Kim Wiederhold
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Rally in Wilmington Monday Night
I would like for all of us to stand together for the rally at the Clinton County Fairgrounds Monday Night. Another Local President (Melissa Cropper from Georgetown) was told by Senator Niehaus that he has the votes to pass it, it will pass, and it will pass when it goes to the House. He concluded by telling her there’s no slowing it down. I believe we all have something very different to say about that. We need to make some noise.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Our efforts are working....
What we are doing is working. Thousands of people showed up at the Statehouse to stand up for Ohio's working families against SB 5. BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP! Don't forget to ask your family & friends to call 1-888-218-5931 and tell their legislators to vote against SB 5!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
CALL KASICH WITH YOUR VIEW
Word is that Kasich’s office is conducting a statewide phone survey to get information on SB5 and perceptions of the governor. Respondents giving low scores may then be asked their opinion on several questions.
Obviously if you receive the call, take advantage of that opportunity.
In addition, it is rumored that Kasich MAY be tallying the number of calls concerning SB 5. They may be numbering supporters and those opposed.
Given that, we would encourage you to flood Kasich’s office with calls as well, clearly he is concerned with his image regarding these actions. If you get a busy signal or the message that the mailbox is full, keep trying until you get through so that your opinion will be tallied.
Please call the governor’s office at 614-466-3555.
Thanks,
Monday, February 14, 2011
SUMMARY OF SENATE BILL 5
If you’ve not had an opportunity to read up on Senate Bill 5, here is a summary:
The teeth of SB 5
The bill does the following things THAT AFFECT EVERY ONE OF YOUR
CONTRACTS: (given in order of appearance in the bill)
1. After the bill's effective date, ONLY 1-YEAR CONTRACTS FOR TEACHERS OR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES
2. NO MORE CONTINUING CONTRACTS FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE ONE after the effective date of the bill
3. ILLEGAL TO BARGAIN OVER HEALTH CARE--Boards must govern their own plans & EMPLOYEES MUST PAY AT LEAST 20%
4. NO MORE SALARY SCHEDULES; BOARD DETERMINES EACH PERSON'S PAY BY MERIT ONLY
5. NO MORE MANDATORY SICK LEAVE; Boards required to set up their own "general leave policies"
6. RIF cannot be conducted by seniority only, but MUST INCLUDE MERIT RATINGS, including VALUE-ADDED SCORES, etc.
7. No more requirement to bargain over changing or deleting existing terms of the CBA--Board can change it
8. NO MORE BARGAINING OF EFFECTS OF MGMT DECISIONS
9. When looking at bargaining salaries, all sides MUST consider "ability to pay" WITHOUT COUNTING LEVIES THAT ARE UP OR WILL BE ADDED
10. ILLEGAL TO BARGAIN VACANCY/TRANSFER/JOB DUTIES (i.e. "no restriction on Board or administration's ability to fill or assign based on qualifications and suitability")
11. ILLEGAL TO BARGAIN ANY RESTRICTION ON CLASS SIZE
12. ILLEGAL TO BARGAIN ANY RESTRICTION ON A BOARD'S DETERMINATION OF HOW TO ORDER A RIF
13. Illegal to bargain any provision BETTER than the law, but CAN bargain LESS than the law.
14. IF IN FISCAL EMERGENCY, BOARD CAN TERMINATE CONTRACT WITH NOTICE; MAY bargain a new one.
15. Once Impasse is reached in negotiations, EMPLOYER MANDATED TO POST ON THEIR WEBSITE BOARD'S & UNION'S LAST OFFERS
16. Strikes WOULD still be Legal, BUT THE BOARD CAN GET AN INJUNCTION AT ANY TIME
17. BOARD CAN HIRE PERMANENT REPLACEMENTS FOR STRIKERS
18. Employers (Board members, administrators) can "offer opinions, views, beliefs, etc." on negotiations topics without it being a ULP
URGENT CALL TO ACTION...Join the cyber lobbying and email your Ohio Senator!
URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL SWOEA MEMBERS:
Tonight the OEA Region 5 Coordinating Council (R5CC) suspended business as usual. In response to Senate Bill 5 (SB5) and other pending legislation in Ohio’s Statehouse, the R5CC declared a state of crisis to address the dangers presented by this legislation.
Our first action was to form a crisis committee with the goals to inform members what’s at risk in the pending legislation and to engage members to avert this crisis. We pledged that we would wake up every morning asking ourselves, “What can I do today to solve this crisis?” and to ask all OEA members to join us.
In conjunction with the R5CC, SWOEA asks all locals to also form a crisis committee to address SB5 and other anti-public education legislation. Through various means, we will be asking all members to help.
Today, we ask you to ask members to go to https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=7ed63c4978e84786b84aab68fe982ed3&URL=http%3a%2f%2faces.ohea.org to become an OEA Cyber Lobbying Ace. OEA’s password protected program allows OEA members to obtain information on these critical issues. From that site we ask you to email your Ohio Senator your concerns about SB5.
