L.D. NO. 91-10

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

CLASSIFICATION DISPUTES PANEL

In the Matter of

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

(JERSEY CITY STATE COLLEGE)

-and-	Assistant Director I -

(Computer Center)

COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA

-and-

COUNCIL OF NEW JERSEY STATE COLLEGE LOCALS, AFT

DECISION

The above-named parties are engaged in a dispute concerning whether the Assistant Director I's in the College Computer Center are more appropriately placed in the CWA professional employees unit or the AFT faculty unit. The parties have agreed to place the dispute concerning the unit placement of these positions before this panel for resolution. At an informal hearing before the panel, witnesses testified and a job description was presented.
The AFT faculty unit consists of teaching and research faculty and non-teaching professional employees who are integrally related to academic functions of the colleges and primarily interact with faculty and students. The CWA unit consists of non-academic professional employees, i.e. those professionals engaged in the College's administrative, financial, business and support services functions.

In this matter, CWA argues that Jersey City State College's two Assistant Director I's in the College Computer Center should be included in its professional unit. The AFT contends that the positions are properly included in its faculty unit.

The two positions are occupied by Phyllis Szani and Denise DeMichael. Both employees work in the College Computer Center and report to the Director of Management Information Systems.

Szani coordinates the activities of three support staff members. She supervises the processing of student records and information for the Bursar's office. She is not involved with academic curriculum. Szani primarily interfaces with the administrative staff. Her contacts with academic faculty are limited to exchanging information on student's grades and credits. She occassionally fields procedural questions concerning the computer systems from faculty, administrative staff and students. On behalf of the MIS Director, Szani has attended meetings with College administrative staff when computer program development was discussed.

Denise DeMichael supervises the College's financial records for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and purchassing operations. She primarily interacts with administrative employees in the payroll, personnel and business offices. She also has only casual contact with academic faculty and students. While she did set up an electronic mail computer program for the entire staff including faculty, this function was limited. All academic computing is performed by an Academic Computing Coordinator who reports to an academic dean.

We find that the Assistant Director I's in the Jersey City State College's Computer Center (Szani and DeMichael) share a greater community of interest with the CWA units. CWA has historically represented computer center employees engaged primarily in the administraive operations of the College. Szani and DeMichael's functions are primarily related to the business operations of the College, not its academic functions. Accordingly, we find that the Assistant Director I's at Jersey City State College are appropriate for inclusion in the CWA's unit.

THE CLASSIFICATION DISPUTES PANEL

William Druz, Classification Specialist

Susan Osborn, Public Employment

Relations Specialist

DATED: June 3, 1991