Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Critical vote... Your presence in vital

We will be meeting Thursday, June 30 @ 5pm in Carol Johnston's room.  Hopefully, we will have a contract to ratify.  If there are any changes, your negotiating team will contact you.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Capital update: Senate considering anti-collective bargaining bills

A four-bill package that would undo collective bargaining and tenure laws remains in the state Senate, where MEA leaders and staff are working behind-the-scenes to explain the real impact of the legislation.

House Bills 4625-4628 would allow districts to fire experienced teachers and other employees for almost any reason, even if it is has nothing to do with job performance. If you don't know yet how House Bills 4625-4628 would impact you, check out our new Q-and-A.

The state House approved the bills last week and proponents are pushing for a speedy vote in the Senate. The Senate Education Committee will meet at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to take up the bills.

We need you to act NOW to help stop these bills. Contact your state senator and urge him/her to vote NO. The legislative assault will not end unless you make your voice heard!



Reminder: Many school districts have policies about communicating with legislators on school time and equipment, so wait until you are away from school to contact your legislators or use your personal cell phone when you are off duty.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

House advances anti-tenure bills

The GOP-led state House today advanced a four-bill package to overhaul tenure and collective bargaining laws.
The legislation -- House Bills 4625, 4626, 4627, and 4628 -- would, in fact, dismantle tenure AND collective bargaining of most subjects currently decided at the local bargaining table, including placement of employees, evaluation systems, discharge/discipline policies, and more.
The state House today advanced them to the order of third reading. We expect the House to take a final vote on the bills tomorrow! Contact your state representative today. Tell him/her to vote no on House Bills 4625, 4626, 4627, and 4628.

MEA strongly opposes these bills. MEA is working with lawmakers on changes to these bills that threaten your tenure and bargaining rights. We support changes to the tenure process, including addressing administrator training and reducing the time and cost of tenure cases.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Your Calls Have Delayed the Vote

The state House is expected to vote as early as Wednesday on a package of bills that would eliminate teacher tenure and ban all school employees from bargaining about a broad range of subjects related to their working environments and their students' learning conditions.
Late Monday, we learned that a vote could come this week on the bills -- House Bills 4625, 4626, 4627, and 4628. MEA members, who responded with hundreds of phone calls and e-mails to legislators, helped stall the vote, but action is still imminent.

Among many other provisions, this legislation would increase the probationary period to five years, allow tenured teachers to be moved back to probation after evaluation, remove reasonable and just cause protections, eliminate seniority-based placements. The bills also extend far beyond tenure, banning collective bargaining of evaluation systems, discharge/discipline policies, and more.

We need you to act NOW to stop these bills. Contact your state representative and urge him/her to vote NO. The legislative assault will not end unless you make your voice heard immediately!

Reminder: Many school districts have policies about communicating with legislators on school time and equipment, so wait until you are away from school to contact your legislators or use your personal cell phone when you are off duty.