LAMPHERE FEDERATION
OF TEACHERS
AFT Michigan #1614
July 2010
Contract Ratification Vote--The Tentative agreement passed on June 18th. The current contract remains in place until the new school year. Thanks to Nichole Bonotmasi and Jim Toma for working the polling area.
Contract Changes--An updated version of the contract will be available after it is proofread. It is important to note that new co-pays will start in September, while deductibles will not change until January 2011. The changes are noted here.
Article
III, Section A: Salary Schedules – pg. 7:
2010-2011 NEW SALARY SCHEDULE
·
Teachers hired before July 1, 2010 will be
placed at the step on the new salary schedule (13 steps) which reflects an amount just
above their 2009-2010 salary. For example: A teacher who is currently on the BA Step 5 of
the 2009/2010 salary schedule will be placed on BA Step 7.
·
.75% off-schedule, lump sum payment will
be paid prior to June 30, 2010.
·
All new teachers hired after July 1, 2010
will be placed on the new salary schedule (13 steps)
Track Educational Attainment
A BA
or BS=
Bachelor’s
Degree
C MA or MS= Master’s
Degree or BA + 50=Bachelor’s Degree plus fifty (50) semester hours
F MA+45=
Master’s
Degree plus forty-five (45) semester
Ed. Spec=
Educational Specialist Degree
Ed.D=
Doctorate in Education
PhD.=
Doctorate of Philosophy
·
0% with full step increase on the
2010-2011 salary schedule
·
.5% off-schedule, lump sum payment. Lump sum payment will be made in June 2012
Article
III, Section F(3): Health Insurance – pg.
9 &10:
Coverage to be
offered according to the eligibility requirements of the carrier and agreed to by the
Federation and the Board shall be as follows:
Health
insurance will be offered through a healthcare provider of the district’s choice. It is understood that comparable insurance coverage
to the 2009/2010 school year will be provided to all eligible employees excepting the
following deductibles and co-pays.
The annual
deductible for medical insurance will be:
·
2010/2011 shall
be $425/$650
·
2011/2012 shall
be $500/$725
The drug rider shall be:
·
$5 for
generic
·
$20 for
preferred and
·
$40 for brand
name drugs.
Co-pays applied
as follows:
$30 - Office co-pay
$50 - Urgent care co-pay – (not applied
to the deductible)
$40 - Chiropractic care co-pay
$125 - ER
co-pay – (not applied to the deductible)
NEW LANGUAGE Section F: Professional Development Trade Days
In order to be eligible for designated
professional development trade day(s), employees must complete a full-day of professional
development outside of the regular school day. All
professional development time must be approved in advance by the building administrator
and must be completed in advance of the designated trade day in order for the employee to
be eligible. Failure to complete required
professional development in advance will result in the docking of that day’s
compensation.
Article
IX, Teacher Evaluation, Dismissal and Tenure, Section B – pg. 20:
Letter of Understanding (Attachment B)
7) Article
XIV Professional Study Committee and Professional Development Training, Section C, pg. 33
Inclusion of Letter of Understanding
(Dated May 10, 2010) – (Attachment C)
Article XVII General, Section
K: 2010/2011 School Calendar – pg. 40:
- Tenured Teacher 183 days
- Non-Tenured Teachers 188 days
- Student days 176
Calendar dates to be clarified
Schedule B:
Teachers Supplemental Pay Scale – pg. 47 & 48:
·
Freeze at 2009 - 2010 Rate
·
Section D, 20 – Link Crew
Coordinators - 1% and administration will
attempt to provide an additional planning period for the Link Crew Coordinator to organize
Link Crew and
§
DRAFT Framework of general
responsibilities required in addition to the program proposal presented to the Board in
March 2008. (Attachment E & F)
§
DRAFT Framework of general
responsibilities required in addition to the program proposal presented to the Board in
March 2008. (Attachment E & F)
Calendar--The calendar for 2010/2011 has not been finalized as yet, but here are some important dates to note. Work will soon begin on the calendar for 2011/2012.
- First day of work--August 31
- Labor Day Weekend--September 3-6
- Thanksgiving Break--November 24,25,26
- Winter Break, December 20-January 3
- Summer Trade Day--Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday--January 17
- Mid-Winter Break--February 21-22 correction
- Spring Break--April 4-8
- Easter Break--April 22-25
- Memorial Day Weekend--May 27 half day--May 30 Memorial Day
- June 15--Last Day for Teachers
Congratulations to More LFT Retirees-- Ann Bekaert, Ross Cardew, Tom Davis, Nancy Grady, Mike Irla, Robyn McCormack, Gordie Smith, Diane Stouffer and Jim Walanis... Add to this list Lois Englehard, Debbie Belmont, Rochelle Karl, Kathy Melchert , and Karen Elandt. Congratulations to Dan Kramer who will be pursuing a new path. Thank you for the work you did and your dedication to the education of students in the Lamphere District. You will be missed.
AFT Michigan files in Wayne County Circuit Court, Challenge to Retirement Legislation--
A Statement from President David Hecker--
Today, June 25, 2010, AFT Michigan has filed a legal action in Wayne County Circuit Court challenging parts of the recently enacted school employees’ retirement legislation, PA 75 and PA 77.
PA 75 is indefensible because it requires school employees, and only school employees, to pay 3% of their salary into a trust to pay for benefits which they may never receive. PA 77 says that retiree health benefits are not guaranteed and may never be paid, a statement which was repeated frequently by members of the Legislature as the bill was discussed. As written, school employees are paying money without knowing if they will ever see any benefits. This is arbitrary.
PA 75 also removes every person hired after July 1, 2010 from the existing retirement fund and places them into a fund which is not described or explained. No person hired after July 1, 2010 can have any idea what their retirement plan will be. The Legislature has unfairly classified these new hires.
Rather than enact further take backs from the women and men who educate our children, the Legislature should support a graduated income tax, a move that would benefit the lower 85% of wage earners and bring in $1.l billion for education, police, fire protection and other services; extend the sales tax to non-essential services; and decouple from the federal estate tax, which would impact only the top 10 percent of the wealthiest households and bring in $100 million.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Schram
LFT President