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Union Works 

Engage, Educate, Empower: The Heart of our Union

All about ALEC, the influential and powerful group lobbying to dismantle public education and workers' rights...

11/26/2016

 
ALEC's education agenda is focused on privatizing America's public schools. Its bills undermine public education and teachers' unions and also divert taxpayer dollars from accountable public schools to unaccountable for-profit education corporations. ALEC masks its true agenda in "feel-good" language, such as shifting from terms like "vouchers," which are broadly unpopular and rooted in segregation, to "opportunity scholarships" or "tuition tax credits." ALEC bills expected to crop up in 2016 include:
  • "Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act" creates a voucher system for ‘low- and middle-income families" for private, for-profit, or religious schools.
  • Under ALEC's "Education Savings Account Act" money for public schools is put into an account for parents to use for private school tuition or for homeschooling. To try to short-circuit potential opposition from the state education officials, the bill authors recommend contracting "with a private nonprofit to administer the program."
  • "Great Schools Tax Credit Program Act" implements a "tuition tax credit" program, which some have dubbed "neo-vouchers." Corporations get tax-credits for funding student "scholarships" to private and religious schools.
  • "Next Generation Charter Schools Act" shields charters from accountability and by giving charter approval to unelected statewide authorizers.
  • "Indiana Education Reform Package" creates a voucher program, using taxpayer funds to subsidize private for-profit and religious schools and limits teachers' rights to collective bargaining. One of its key components--the "Charter School Act"--automatically converts low-scoring public schools into charter schools.
  • "Parent Trigger Act" would allow parents to seize control of a school and fire the teachers and principal, or privatize it entirely, for years to come.
  • "Virtual Public Schools Act" recognizes online virtual education providers as public schools–and, incredibly, requires that virtual schools receive the same per-pupil funding as brick-and-mortar schools, virtually ensuring high profit margins for for-profit providers like ALEC funder and corporate board member K12 Inc.
  • "Founding Philosophy and Principles Act" requires every high school student take a semester-long course with a "conservative" focus on "the limitations on government power to tax and spend and prompt payment of public debt," even though the U.S. Constitution expressly grants Congress the power to tax, spend, and incur debt.
  • "Environmental Literacy Improvement Act" mandates that states "provide a range of perspectives presented in a balanced manner" on climate change, despite the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence that it is happening.
Wages and Benefits: Weakening Worker Rights and Hurting Movements
In 2016, ALEC will be pushing several new initiatives designed to undermine worker rights, limit reduce wages and benefits, weaken job standards, and break unions, both on the state level and by undermining the power of local governments.
Weakening Unions. Several states have introduced ALEC's anti-union "Right-to-Work Act" in recent years, and the ALEC model has become law in Michigan, Wisconsin, and West Virginia--bringing the total number of "right to work" states to 26. ALEC's "Public Employee Freedom Act" is its right-to-work bill for public sector workers. These laws have the aim of defunding unions by encouraging workers to free-ride on union representation by allowing them to opt out of paying union dues to cover the costs of representing employees on the job.
  • ALEC's city and county offshoot, the American City County Exchange (ACCE), is also pushing a legally dubious local-level Right-to-Work Ordinance in states where they have not been able to pass a state bill. A federal court in Kentucky recently found the ACCE legislation illegal but its backers plan to appeal up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • ALEC also has a number of other models drawn up to drain unions of funding and crush the voice of workers in the workplace. The "Public Employee Paycheck Protection Act" prevents unions from arranging for automatic payroll dues deduction. The "Prohibition on Paid Union Activity (Release Time) by Public Employees Act" complicates worker representation by outlawing paid release time, and Resolutions on "Binding Arbitration" and "Reporting Requirements for Public Sector Unions" are similarly disruptive.

Source: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/05/13099/alec's-2016-agenda-snapshot

For more on ALEC, go to http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/What_is_ALEC%3F

Looking out for you!