We will be in contact very often as the issues facing us are complex and appear to be on a fast track in the legislature. We will be doing everything in our power to support your efforts to mobilize your members.
If it is at all possible, please consider attending hearings on SB5 at the Ohio Statehouse. Proponent testimony will be held on February 15, 2011 at 2:30 pm and Opponent testimony will be held on February 17, 2011 at 10 am.
If you have questions or concerns please contact me at (513) 594-7129 or https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx
Calling all members to action,
Richard C. Packert
SWOEA, President
Tonight the OEA Region 5 Coordinating Council (R5CC) suspended business as usual. In response to Senate Bill 5 (SB5) and other pending legislation in Ohio’s Statehouse, the R5CC declared a state of crisis to address the dangers presented by this legislation.
Our first action was to form a crisis committee with the goals to inform members what’s at risk in the pending legislation and to engage members to avert this crisis. We pledged that we would wake up every morning asking ourselves, “What can I do today to solve this crisis?” and to ask all OEA members to join us.
In conjunction with the R5CC, SWOEA asks all locals to also form a crisis committee to address SB5 and other anti-public education legislation. Through various means, we will be asking all members to help.
Today, we ask you to ask members to go to https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=7ed63c4978e84786b84aab68fe982ed3&URL=http%3a%2f%2faces.ohea.org to become an OEA Cyber Lobbying Ace. OEA’s password protected program allows OEA members to obtain information on these critical issues. From that site we ask you to email your Ohio Senator your concerns about SB5.
We will be in contact very often as the issues facing us are complex and appear to be on a fast track in the legislature. We will be doing everything in our power to support your efforts to mobilize your members.
If it is at all possible, please consider attending hearings on SB5 at the Ohio Statehouse. Proponent testimony will be held on February 15, 2011 at 2:30 pm and Opponent testimony will be held on February 17, 2011 at 10 am.
If you have questions or concerns please contact me at (513) 594-7129 or https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx
Calling all members to action,
Richard C. Packert
SWOEA, President
Friday, February 11, 2011
Urgent...OEA Educator Lobby Days.
Association Leaders,
By now, you may have already read the details of SB 5. If anyone had any question at all as to the intentions of the Republican Party they should not have any after seeing these details. I have attached copies of the entire SB5 for you to share with your members along with the testimony of the sponsor for SB5. That being said, now is when the hard work and grassroots effort starts. I am asking each of you personally, over the next days, weeks and months, to please assist each other, leaders, members, retirees and the communities we live in work in to understand how this bill will impact education, children, our jobs and finally our communities. We are in this together and only together can we overcome this attack. This is not a policy debate, they plan on doing permanent injury. The 500+ page bill hits almost every issue we stand for and hold dear--issues that took folks years and personal sacrifice to obtain. Let’s be clear, as I sit here typing, I believe they have the votes...but we have the people and the heart. Folks that came before us sacrificed to get 4117 we can do the same to keep it. We have to lobby and create activism on a scale we have never seen before. That being said, a lot of information will be coming at you in the next few days, weeks and months. We have to make sure every member understands the harm this bill will cause and then translate that into action and conversation with others. We may have to translate this in ways that makes it very personal for folks to get them geared up. Some things I can share with you right now:
We are working with a coalition group, Good Jobs Strong Communities, made up of community, labor, civil rights and environmental groups is coming together for the purpose of being an umbrella organization to organize major street demonstrations and events as well as increase public awareness collectively surrounding the many issues member organizations are working on.
Two dates to put in your calendar and to start letting folks know about:
March 15th at 5:00 p.m.--10-12 sites around the state will be targeted for mobilization of labor, community, civil rights and environmental groups. This is the day we expect the budget bill (more good news, right). We will host at least two of these events. As soon as we know which two and the locations of the others, I will let you know.
May 5th at 5:00 p.m. Large scale mobilization event in Columbus. We are hoping this will make history---also, this is the Thursday around the RA so folks should be in Columbus.
OEA Educator Lobby Days in Columbus:
March 29th, April 5, April 12, May 10, May 24th, June 7th, June 14th and June 21st.
OEA Educator Lobby Days in the Regions. TBD
Presidents' Day Weekend--Targeted for in-district meetings for State Senators.
Commitment Cards--incorporate the ask in every conversation you have. Talk about SB 5 and ask them to commit to helping defeat this bill. They can sign up through you (cards are attached) or through http://aces.ohea.org/site/PageServer. You can email, fax or mail the commitment cards to me but either way I need them ASAP. I would suggest maybe having your building representatives conduct 10 minute meetings to review this information and collect commitment cards at that time.
In closing, I would also like to say that difficult times lay ahead for all of us. This is the time that we need to communicate and work collectively more than ever. This rests on all our shoulders and together, I believe we can do this.
Yours In Union,
Jeff Nolasco
Commitment to Public Educa~1.pdf (29 KB)
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