Bargaining Action #StrongerTogether #UnionProud #UnionStrong

To the 2,350 WEA public school employees working in the Soundview region, WAY TO GO! Your commitment to holding district administrators responsible for fulfilling the McCleary Promise demands praise, applause and RESPECT. You have made history by demonstrating the solidarity and power of union membership. You are worth every penny spent settling each contract! #WeAreWorthIt #UnionStrong #WeAreDoingThisTogether #WeDeserveIt - Renee Verone, Council President

Events coming up
 

Feb 8 - New Hire and Student Teacher Dinner - This is happy hour for student teachers and our new hires hosted by Soundview. Join others to learn more about:

• Pathways to certification
• Know your contract
• PD4Educators
• Benefits of Membership
• Welcome to your union
• Retirement
• Healthcare

May 16 - National Boards Ceremony

#PD4Educators for 2018 - 2019

• Dec 1 -  Teaching Equity Conference at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom (Clock hours provided) Onsite registration. Event details at: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=qmzqlrqab&oeidk=a07efnc0v4p6646683a
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• Jan 31 - Para and Teacher Partnership - Teacher and para teams come together or bring a friend to this incredibly helpful workshop. This class provides paras (and their teacher partner) tools that make success in the classroom easier. This workshop is offered by Steilacoom's Student Services Coordinator, Tanya Rontos. Coming out of the special education classroom she is now fundamental in supporting all teachers and paras throughout the district in seeking classroom and student strategies for success. Please join us for this three hour workshop and come prepared to learn! Register online at https://squareup.com/store/soundview
  
  
• Feb 2 - WEA Bargaining Conference - Connect with your local president if you are interested in this training. More info to come
  
  
• Feb 15-16 - SPARKS for Certificated Staff - New to the profession Under 5 years. Contact Jo for more information.
   
• Feb 28 - Culturally Responsive Classroom Managment (MOD2)- Closing the Achievement Gap 
  Register online at https://squareup.com/store/soundview
  The seminar includes strategies for closing the achievement gap for improving the learning experiences of diverse students, especially those who are struggling to achieve at high levels. It focuses on four factors that affect student achievement: Culture, Abilities, Resilience, and Effort (C.A.R.E.). Culture: • Look at cultural differences by learning about the cultures that students bring to school - their everyday experiences - and connect these experiences to what is taught. Abilities: • Recognize the abilities students have learned in their homes and communities that do not show up on standardized tests, but can contribute to academic success. Resilience: • Cultivate resilience in students to help them persevere in school, despite repeated failure or discouragement they may have experienced in their environment. Effort: • Find out how students who are difficult to motivate are motivated outside of school, and bring those interests inside the schoolhouse where they can be used to direct students toward academics. 
  
  
• Mar 16 - South Sound Saturday School - Back by demand! This is the 9th annual offering of this conference. The schedule is packed for this one day conference and offers 6 clock hours. Registration open soon. 
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• April 12 - Pre-Retirement Seminar - Members have requested a spring class in addition to the Fall Offering. Please keep your eye out for registration information. 
  
  
• May 30 - Social and Emotional Support 
  
  
• June 17-19 - SPARKS for ESP (classified) - New to the profession under 5 years

There is no gift from the Freedom Foundation.
Click here for more information: Frequently Asked Questions: Freedom Foundation vs. WEA 

They Say ... We offer attorneys to cancel union membership

We Say ... We offer attorneys to support grievances

They Say ... Pay for our educational insurance when you cancel your membership

We Say ... Your educational insurance up to $1 Million already covers members

They Say ... Union membership costs money

We Say ... Union membership gives you a voice in the workplace

They Say ... You have a right to pay union dues

We Say ... You have the right to stand up without retribution to poor working conditions

Collective bargaining has always been the bedrock of the American labor movement. I hope that you will continue to anchor your movement to this foundation. Free collective bargaining is good for the entire Nation. In my view, it is the only alternative to State regulation of wages and prices - a path which leads far down the grim road of totalitarianism. Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor - those who would cripple collective bargaining or prevent organization of the unorganized - do a disservice to the cause of democracy.

John F. Kennedy 
 
               The collective bargaining agreement, or contract, establishes the rights and working conditions (including pay) for the members of CPEA, ESPCP, SCEA, SEA, UPCA, UPEA, and UPOP. Collective bargaining is the process used by the members of ESPCP to advocate for improved working conditions, fair wages, and to set limits on the power of the employer to act without representation.
 
      The power of collective bargaining is the power of the group to take united action. One employee has little power or influence and can easily be dismissed as a complainer or malcontent. Together, speaking with one voice at the bargaining table, ESPCP can promote the common interests and ideas of all members to address workplace issues.
  
     Through collective bargaining, you have the protection of due process and the ability to use the grievance process in situations where a supervisor or the employer acts unfairly or arbitrarily. Collective bargaining increases the wages and hours of employees in the bargaining unit. Over the last five years wages in our classified units have increased more than 25% on average. These are real gains for members worth thousands of dollars each year and would not have been possible without collective bargaining.
 
     In addition, member issues that involve potential loss of hours, layoff, transfer, and evaluation can all be addressed using the collective bargaining agreement, and the contract language providing employee protection is reinforced and improved as part of the bargaining process.
 
     The contractual agreement between the your local union and the District provides a venue for members of the bargaining unit to meet management as equals and stand up for the rights of workers to be treated with the respect they deserve, the respect they earn doing the important work that is necessary in providing a quality education of the students they serve.