BACK TO SCHOOL PLAN UPDATE...

Yesterday (8/24/09), three NWEA Executive Board members requested a change in the Crisis Team Plan for back to school. With much discussion amongst the Crisis and Bargaining Teams, the plan is as follows:
AUG 31st:

• NWEA & NWESP Members receive MEA bag with 2 staff shirts per person and various goodies from their building reps &/or crisis team reps

SEPT 1st:

• NWEA & NWESP Members wear GREEN STAFF SHIRTS to Inservice/ School



• Brief NWEA Membership meeting in each building immediately at the end of your school day in your respective building libraries for NWEA update & climate survey (please bring something to write with).

SEPT 2nd:

• NWEA & NWESP Members wear WHITE MEA PRIDE SHIRTS to Inservice/ School



• OPEN HOUSE - ALL STAFF TO WEAR WHITE TOPS w/ BLACK SLACKS/PANTS, and GREEN RIBBONS/ BUTTONS on left chest! NWEA Information cards will be provided to community members via JCEA

BOARD MEETINGS:

• Informational picketing with continue 60 minutes prior to each board meeting unless otherwise notified. September meetings have been rescheduled for 9/9 & 9/23 - mark these days on your calendar and plan to attend at least one picket event each month - sign up with your building picket rep. We will keep you updated on location & time changes!



• Also plan on attending board meetings following picket events to help yourself stay informed.

NEW FACT FINDING DATE...

Due to medical leave of an NWEA key witness (not an NWEA member), Fact Finding has been post-poned until September 17, 2009 at 10AM at the JCEA Office.

Staff members on the witness list will be in attendance. Additional staff interested in attending need to let Rachel Martel know in writing (if you haven't already done so) and you will notified as to the procedure &/or availability for participation in the near future.

MEETING CANCELLED

Due to post-poning Fact Finding hearings, this meeting is cancelled until further notice!

WHAT: General Membership Meeting
WHY: Post-Fact Finding discussion
WHEN: Monday, August 24, 2009
TIME: 4:00PM
PLACE: First Church of the Nazarene Commons Room.
WHO: NWEA & NWESP Members

AGENDA: Re-cap of Fact Finding hearing, Q&A session with Melissa Sortman, Staff Climate Survey from Bargaining Team, distribution of first days of school shirts if completed.

NEEDED: Pen or pencil

BUDDY-UP TO REMIND A FRIEND!

NEW NWCS WEBSITE:

The new district website is http://www.nwschools.org/

To check your home e-mail account, put curser over STAFF tab and OWA-Email is the first choice to click on. Your login screen will appear as normal.

AUG 5th NWCSBOE MTG NOTES:

A large number of NWEA/ NWESP members attended the Board Meeting which took place at 6:00pm. Board members Chris Kelly and Connie Sayles were not in attendance, so no form of closed session took place to discuss negotations or any other issues. During the last round of Community Comments, Karen Adkins, on behalf of all the NWEA, publically and personally invited the board members to attend the Fact Finding hearing on August 20th to gain more knowledge about the process and the situation. Board members will also be receiving personal calls to encourage their attendance. The board meeting ended before 7:00PM.

The next scheduled Board Meeting is August 19th at 6PM at Kidder Middle School.

Stay informed, stand proud and stand together as one...NW Staff: Standing Up for Students...Our Future!

AUG 5th PICKET EVENT NOTES:

Over 50 members along with some of their own family members picketed for nearly an hour before the NWCS Board Meeting in front of Kidder Middle School. The sunny skies and honking horns boosted morale of our sign-carrying members. Thank you to Jon Harmon, another MEA Uniserve Director, who has been leading/supporting our Crisis Team, and Melissa Sortman for providing bottled water and pizza for the picket event!

AUG 5th NWEA MTG NOTES:

A successful gathering of nearly 90 NWEA/NWESP members took place at 3:30PM on Wednesday, August 5th at the First Church of the Nazarene off M-50. A heartfelt appreciation to all members was expressed by our NWEA Vice-President, Karen Adkins (PE), along side President, Nancy Snow(NWHS). Karen spoke of the pride she felt seeing many step up to unite with their peers, having to live too often now, out of their comfort zones. We know this is not easy, but we have our strength in our numbers to express our message clearly.
The bargaining team was introduced with Brian Klinger (NWHS) giving the members a brief overview of their mediation experiences. Basically, our bargaining team followed the voices of the NWEA, which continue to say "no on 3%" and continued to creatively propose other options for the healthcare/wage issues. The mediators proposal was turned down flat; the bargaining team's proposals were answered time and again with "we want the NWEA to pay 3% of their healthcare premium AND take the additional $100/ $200 rider" - increasing out-of-pocket costs for employees.
Administration has continued to stick to this for months. Their initial position was presented as being "fiscally responsible." After the bargaining team continued to present ideas that would save the district money, the administration's position changed to it being "the principle of the situation." A stalemate which left us no other choice than filing for Fact Finding.
Melissa Sortman, our MEA Uniserve Director and her staff have been working extra hours to prepare for the hearing to take place on August 20, 2009 and, if needed, will continue on August 21, 2009. Today, the NWEA and the NW Administration exchanged exhibits. Witness lists have been created and those wishing to attend the hearing(s) to be held at Kidder Middle School, must sign up through Rachel Martel, NWEA Crisis Chair. We are also encouraging staff to talk with community members who wish to hear the facts, from both sides, to attend on the 20th.
Melissa also gave an overview of the Fact Finding process. Please see the definition already included within this blog site. She added that she feels the best people have been working on this and will continue to do so until the process is complete.
In conclusion, Rachel Martel introduced the building reps across the district: PE - Dianne Lowe, Lisa Peek, Jan Bodenstadt, and Tracey Ledford; NWEL - Barb Kewin, Karen Plumb, and Becky Baum; KMS - Michelle Fairley, Kevin Fairley and Barb DeCan; and NWHS/AEHS - Kim Csage, Becky Moulton, Kris Bowen, and Karen Putnam. These are the people the Crisis Team will rely on heavily to distribute information to their building staff.
Rachel also rolled out the plans for the first few weeks back to school:

