job-related Professional

Development courses which are offered through the University Outreach (e.g., lifelong education, continuing education and evening college), MSU computing and technology training programs, Davenport College, Lansing Community College, and high school adult education programs or other MSU Human Resources approved educational/training programs.

Take the time to review your Evaluation Performance Goals to see if there are any classes, conferences or other options for professional growth.  Talk to your supervisor about opportunities for both job and career growth at MSU. Keep your supervisor involved, as you must have supervisor permission to apply for the $800 in professional development funding available to each employee in an academic year.  Apply for your Professional Development funds through EBS under the “My Career and Training” tab.

Remember, eligibility for Educational Benefits and Professional Development funds becomes effective after the APA member has completed twelve (12) continuous full-time equivalent service months.

To review Article 41, or any other APA contractual provision, go to:

http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2015-2019-Contract.pdf

If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance by contacting the MSU APA office at (517) 999-4004 or email [email protected].

In recent years, there has been increased involvement and activism among APA members. This engagement has occurred both on campus at local APA convenings as well as participating at trainings sponsored by our state and national affiliate unions, the Michigan Education Association and National Education Association respectively.

In several instances, APA members and leaders have been asked or chose to submit topic proposals to present peer training sessions. To bring conformity to the process, the APA Executive Board adopted a Conference Proposal Submission Protocol. This new APA protocol is intended only to apply to proposals submitted for conferences and trainings hosted by our state and national affiliate unions, as well as other professional development gatherings where the work and advocacy of the APA is the foundation to attend.

APA members interested in presenting at union conferences to train fellow union sisters and brothers should first review the protocol which can be found here:

http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/APA-Conference-Proposal-Submission-Protocol.pdf

If you have additional questions or would like to explore future opportunities, please feel free to contact the APA at [email protected] or via phone at 517.999.4004.