Just Google “Teacher Falsely Accused” and you’ll find evidence that even the best of us can find ourselves on the wrong end of an administrator’s, parent’s, student’s, or even another teacher’s unfair, inaccurate, or patently false accusations. If this happens, you have protection and a union to fight for your rights.

Even if you did something worthy of discipline, you still have rights, and it’s difficult to fire a teacher without just cause. Furthermore, thanks to unions and union advocacy, most issues are required by the contract and state law to be formally documented and remediated before a school board dismisses a tenured teacher. As long as you don't do anything outstandingly bad, you’re likely going to just get a warning and some steps to take to fix the issue. Even if something goes in your personnel file, there are laws to prevent sharing most discipline information with anyone else, including future employers.

Finally, even if you do something the administration deems as egregiously bad, but you or the union disagrees—perhaps based on context or mitigating circumstances--the District is required to provide, at minimum, a notice of the charges against you, proof for those charges, and a chance for you to respond to the charges in a hearing before the board of education.
For tenured teachers who sometimes stay up late at night worrying about whether what they said or did in class is going to get them fired, it’s most likely not. You might get a stern talking-to, or a warning added to your personnel file, but your job is likely safe.

If this thought crosses your mind when dealing with workplace issues, it's time to contact your union rep. Union members have rights that employees in non-unionized workplaces don't, and one of these rights is to have representation during any meeting with administration that might lead to discipline.

It's kind of magical, actually, because you can invoke this privilege right in the middle of a meeting.

Say you're called down to speak to an A.P. or the principal about something and you're suddenly ambushed with accusations of inappropriate comments you made in the classroom. If you believe a discussion with an administrator could in any way lead to discipline, you can stop the meeting and request union representation before you agree to continue the discussion.

Legally, the administrator has to abide. If they refuse, you can just refuse to say anything further until they do. It's your legal right. Even better, you can't be punished for requesting union representation or refusing to discuss the issue until you have a union representative present. 

You basically have a union-made suit of armor, and this works for any situation with an administrator where you think you might face discipline. Follow this link for more information about Weingarten Rights.
​
Bonus Material:
What if an administrator says I'm not in trouble and they just want to discuss an issue?

Go to the meeting and discuss the issue. If at any point they change their mind and potential discipline is suddenly on the menu, it's time to stop the meeting and order a union representative. Basically, if you're tenured and there's not going to be an official discipline report or derogatory statement added to your personnel file, there's not much for the union to do since you're otherwise protected by due process as outlined in our contract and state law. 

Belleville Federation of Teachers Local 434 stands against racism and is committed to ensuring that every student and educator can live, grow, and thrive with support, love, and joy. We were all born into a society built by racist systems and policies, many of which are functioning to this day. Though it is not our fault, racism is all of our problem and dismantling it is all of our responsibility – both those who are victimized by systemic racism and especially those who have benefited from the purposeful exclusion and marginalization of people of color. To do this, we must have honest conversations about racist policies that affect our students and schools, and then take action against those policies.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Belleville Federation of Teachers have seen how collective activism has worked to shift agendas to advance the interests of working people. We have the capacity to break down the barriers that exclude, isolate and dehumanize – but it will take continuous effort, commitment, and struggle. Luckily, we are the labor movement and fighting back is what we do.

​The Belleville Federation of Teachers Local 434 has joined the movement for racial justice, and we are actively engaged in carving out a new path forward and to fight for the future we all deserve.

Even the AARP has endorsed the Fair Tax Amendment. You can view their endorsement here.

by Beth Camplain | Jun 27, 2018
What you can do now to keep our unions strong.
What you can do now to keep our unions strong

Today, President Trump’s appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court cast the deciding vote against everyday men and women in the Janus v. AFSCME case. Though not unexpected, it was disappointing to see powerful special interests take precedence over the best interests of hardworking middle-class Americans.
 


Simply put, today’s decision outlaws fair share fees. For more than 40 years, these fees have ensured that employees who choose not to join the union were required to contribute toward the costs of union-provided services that all employees benefit from, including contract bargaining and legal representation. 
 