• SEPT 1st - Unity color and slogan t-shirts to be worn by all NWEA & NWESP employees.



• SEPT 1st - Welcome packs distributed to all employees with items to support our cause and efforts.



• SEPT 2nd - MEA Proud Member white t-shirts to be worn all day and at Open House with dress pants, kahkis or skirt.



• SEPT 2nd - During open house, JCEA members will be leaf-letting the parking lots to inform community members with facts about the district and this crisis.



• SEPT, 8th thru 11th - Wear your green buttons and ribbons on either your staff lanyard or left chest of shirt - make them visible...walk tall and be proud!

Shirt sizes, Fact Finding sign-ups and verification of contact information took place and were turned into Rachel before heading to the picket event.
People not in attendance will still have shirts ordered for them...if you want to order a specific size, contact Rachel or your building rep by Sunday, 08/09/09 at 3PM.

DISTRICT BUDGET:

• The district claims that its general fund balance will fall from $2.339,239 to $1,183,501 by the end of the 2008-2009 school year (June 30, 2009). This is a reduction of $1,155,783. However, when considering this estimate, keep in mind that the district has made similar, but incorrect, predictions in the recent past.


• For example:2007-2008... as of June 30, 2008, the district predicted that their general fund balance would fall by $(338,381). Instead, the Audit shows that the district general fund balance went UP by $489,963 which is an error of $828,344.


• 2006-2007 school year: predicted $(801,632) change in fund balance - actual change was $(11,075) = error of $790,557

SOURCE: (http//www.nsd.k12.mi.us/dp/detail.php?pageID=91)

HEALTH INSURANCE & WAGES:

• The teachers of NWEA took a wage freeze and took the $10/20 Rx card which saved the District 8.2% in health care premiums.


• The salaries for NW teachers on the BA base, BA max, MA base, have dropped to 14th out of 15 in the county.


• An analysis of the district's Financial Information Database (FID) reports shows that insurance expenses for instructional personnel have not increased over the past FIVE years (taken from MDE FID database: http//cepi.state.mi.us/FidFormb/)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

In MAY 2009: Some bargaining team members and building representatives were called into a meeting with their administrator following an administrator staff meeting to be told that there should be no negative comments made at the Board Meeting. To press for clarification...



Amendment #1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.



Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.



Also...

We are a NO BULLYING school district!

FACT FINDING:

If bargaining and mediation have failed to result in a final agreement, either or both parties may petition for fact finding. The nuetral fact finder, following statutory process described below, will issue a non-binding recommendation for settlement of the contractual dispute. Since strikes are prohibited in the public sector, fact finding is the final impasse resolution procedure available to public sector employees, except for public safety personnel who are subject to Act 312 arbitration.

Under section 25 of the Labor Mediation Act, either party may initiate the fact finding process, or the Commission, on its own motion, may do so. The petition for fact finding should be on a commission-approved form. Commission rules require that an answer to the petition be filed and served on the other party.

After petition is filed and docketed, the Commission will appoint a fact finder from its panel of neutrals, who will conduct a hearing relating to all of the facts in the dispute. The hearing will be conducted in public, unless otherwise directed by the fact finder. the purpose of the hearing is to permit the parties to present facts and witnesses in support of their positions. No formal record is made of the proceedings; however, post-hearing briefs are often filed. Ultimately, the fact finder will issue written recommendations on those contract provisions in dispute. The value of fact finding is that after a formal hearing, the parties receive an objective and professional evaluation of the bargaining positions. While the fact finder's report is not binding, the parties may accept his or her recommendations in whole or in part. Parties often return to negotiations or mediation after fact finding and are frequently able to resolve their differences.

Fact Finding Hearings for NWEA -vs- NWCSBOE is on August 20 & 21, 2009.

This public meeting is scheduled to take place at Kidder Middle School, tentatively for 10AM (confirmation will soon follow). NWEA members are asked to attend...this is your chance to hear the FACTS from both sides.

September 21, 2009 - Briefs are due.

October 21, 2009 - Fact Finder Report due.

It is official

Look for the latest updates for Jackson NWEA members.