May 2018
May 31
Freedom Foundation Strikes Again
This morning, several SEA members forwarded to me an email from the Freedom Foundation. Thank you for your diligence and commitment to SEA!
In response to my email reminding members of the importance of maintaining membership and encouraging our colleagues to "Unsubscribe," some members stood up to the Freedom Foundation and others voiced their support of our union.
"Don’t worry. I just deleted it. I know the union has my back. :)" ---Linda A.
"That message from them made me MAD!" ---Monica H.
"I actually responded with a little rant, asking them to just not send me anything else, and to stop trying to union bust." ---Laura B.
AND...
"Hello Jami,
Is that your real name? Well, I find it insulting that you are pushing this cause. Unions have and continue to fight for my rights to living wages and benefits. I will not opt out of those dues. I feel it is money well spent. You and your conservative union busting friends are short-sighted and limited in your understanding of the big picture. The work of the few unions left is extremely important not just for those of us who pay our dues and participate. The benefits of what we do through our union does benefit the greater good and raises the chances for others around us to earn fair wages and valuable healthcare and retirement benefits." ---Larry T.
THANK YOU for ranting, unsubscribing, deleting, and MAINTAINING your membership!
May 8
General Membership Meeting
Mark your calendar! Our General Membership meeting will be held on Monday, June 11 in the Shoreline Room at the SLC. We will begin at 4:15. A final agenda is still in the works. Maintain your commitment to each other and our profession - attend our General Membership meeting.
Bargaining 2018
Our SEA Bargaining Team has been meeting in preparation for the joint bargaining meetings and have met several times with the district team. Your input in the form of bargaining interviews, survey results and forums has been put to use as the team develops a list of member issues and interests. Thank you for time and commitment to our colleagues and students. Your SEA Team appreciates the time you spent completing the survey, answering the survey and/or participating in a forum.
Stay informed! Text the word "Shoreline" to 41411 to receive updates. Lyn Sherry, Chief Bargainer and UniServ Director, has sent a couple of texts recently and will send more. Also, she will send information via Constant Contact. If any of your contact information has changed since December, please contact Beth Rogers, brogers@washingtonea.org or Chenoa Gray-Brewer, cgray@washingtonea.org,. Beth and Chenoa are WEA staff who work at the Cascade UniServ office to support the Shoreline, Northshore and Edmonds associations. Let them know of the changes. They will update your contact information for SEA.
Upcoming bargaining dates:
Wednesday, June 13 Monday, June 18 Monday, June 25 Tuesday, June 26
More dates may be added in August, as needed.
Our SEA Bargainers are:
Matt Alford, MP, PE Matt Reiman, MP, 4th Grade Jackie Hubbard, SLC, Tech TOSA
Amanda Findley, PW, Resource Room Emily Slack, SC, Engineering/STEM Tamara Hayes, CK-8, 2nd grade
John Kotwis, SW, Science Lauren Paulhamus, AE, Counselor Lyn Sherry, UniServ Director
Please take a moment to say, "Hello!" and "Thank you!" We have a MOST remarkable team!
"Right-to-Work" Decision Pending
On February 26, the US Supreme Court heard arguments regarding Janus v. AFSCME. By June 29, the Supreme Court will render a decision that, most likely, will overturn 40 years of labor law and change the face of public sector unions across the nation.
I have had the pleasure of visiting Shoreline EA members at their schools and workplaces to let them know of the impact this ruling may have on our unions, locally and at the state and national levels. Members who were able to attend heard about the direct correlation between union membership and middle income buying power. I introduced members to "Proposed Priority #1" from Betsy De Vos, which is to provide families with educational opportunities to meet the needs of their students in the form of charter and private schools and a voucher system. We watch a 4-minute video from Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, which clearly explains why "right-to-work" is wrong. Lastly, I ask members to continue the commitment to each other, our profession and our students by talking with a member who was not at the meeting either during lunch or before or after school.
The message is simple: Maintain Local Power by Maintaining Your Union Membership!