MEA Enough is Enough Rally - June 24th, 2010 - Lansing

Thousands of educators gathered together at the Capitol building to deliver the message that Michigan schools need adequate and stable funding! Many people from the WLEA rode together on a bus and other WLEA members joined us there! For more pictures go to Facebook: WLEA - Walled Lake Education Association (click for the link)

Teachers Do Not get ENOUGH Credit

I was at the Side Track Restaurant in Depot Town (old Ypsilanti) this past weekend enjoying some great stuffed salmon (by the way.....it is a great restaurant and reasonable!). I found the new edition of the Eastern Echo, Eastern Michigan's student newspaper, sitting there with this headline: "Teachers do not get enough credit". HAD TO READ IT!

We all need to read MORE editorials that are thanking teachers! Click on the link below to take you to the online version of the Eastern Echo article! Enjoy!

Eastern Echo Editorial - June 14th

If you have retired, you may already belong, but you may want to join,,,,,,,

MEA - Retired!!!
MEA-Retired stands for Michigan Education Association-Retired. It is an MEA affiliate made up of current and retired public school employees. Any person who receives a pension check from the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS), was on MEA staff, or has worked for a public school system in another state, is eligible for MEA-Retired membership. Currently working MEA members (including ESP and higher education) and MEA staff are eligible to join MEA-Retired and become active MEA-Retired members upon retirement.

Here is the url for more information: http://www.mea.org/MEA-Retired/index.html

TIME TO TAKE ACTION!!!

Perhaps you have all seen the Free Press Editorial from yesterday in which the paper glorifies what they call, “15 courageous House Democrats”. They are glorifying them because these 16 Democrats joined forces with the Republican to adopt legislation requiring Michigan teachers to pay a greater percentage of their pension and health costs – THIS IS THE 3% “TAX” you have to pay beginning next school year!

I would like to say, that I do not find these legislators courageous for targeting your bargained pay as a resource for them to solve Michigan’s financial problems. To me courageous would have been standing up and saying that Michigan needed to find ways to solve the financial dilemmas without making teachers shoulder the cost. Courageous would have been legislating an end to their FULL Health care perks after only 6 years of service. Courageous would have been requiring themselves to pay a 3% tax to work. Courageous would have been going to the people of Michigan and saying we need new funding sources.

These Legislators are:
Dan Scripps, Tim Melton, Kathy Angerer, John Espinoza
Marc Corriveau, Dudley Spade, Bob Constan, Martin Griffin
Joel Sheltrown, Jim Slezak, Bert Johnson, Ed Clemente
Andy Dillon, Judy Nerat, Pam Byrnes, David Nathan

HERE IS MY FEAR –
1) These same “courageous people” will vote with the Repbulicans to use the anticpated increased funds in the School Aide Fund, NOT TO RESTORE FUNDING TO THE SCHOOLS, but will “rob” the School Aide Fund to shore up the General Fund. This will leave schools in the same miserable funding mess that they have been in this year.
2) These same “courageous people” will vote to send the Constitutional Amendment to the people of Michigan to lower your wages by an ADDITIONAL 5%. This amendment could realistically appear on the August, 2010 primary ballot! This would mean that the entire state of Michigan could vote on your bargained pay!

YOU NEED TO WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND LEGISLATORS . Write the Legislators listed above as well!

Also, consider attending the MEA Rally in Lansing on June 24th!
REMEMBER – Please do this from your home emails or from your home or cell phones.

For any legislator in Michigan, use this weblink:http://capwiz.com/nea/mi/directory/statedir.tt?state=MI&lvl=state

AREA LEGISLATORS
Governor Jennifer Granholm
Phone 517-335-6863
Faxto write Gov. Granholm, please go to the Michigan.gov website

Speaker of the House - Andy Dillon
Phone: 517-373-0857
Fax: 517-373-5976
E-mail: andydillon@house.mi.gov

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop
Phone: 517-373-2417
Fax: 517-373-2694
E-mail: senmbishop@senate.michigan.gov

State Senator Nancy Cassis
Phone: 517-373-1758
Fax: 517-373-0938
senncassis@senate.michigan.gov

State Senator Gilda Jacobs
Phone: 517-373-7888
Fax: 517-373- 2983
SenGJacobs@senate.michigan.gov

State Representative Vicki Barnett
Phone: 517-373-1793
Fax: 517-373-8501
vickibarnett@house.mi.gov

State Representative Lisa Brown
Phone: 517-373-1799
Fax: 517-373-8361
lisabrown@house.mi.gov

State Representative Hugh Crawford
Phone: 517-373-0827
Fax: 517-373-5873
hughcrawford@house.mi.gov

State Representative Eileen Kowall
Phone: 517-373-2616
Fax: 517-373-5843
eileenkowall@house.mi.gov

Capital Rally on Thursday, June 24th!!!

From the MEA -
Capitol rally on Thursday, June 24th: Will you be there?
Join the cause -- have you had enough????

Don't miss the MEA's massive rally at the state Capitol on June 24th -- a critical opportunity to talk with your legislators about how students are negatively affected when schools lack adequate, equitable, and stable funding.

Aside from promoting our cause, there will be drawings for great prizes, including a new Apple iPad and Nintendo Wii. Bring kids along for facepainting and other fun. Make a PAC contribution and get "in the ring" with the boxer and punching bag from MEA's TV commercials.
MOST importantly, be there on Thursday, June 24th to help deliver one clear message to our leaders in Lansing --

Enough is Enough! (click on the red for the Rally Poster!)