Get out the Vote!

Tomorrow is election day. Get out the vote by encouraging your members, family and friends to vote for the candidates that are "friends of public education". If you need information on MEA recommended candidates, please visit www.meavotes.org

Wayne-Westland experience

I thought that I would post a couple of insights that I took away from the Wayne-Westland strike last week. I had the opportunity to help with the picket lines at John Glenn High School on Thursday. Ervin was there from Sunday through Tuesday morning; I am sure that he has lots more to share than me.

I arrived at the picket lines at 6:50 in the morning with another UniServ Director. Teachers were out there picketing even though the shift didn't start until 7:00. Every teacher shared with me one consistent message: smaller class sizes for their students (yes, I know, health insurance was also there but teachers talked about class sizes; look at their last proposal before the strike). Throughout my time that morning on the picket line, it was clear that this message resonated with the community. Cars honked in support, parents brought coffee and shared words of encouragement, and students walked the picket lines. I watched as the media interviewed students and these students shared the same message: there are too many students in a class. What was remarkable was that the students recognized (and shared) that the effectiveness of teachers was hindered by these large numbers.

Message? We are bombarded everyday with competing messages. The election is a perfect example but let's examine W-W's message. The message they shared connected teachers to the community and to their students. A well-defined message is powerful. A consistent message is powerful. And it is up to us to define the message. As I think about the bargaining that takes place in lots of areas, we let the District define the message. We need to learn this lesson from W-W. W-W's message was undeniable; it's consistency and definition drownded out the Board's message. (In fact, I never even heard what the Board's message was!) Other parties couldn't hijack the message because the teachers shared the message with other stakeholders (students, parents, and the community). Application to us? It is time for us as bargainers and local leaders to take back the message. We need to define and craft a message. What are the issues that we are facing in our own locals? How do these issues impact our members and the other stakeholders in the education environment? Good contracts mean more than salary and benefits; it is also the working conditions that our members face everyday. Positive working conditions translates into positive learning environments. What is our message? W-W's message didn't suddenly appear; I believe that it reflected the core values of their association. This message took time to develop. As time passed, this message was shared and adopted by the members. In other words, it didn't happen over night...your message will take time to develop.

The other thing that impressed me was the solidarity of the membership. They supported each other. These members put their individual jobs on the line and stood as one. This was evident at the membership meeting they had at John Glen High Thursday afternoon. By this time, the judge had granted an injunction requiring the teachers to return to work. However, the injunction also stopped the Board from taking disciplinary action. The same injunction ordered that nothing could be imposed and kept the jurisdiction with the judge to ensure compliance by both parties. As over 800 teachers gathered, there was an overpowering sense of community and commonality. While they knew that this wasn't the end, they stood in the lawn as one. As their president shared the news to the members, you could see and feel the power that this group had. It was one of those goose bump kind of moments.

So these are a couple of my thoughts on W-W experience. I will be posting more in the next couple of days.

Welcome Portland aides, secretaries and food service

I am happy to announce that 9G-9H has added a new group (58 strong!) to our Coordinating Council: Portland aides, secretaries, and food service! This group went through a MERC representation election to make the switch from AFSCME to MEA.

Expect to see them as soon as the October Coordinating Council meeting!

Trainings

I am in the process of setting up trainings for the locals that participated in the August training survey at the Leadership training banquet. The most requested training was for Association Reps and the their responsibilities regarding fair representation for members. Expect a call from me within the next week. If I haven't contacted you by October UBC or Coordinating Council, talk to me at the meeting about setting up some training dates.

If you have any training needs that have arisen since the start of school, please send me an email or respond to this post.

Back at it!

Wow, I guess I took an extended break from updating this blog during the course of the summer. Now that everyone is back in school and getting a routine established, I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what is going on in my part of the 9G/H office.

403 (b) account changes have become a bargaining priority. I have spoken to many of you regarding the IRS changes for 1/1/09. I know that some presidents have already spoken with their superintendents and business officers to make sure that options in plan documents will remain in place as they continue to use 403 (b) accounts to save for retirement.

I have enjoyed meeting with many presidents and executive boards over the past 2 weeks. I am planning on establishing some meeting dates so that my presidents can meet occasionally to discuss the issues they are facing within their own districts.

PAC is always important but this year there is an added emphasis with the elections. It is critical that we elect individuals that will do what is best for public education. It is important that we participate in elections for several reasons. First, it sets a good example for the students that we teach. By voting, you show students that they have a say in electing leaders. Second, voting is a duty that we all have in order for our democratic system to work. If you get a chance, late night talk show host Craig Ferguson did a funny but important monologue on voting. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdRVQ4xwwmQ&feature=dir Finally, as public sector employee, you have the ability to vote for your boss. Need I say more?

Ok, expect a new post every couple of days. Share this with your members; more active members equals stronger local associations!

Summer Leadership at SVSU!

As a reminder, the Summer Leadership Conference is fast approaching. As in the past, it will be held on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University from July 29-31. If you haven't registered, sign up today. Registration can be found at http://www.mea.org/ Contact the Belding office if you need more information or help getting registered. Training funds remain from the Coordinating Council and also for UBC members for reimbursement of conference registration and a portion of the expenses associated with the conference.

As an update, remember this conference is free for local presidents or his/her designee. This makes it a perfect opportunity for a president to attend the conference with another leader from his/her local at minimal cost.

Registration for the conference is due by Friday, July 11.

need money for pd activities??

As you end your school year, I am sure that you are not thinking about next year's PD activities or even next year. Realistically, you are thinking about grading, exams, assessments, and end of year activities that you have planned with your students. I always enjoyed it but it was usually a whirlwind of events and activities. However, after the year-end whirlwind ends, let me point you to a website that might get you thinking about next year a little.

I often had my best ideas for how to improve my craft during the summer. Don't know why, maybe it was the only time that the ideas in my head slowed down long enough for me to actually evaluate how good they really were. After focusing on a really good idea, I would talk about it with my teacher friends. Everyone would shake their head but it was always shot down because of one roadblock....money. Every teacher has these good ideas during the course of the year. But when a teacher has a good idea, one roadblock to implementation is the belief that the money doesn't exist. Well, after finding this resource, it is clear that the money does exist. Wouldn't it be great to be able to present an idea to your principal and be able to drive around the money roadblock? So, how do we drive around this roadblock? I think that I may have found one way...

When I was at the NEA headquarters this spring in Washington, DC, I had the opportunity to speak to Jesse Graystock with the NEA Foundation. I was amazed to learn about the opportunity for NEA members (teachers and support staff...good ideas come from everyone in the school community!!) to receive grants for Learning and Leadership opportunities (PD activities) as well as grants for Student Achievement. Information regarding these grants can be found at http://www.neafoundation.org/ As I explored the website, information is given on each type of grant, the requirements for individual and group grants, and tips for writing effective grants. Under the grants button, you can even see the past award winners and a snapshot of an idea/activity that was going to be implemented or studied.

So, when you have a spare moment, look at the site. Give my office a call and I will be happy in providing any support that I can in helping you put some of these ideas into action.