Greetings Fellow MEA
Members,
Last night Gretchen Dziadosz,
the Executive Director of the MEA, sent out a legislative update.
“As you know, we are fighting multiple fronts in lame duck. Not
only are we fighting the pension cuts, the bill to eliminate calendar
bargaining, but also the loss of association release time for leaders.
Thanks for all you are doing, especially, the massive effort on pension. It is having positive impact, although the fight is not over.”
"We
need your help on the release time legislation.”
What our director is
referring to is Senate Bills 279 and 280.
Bill 279 – This bill would no longer allow
union officials to have the state-funded pensions calculated from their union
salaries. This means that if your union
president has release time, any of that time would not count toward their
retirement. This could be as far
reaching as not allowing ANY member any union release time to take care of
union business during the school day, unless they give up credit toward
retirement. This means all bargaining
and perhaps disciplinary meetings and other union related business, could only
occur outside of the school day, unless retirement credit was forfeited.
Bill 280 – This bill would prohibit paid
release time for union officials. This
would include a paid period of time where a teacher leaves the classroom to
serve as the head of their local union or in the Michigan Education
Associaiton.
It is already illegal for a school district to pay the retirement
payment to ORS for any release time union members might have. In most districts this has already
significantly reduced the release time members have to go to trainings or to
bargain because their local must repay the 25% share of retirement costs that
districts must pay to the ORS.
These bills were being actively pursued last
winter, but they have been “dormant” for a while now. It looks like they have reappeared during
this Lame Duck Session.
These bills are meant to reduce and/or eliminate
MEA member voices in the operation of their schools!!! The administrators’ state organizations, MASB
and MASA, ALSO oppose these bills. It
is recognized even by their organizations as a means to severely impede the
smooth operation of their districts!
There will be a committee meeting this Thursday
at 8:15 am to hear testimony for and against these bills. Here are the committee members who will be in
the hearing on Thursday:
Joe Graves (Chair, 51st,
Linden)Jason Shephard (Vice Chair, 56th, Temperance)
Mike Callton (87th, Nashville)
Nancy Jenkins (57th, Clayton)
Joel Johnson (97th, Clare)
Bruce Rendon (103rd, Lake City)
Pat Somerville (23rd, New Boston)
Holly Hughes (91st, Montague)
Tom Barrett (71st, Potterville)
Daniella Garcia (90th, Holland)
Gary Glenn (98th, Midland)
Eric Leutheuser (58th, Hillsdale
Please pick ONE
OR ALL of these legislators and write or call!
Tell them: that union release time is valuable to both
union members and the school districts.
By having this time to talk and have discussions, problems are averted
and discussions are held that clarify ways to solve potential problems from
becoming bigger issues. Tell them that
it is important to you that your elected union leaders have the opportunity to
share your concerns and needs while you caDOn be present in your classroom
doing the work you love!
DO NOT LET YOUR VOICE BE IGNORED!!!
