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What unions do

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

A torrent of censorship

Nearly 250 years since our country’s founding, some Americans are still attempting to restrict others’ basic freedoms. In Florida and elsewhere, censoring books is part of larger efforts to exert greater control over and undermine education.

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Celebrating student loan relief

“It was like waking up and learning you won the lottery.” That’s just one of the comments flooding the AFT offices from members who are elated to be free of student debt at last. After relentless advocacy, including an AFT lawsuit against former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that was so broken is finally doing what it is supposed to do: delivering relief from student debt for thousands of borrowers. So far, $6.2 billion in student debt has been forgiven for 100,000 public service workers like teachers, nurses and professors.

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Demand Safe Schools! Wear RED Wednesday, September 2nd!

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 is a National Day of Action to urge the US Senate to pass the HEROES Act. 

MEA is joining with other educators and education stakeholders around the state and nation to create a social media presence that urges the Senate to pass and the President to sign the HEROES Act. 

If passed, the HEROES Act would provide critical resources to protect students, teachers, paras and our families from COVID-19; to save jobs and to meet the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of all our students. 

Whether working from home or at your worksite MEA is asking members to do the following:

  • Wear RED on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020,
  • Print and fill out this sign,
  • Mask up,
  • Take a selfie with your sign, and

 

Post on your social media page(s) using the hashtags #DemandSafeSchools and #HEROESAct.
(On Facebook use @manateeea to tag MEA in your post.)

PDF icon day_of_action_mea_090220-i-demand.pdf

Amendment to 20-21 Reopening of Schools MOU

July 31, 2020 - The language in the Reopening of Schools MOU regarding pay for teaching more than one schedule needed to be clarified. For that reason, Superintendent Saunders and MEA President Pat Barber have agreed to the PDF icon this AMENDMENT to the MOU. 

Administrators received the same information from Ms. Saunders.

PDF icon reopeningmouamendment.pdf

Memorandum of Understanding for 20-21 Reopening of Schools

July 30, 2020 - The Manatee Education Association and the Superintendent have reached agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that spells out the working conditions for teachers and paras during the re-opening of schools under the conditions of the pandemic and the Executive Order of Commissioner Corcorcan to open brick and mortar schools 5 days a week. 

We are providing highlights but encourage you to read the attached MOU to fully understand your rights and working conditions. 

Highlights 

  • Expectations for two weeks of pre-planning 
  • Assurance that CDC guidelines will be followed 
  • Teacher and para working conditions for all 3 student schedules 
  • And much more… 

Please read the details contained in the attached documents and let us know if you have questions. 

Pat Barber          Cynthia Saunders

 

President            Superintendent

PDF icon mou-005-07292020_-_2020-2021_reopening_of_schools.pdf

Information from MEA for Teachers

Any teacher who wishes to teach in the eLearning schedule because he/she falls in a high-risk category according to CDC guidelines* should follow the following steps:
1. inform his/her principal of that fact as soon as possible.  
2. the principal should then direct the teacher to contact HR Director Wendy Mungillo to provide information regarding the condition or circumstance that causes the person to be high risk. This also pertains to those who live with or care for a high-risk individual in their homes.

We suggest that you wait to hear from Ms. Mungillo about sending the doctor's note.

This is not going to be a cumbersome process with a lot of documentation needed. A simple explanation and a doctor's note will be enough.

*The following conditions put people at high risk for COVID:

  • being above 60 years of age 
  • cancer
  • chronic kidney disease
  • COPD
  • immunocompromised state
  • obesity
  • serious heart conditions
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Type 1 and 2 diabetes
  • Asthma
  • hypertension or high blood pressure
  • Cerebrovascular disease
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Neurologic conditions
  • Pregnancy
  • Liver disease
  • Pulmonary fibrosis
  • Thalassemia

AFT launches massive national campaign to fund public education

The AFT’s long-time advocacy for public schools has just been turbo-charged, with a sweeping, multi-pronged campaign to fund the future of American public education. Amid the continuing wave of teacher activism shining a spotlight on massive shortfalls in education investment, the Fund Our Future initiative aims to take the teachers’ megaphone into Congress, statehouses and communities nationwide.

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AFT members are taking Navient to court

A class-action suit filed in federal court sets out serious allegations that student loan servicer Navient has misled borrowers in public service professions from accessing a loan forgiveness program to boost its own profits. The landmark complaint, which seeks millions in damages and class-wide injunctive relief, details a spate of systematic misrepresentations, untruths and misdirection pedaled by Navient to stop borrowers from enrolling in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a 10-year payoff plan administered by rival servicer FedLoan.

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Important Information RE: the Data Breach Settlement

Attention:  MEA Members

June 4, 2018 - In February 2017 MEA informed members that we were working with our attorneys to determine viable avenues to assist members in recovering any losses which have been sustained, or which may occur in the future, stemming from the District's improper disclosure of W-2 forms.

By now you should have received information via US mail (a post card) from the class action settlement administrator, Equip Systems. The information details how to access the settlement website and how to submit a claim.

In order to receive money from the settlement, a member must complete a claim form and submit it to the Settlement Administrator.

Anyone who does not submit a claim form, will not receive any money from the settlement.

All information is available at www.AlbertVManateeSettlement.com including the claim forms.

Notice outlining the settlement terms