November 22, 2019
WEAC Region 3 represents public education employees in a large territory stretching from Florence to Port Washington,
and from Menominee to Washington Island.
G o o d N e w s
We'd love to share YOUR good news with everyone - let us know what's going on in your Local !
Adult Basic Education (ABE) Instructor and WEAC Region 3 member Laurie Jarvis earned Teacher of the Year honors on behalf of the Region 3 Correctional Education Association. The award recognizes outstanding educational contributions by a teacher in a correctional facility. In addition to teaching ABE at FVTC's Wautoma Regional Center, she teaches at the Waushara County Jail and provides instructional leadership for faculty at other area correctional sites.


Tech Ed Champion
Seymour Member breathes New Life into Tech Ed Program

In 2017, officials at Seymour High School were looking to revamp the tech ed program. After 23 years of teaching social studies, Region 3 member Staci Sievert volunteered to be retrained to lead this project.

She met with the the FVTC Wood Manufacturing Technology Department Chair to develop a schedule that allowed her to take wood manufacturing classes while continuing to teach.

Staci took 4 classes, which were instrumental in reviving the tech ed program. She reworked the curriculum and upgraded equipment to be more aligned with industry standards.

She and others are now working with other FVTC instructors in the welding and metals programs to update those classes and students are responding. Enrollment has nearly doubled in just two years.
UP Connection November 16
So sorry you missed it! 26 members from 16 different Locals engaged in some great learning about issue organizing and we had a lot of fun along the way!
Barb VanDoorn from Region 1 presents "How to Stay Sane."
ESP members talk about issues they face.
Panelists share successes they've had with issue campaigns .
Lunchtime conversations about what's happening at your Local.
Nathan Ugoretz, chair of WR3's Legislative Committee, talks about upcoming elections.
Zone C members network.
LITTLE TIME LEFT!
Voting Ends November 26

Attention K-12 Members & Non-Members -
RECERTIFICATION IS HERE!
Midpoint Ballot Counts were announced on Monday, November 18!
Vote YES to Support Your Colleagues
and RECERTIFY

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.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Fun Fact: Presenters get a $200 stipend!

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. 
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
Interest Free Loans

WEA Credit Union offers teachers interest free loans for the purpose of obtaining their National Board Certification. Each loan will be in the amount of $2000 to be repaid over a 20-month period. The qualifications are:

  • Applicant must be a WEA Credit Union member for a minimum of 12 months
  • Must have a WEACU checking account with direct deposit ($500 minimum)
  • Must have automatic payment to loan from checking
  • Credit score of 641 or higher
  • Maximum 50% gross debt ratio
  • $25 application fee
  • 18% default interest rate

If you are interested in obtaining an interest free loan, you can apply with our secure online loan application or you can contact a friendly loan officer at 1-800-457-1142.
Don't forget that all WEA Credit Union MasterCard credit card purchases earn 1% cash back!
Hi All,

If you read this piece with some regularity, you will know that I am taking a class this semester. It's called "Public Narrative: Leadership, Storytelling, and Action!" In the last couple of weeks, and for the duration of the class, we are focusing on the empathetic bridge . The diagram above is very helpful to understand how leaders can help others act to affect change. In a "we're all in this together" mode, we can enable others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty.

This week, I felt a sea change in the way I look at my work. This empathetic bridge is a lens that helps me understand my role in a new way. The conversations I had with members were different and more satisfying. I have great hope for our union.

Peace,

Kathy Rohde
Uniserv Director
Region 3 WEAC