11/25/2016

 
Your Union and District leadership discussed some possible changes to opening day activities for teachers. Thanks to the input from many teachers, as well as the actions of your Union leadership, the District plans to make some changes next year which will hopefully afford teachers more time in their classrooms at the start of the year.

Please don't hesitate to forward any future concerns or complaints on to your campus reps or the Union leadership! We're here to look out for you!

Right to Work Laws Explained

11/25/2016

 
The term ‘Right To Work’ is a misleading phrase used by opponents of unions and collective bargaining, to eliminate the leverage unions have to negotiate fair wages & working conditions.  The choice of words is meant to convey something that it is not.  Federal law prohibits anyone from being required to belong to a union to hold any job.  However, federal law also requires all workers, union or not, to receive the same wages, benefits and protections negotiated and provided by that union. 
Therefore, it has been customary to permit unions to collect ‘Fair Share’ payments from non-union workers.  Fair share requires non-union members pay the equivalence of union dues to the union.  The rationale for this is the union incurs significant costs negotiating the benefits received by all members, union or not.  Federal law also mandates the union legally represent non-union members for any work-related disputes.  This may require the union to incur expensive legal bills defending non-union members.
Some union and non-union members object to their dues or fair share being spent for political activities that they oppose.  However, everyone has the right to direct any of their dues that would otherwise be spent for ‘political activities’ to be allocated toward a non-religious charity of their choice.  In other words, no one is required to spend any of their money supporting political causes that he or she personally opposes.    
If Fair Share were eliminated in Illinois, some of our people will quit so they can save money on dues. When enough members drop, the bargaining unit loses leverage to negotiate better wages and conditions for all workers.  Our pay and benefits in District 201 are comparatively good because our union has nearly always had 100 percent membership.  Make no mistake!  If Fair Share is eliminated, and just a portion of our people quit the union, you can expect a diminution of our pay and benefits relative to inflation.
Currently, 25 states have ‘Right To Work’ laws, and teachers’ unions in Illinois are under assault from two directions.  Governor Rauner refuses to even discuss the Illinois budget until Democrats agree to sacrifice public unions.  The current Supreme Court vacancy and Senate gridlock has the possibility of affecting the outcome of this case.  
In light of the recent election, this topic will most likely come back to the Supreme Court. That is why we need to be vigilant about protecting ourselves. That is the function of our union. The next U.S. President and Congress have significant power to affect your paycheck.

Our Vision

11/25/2016

 
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Our union leadership has a vision. We are working regularly behind the scenes to better serve you.  BFT Local 434’s vision is  to be active and engaged in the school and community.

In the upcoming months, we will be holding several events. In February our Young Members Focus Group will be meeting. This group helps us build our future capacity.  Please let us know if you are a young member and are interested in being a let if this group.
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Also in February we will be holding a PERA Q & A.  All members are invited. This will be a chance for all members to ask questions after summaries evaluation scores are received. This is a chance for you to speak out and ask questions so we can work for equitable and fair evaluations.  

Finally, in March, we will be inviting all school board candidates to a Meet and Greet. We will be negotiating a new contract in two years and these people will be on our school board. Now is the time for us to be active at the local level and build a strategic alliance with our board. We can let our voices be heard and select pro-union and pro- teacher candidates.
Please be watching for further information on these events.

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    Strength in unity, power in solidarity.


    ​
    Editor:

    Ashley Mims

    Local 434 Teachers' Council President, former Secretary/PR Chair. Educator in District #201 since 2011.

    Contributors:

    Lucas Spriggs
    Lucas Spriggs is the author of the Union Works newsletter, which includes posts in three series: "Get Organized," "Get Represented," and "Get Informed."

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  • Home
  • About
  • Executive Council
  • Blog
  • Giving
  • For Members
    • Documents
  • How Unions Work
  • More
    • Financial
    • Newsletter
    • FAQ's
    • Executive Council Guide
    • Links >
      • IFT Member Benefits
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      • Facebook Group
      • AFT Member Benefits
      • Know Your Legislators
      • Board of Education
      • District Main Page
      • Contact Your Legislators