MFT&SRP Local #1614
August 2004
Contract: LFT members voted to ratify the one year contract for 2004-05. Thanks to the bargaining team members, Dave Wrobel, Chris Anderson, Barb Buczynski, Beth Sabo and Judy Schram for the time spent working for the LFT. Thanks to all of the members for attending the informational meetings and voting. A special thanks to Election Committee member Ross Cardew for his work at the voting area.
Pay Periods: Just a reminder that there will be an additional pay period this year. Those of you who elect 26 pay periods will get 27. Those that elect 21 pay periods will have 22. If we had adhered to the contractual language for pay periods, your first paycheck would not have been until September 10th. Because your annual pay will be spread over more pay dates, your actual check will look smaller, but you will receive the same pay.
New Teachers: Welcome to the Lamphere School District
and to the Lamphere Federation of Teachers Catherine Charnawskas , Science High School,
Margaret Squires, Art High School, Alison Szafarczyk
Section 125: Section 125 Accounts are up for renewal in October. New IRS rules now allow for reimbursement for some over-the-counter medications. However vitamins and weight loss drugs remain non-reimbursable. For more information contact MEBS at flex@mebs.com. Submit your reimbursement for your 2003-04 accounts as soon as possible to MEBS. October is the deadline for reimbursement. Forms can be obtained by calling or e-mailing Pat Wagner at the board office.
Labor Day and Labor Week: The
traditional Labor Day parade is back. Members interested in participating
should contact Judy
Schram for details. Tuesday, September 7 is Michigan Labor’s Day at the ballpark.
Upper Deck box seats are available for
$10. The game is at 7:05 p.m. against the Kansas City Royals. Seats must be purchased by
August 31. Labor Fest 2004 will be on Sunday, September 12 at Ford Field from 11:00 a.m-6
p.m. Admission is free. There will be music, exhibits, food, games on the field and marching bands competition. Visit www.laborfestdetroit.org.
NCLB: Updates
to NCLB can be accessed at the American Federation of Teachers website, http://www.aft.org or at the MFT&SRP site, http://www.mftsrp.org.
Current legislation calls for teachers in several academic areas to be
highly qualified by 2005-06. Members are encouraged to update their certification. While
there has been some proposed legislation to change some aspects of the law nothing has yet
passed.
Register
to Vote: In order to vote this November you must be registered thirty days
before the election. You may register to vote by mail, at your county clerk’s office
or at a Secretary of State branch office. More detailed information can be found at
Michigan Secretary of State Publius Voter Information Center, http://www.sospublius.org/help/howtoregister.asap.
National
Battleground States’ Labor to Labor Walk: Union members will be walking in
battleground states on Thursday, September 2, 2004 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. This is the day
that President Bush will accept the Republican nomination for president. The MFT&SRP
are asking for 200 members to come join with other AFL-CIO unions as we knock on the doors
of labor households and give them an alternative to the George Bush speech. Knock on the
doors of several union members and know you helped elect John Kerry president. There will
be several staging areas in the Metro-Detroit area. For more information contact Agatha
Butts Dier at 313-393-2200 or 1-800-638-8868 or e-mail at adier@mftsrp.org.
AFT
Convention: LFT delegates to the AFT Convention, Chris Anderson, Barbara
Buczynski and Judy Schram received a “Pride of the Union Award” given to locals
with more than 80% (Dave can you check the
percentage?) union membership. The LFT takes great pride in having 100% union
membership.
Professional Development: The MFT& SRP is offering, “Managing Anti-Social Behavior”on September 7 & 9 at the Detroit MFT & SRP office from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Call the MFT & SRP office 1-313-393-2200 if you are interested in attending.
AFT Disaster Relief Fund: The AFT has established a fund for AFT members who were affected by the recent hurricane that hit Florida. Many
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Schram
LFT Vice-President