The Connection 1136 N. Military Ave. Green Bay, WI 54303 920-496-2440 800-472-5582

October 25, 2019

WEAC Region 3 represents public education employees in a large territory stretching from Florence to Port Washington, and from Menominee to Washington Island.

Notice of Important Upcoming Deadlines: JANUARY 15: Nominations are due by January 15 for Alternate NEA Director to be decided at the Representative Assembly in April. All persons desiring to be candidates for this position shall file their intention in the office of the Executive Director, P.O. Box 8003, Madison WI 53708-8003. Such notice must be postmarked no later than January 15, 2020. Please contact Ann Caruso for paperwork for filing for this position. She can be reached at CarusoA@weac.org or 800-362-8034, extension 219. JANUARY 15: The deadline for submitting proposed changes to WEAC Bylaws, Constitution, standing Rules or Resolutions is January 15. Changes should be submitted to the Office of the WEAC Executive Director, P.O. Box 8003, Madison WI 53708. FEBRUARY 1: The deadline for applying for the four WEAC Scholarships for children of WEAC members is February 1. Scholarship winners will receive grants of $1,450 per year for four years of college or university study, if they remain eligible. Find out more at weac.org/scholarships . FEBRUARY 1: February 1 is the deadline for nominations for several WEAC awards : the Education Support Professional Award; Friend of Education Award; Lewandowski Award for Humanitarian Activities; Tenia Jenkins Activist Award; and the Cunningham, Dickinson, Watson Staff Award. For details, go to weac.org/awards .

Attention K-12 Members & Non-Members - RECERTIFICATION IS COMING . . . Vote YES to Support Your Colleagues and RECERTIFY Begins: Noon on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Ends: Noon on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 The recertification vote is conducted via telephone or online voting. Please follow these steps to cast your anonymous ballot to show your support: Directions : V oters who choose to vote online do so by logging on to  http://www.aaaelections.org/WERC and following the on-screen instructions for online voting. Make sure you VOTE YES for recertification and submit your vote . Then CONFIRM your vote by selecting “yes” again.  Wait until you are informed that your vote has been successfully processed before leaving the site so that your vote is counted. Voters choosing to call the recertification voting line dial:  1-866-458-9862 (toll free) anytime: When prompted, confirm your identity by entering the first 4 letters of your LAST NAME, then the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. The image to the right above shows which letters are associated with the telephone keypad numbers; You will then be asked “Do you want to continue to be represented by (the name of your current union) for the purpose of collective bargaining?” When prompted, VOTE YES to recertify your union; after voting, STAY ON THE LINE. Do not HANG UP until you receive a “thank you” message. Otherwise your vote is simply not counted and therefore you will need to go back and vote again. The same is true for interrupted calls - you must repeat your call and vote again to be counted.   Additional Information : Your vote is secret; All employees in a bargaining unit vote, not just union members; The union needs to win 51% of all unit employees to recertify, which means that not voting is the same as voting no. Your colleagues need your support, so please vote YES. Employees experiencing trouble using the telephonic or online voting system, can call 1-800-529-5218 during the hours of 10 am to 6 pm Monday-Friday. If the prompt gives you the name of another local union, hang up and call WEAC Region 3 at 920-496-2440 or 800-472-5582. If you have problems casting your vote, report the problem as instructed and report it to Region 3 at 920-496-2440, 800-472-5582 or email Region3@weac.org.

Region 3/GBEA National Board Support Sessions  WEAC, Region 3 and GBEA have organized ongoing monthly National Board Support for the 2019-2020 cycle. Generally, the first portion of the session will feature a presentation on a topic or issue and the second portion of the session will be reserved for working with candidate concerns and questions. Sessions will be held at the WEAC Region 3 Office, 1136 N Military Ave, Green Bay. We have a new facilitator, Sarah Johnston (Marinette). We have added the option of joining us via Zoom if you are unable to attend in person! Pre-registration is not required but appreciated - light dinner will be served. To register, click here . Find the schedule with ZOOM links here

CALL FOR PROPOSALS Region 3 is planning a professional development conference for  Saturday, January 25th .  (In case it matters to you, this is a bye weekend between NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl!)  It will be the 2nd year of sharing best practices and learning new skills - - member to member! Last year's conference included sessions such as "Mindfulness for Teachers and ESP," "GaGa for Google Classroom," "Special Ed. Law and Violent Student Behaviors," "Managing Student Behaviors," and "Beating Back the Bully Principal." Now's the time for you to think about topics that YOU would be willing to present! Fill out the  Call for Proposals form  and help us fill the agenda for this great event.  Fun Fact: Presenters get a $200 stipend! Comments from last year: Very informative. Very relatable presenter. Thanks!! This was great. I learned a lot and it was very helpful! Got more out of this class than I have in all my other classes I have taken.

Member Benefits

Attention WEAC Region 3 Members! Wondering where to start? Are you on the right track? Individual financial consultations with WEA Member Benefits can help answer both of those questions! Steve Bader is a retired teacher from De Pere and he’s a Member Benefits Consultant. Steve will be onsite to meet with members. WHAT:  FREE Financial Consultation WHEN/WHERE:   See below (register by clicking one of the links below) Steve can answer your specific questions on a wide range of financial topics such as: Reasons to start a 403(b) or IRA savings account and how to enroll Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) basics Retirement Savings strategies; Pre-tax vs. Roth, 403(b) vs. IRA Investment/Account Fees Tips for purchasing home and auto insurance Photo ID is required to access and discuss Member Benefits account information during the consultation. For WRS Calculations please schedule an appointment with our Financial Planner. Spouses/partners welcome. WEAC Region 3 Office 1136 N. Military Ave, Green Bay, WI 54303 Sign up here for your consultation   Can’t make it to a consultation but still want your questions answered? Sign up for a 30-minute phone consultation with a Retirement and Investment Consultant. Check out www.weabenefits.com/consults to find a convenient time and day for you.

Need a 4- or 5-drawer file cabinet? Region 3 is making room for our new tenants. Therefore, we have several 4-drawer cabinets and one 5-drawer file cabinet. All are black and are non-locking. Call or email us to claim yours and schedule a time for pick-up.

Political Action This is an 11.0101(10)(b)(1) communication with WEAC members.

Hello all, What do you think happened when the Superintendent at the Manitowoc Public School District proposed a policy that prohibits teachers and support staff from directly communicating with the School Board? Led by the union, MEA President Michelle Preussler spoke against the measure at a recent School Board meeting. Staff members crowded into the meeting room so that there was standing room only. They stood and applauded Michelle's comments and then filed out of the room after her remarks. It was a powerful moment. People felt very emboldened and empowered by the event. It will be fruitful - some of the board members agreed with Michelle's comments about open communication and could resist the Superintendent's proposal. This action will bear fruit in other ways too - the union will re-group and plan other ways to protest this and other measures. There is power in standing together! Do you have some moments we can share with your union colleagues? Let's spread the hope around! Peace! --Kathy Rohde Uniserv Director Region 3 WEAC

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