I want to remind you that Governor Rauner started this well-funded attack right here in Illinois. When a federal court ruled that he did not have standing to bring the case, Rauner and his network found Mark Janus, a state employee who was willing to add his name to the legal challenge so it could proceed.
 


Rauner and his powerful friends have one goal - to eliminate unions. Why? Because our unions are one of the last checks on their control. If unions are weakened, corporate bottom lines would grow while protections like health care benefits, safe workplaces, and small class sizes that we’ve fought so hard for could be eroded over time. But through our collective voice and solidarity, we have the power to fight for equal opportunity for all, not just the privileged few.


We’ve been preparing for today’s decision, and we’re ready to do more than survive – WE WILL THRIVE. But each of us must do our part.

1. Be on the lookout for slick mailers, phone calls, and even home visits from anti-union groups like the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) or “My Pay My Say,” who will try to get you and your colleagues to quit the union. These groups are funded by ultra-conservative, wealthy benefactors who are only concerned about their bottom line, not our members, students, or communities.
   
   
2. If you haven’t signed a new union card recently, do it online now. Reaffirm that you will stand with your colleagues to protect your voice and workplace rights!
   
   
3. Tell your friends why you’re sticking with the union. Post about why you are #IFTstrong on social media. Click here to tweet your support and here to post to Facebook. You can also share a Solidarity Selfie! Just click on the image below and print out the sign, then take a picture of yourself with it to post to your social media accounts.
   
   
4. Commit to defeating Bruce Rauner on November 6. From his two-year budget impasse that devastated higher education and held public schools hostage, to the backdoor private school voucher scheme he forced into new funding legislation, to his campaign against workers’ rights, Governor Rauner has failed Illinois. His priorities are clear.

And so are ours.  We value our voice. We value our union. And we will fight to protect it - and each other. 

Take a moment right now to consider what you will do.  

Whether it’s joining your local’s bargaining team to ensure a fair contract, spearheading a union-community partnership to advocate for safe schools, or having one-on-one conversations with colleagues about the importance of sticking with the union, WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. To those who want to attack our rights and rig the economy further against working people, we say this: we’re ready to fight powerfully for the future we all deserve.    

I know we will succeed. As always, thank you for all that you do. 

In solidarity,
 
Dan Montgomery,
IFT President

In early June, three changes to the Illinois Pension Code that affect some TRS members were signed into law:

• A reduction in the “threshold” affecting employer contributions on year-to-year salary increases for a TRS member from 6 percent to 3 percent, if the pay hikes would factor into the calculation of a member’s initial pension.
  
• A new law requires TRS to offer all eligible inactive members a chance for a one-time, irrevocable “accelerated pension benefit payment” in return for giving up any future claim to a TRS benefit.
• A new law requires TRS to offer all retiring Tier 1 members a chance for a one-time, irrevocable change in the automatic annual increase to their TRS pensions, along with an “accelerated pension benefit payment.”

Implementation of these new laws will take time. The statute says TRS must implement the law “as soon as practical,” and is in the process of developing the IT systems and protocols necessary to administer these acts.
We cannot answer all questions at this time regarding any effect these laws will have on any member’s TRS benefits.

Here’s what we know: READ MORE . . .

Former Belleville East alumnus, Navy veteran, and St. Clair County prosecutor Brendan Kelly, who is vying to replace Mike Bost in Congress, addressed members of Local 434 last week at the general membership meeting. Having attended Belleville schools growing up, Kelly expressed a fondness for public schools in the community, noting that he and his family are products of a great public education. Kelly claims the needs of the people are being ignored because politicians are too busy pandering to special interests at the expense of the people of Southern Illinois. He said he's running to put the people first, and that "changes require the support of . . . people involved in organized labor."

His support for people, public education, and organized labor earned him the endorsement of Belleville Federation of Teachers as the candidate to represent the best interests of our schools, our students, our families, and our members in District 12.  

You can find out more about Brendan Kelly on his website.