|
The Connection
1136 N. Military Ave.
Green Bay, WI 54303
920-496-2440
800-472-5582
|
|
June 7, 2019
MEMBERSHIP EDITION, Vol. 3, #9
|
|
"Union membership offers me a lot, including access to advice for challenging situations and meetings. I'm glad that I am a part of the union and I am thankful for representation and the unique benefits that I am entitled to."
--Jane Solkowski
Manitowoc EA
What's YOUR membership story? Why are YOU a member? Send a photo and your story to
region3@weac.org
|
|
|
Just a reminder that where a district did not provide a notice of non-renewal or renewal by May 15 to teachers, those teachers must “self-renew” their contracts by the statutory deadline of June 15. A letter stating the following is sufficient:
- Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 118.22(2), given that the District did not provide me with notice of renewal or refusal to renew my individual contract by May 15, my teaching contract now in force is to continue for the ensuing school year. I hereby accept the renewal of my 2018-19 individual contract for the 2019-20 school year.
Because school districts in cities of the first class (Milwaukee) are not subject to Wis. Stat. § 118.22, this advice does not apply to MTEA members.
Please contact
Region 3
if you have any questions or concerns.
|
|
|
All too often we hear, "there's no reason to hold a meeting if there's nothing to report/decide/vote on." Or, we hear, "I'm not sure we have a union because there are never any meetings." But mostly, we hear, "I don't have TIME to go to ANOTHER meeting."
You have an opportunity to keep members in the loop AND respect their time by holding 10-minute meetings! It's also a great time to get feedback from people in the building.
If you feel like you're in a rut, why not try the 10-minute meeting?
|
|
For more details about how the 10-minute meeting works, click
here
.
For previous 10-minute meeting topics:
The June 10-Minute Meeting topic:
Fall Membership Drive
|
|
|
Get started NOW for a Fall Membership Drive!
|
Planning for a Fall Membership Drive can begin now.
Attend the
June 20 Membership Drive Workshop (details below) ..if you can't, then here are some important steps to take instead:
1) Discuss the need for a membership drive at a 10-minute meeting and get volunteers for a committee. You can't do the work alone, and working with friends is more fun anyway!
2) Ask potential members NOW to enroll early - sign on the dotted line now, pay dues in September. Contact
WEAC Region 3 for early enrollment forms for your Local.
3)
Obtain the names of new employees (and contact information, if possible) as soon as they are available. Develop a relationship with someone in the district office, or comb the Board minutes to learn about new hires.
4) Design a "Welcome" event for new employees. It could be during new employee inservice or BEFORE (why not have the union be the first touch, instead of the District?). Then, reach out in as many ways as possible to invite the new employees - phone, email, drop by the new employee's workplace.
AT THE WELCOME EVENT, ASK THE NEW EMPLOYEES TO JOIN THE UNION.
5) Have new teachers and/or esp's fill out an NEA
New Educator or
ESP form.
6) Follow up with new employees -- information from the New Educator cards can be great talking points. Welcome new union members to the fold, and if a new employee hasn't yet joined,
ASK AGAIN.
7) Plan a union calendar of events, e.g., monthly 10-minute meetings, quarterly social events, professional development opportunities.
KEEP ASKING new employees and other potential members to join.
|
|
|
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS in May:
|
5 Early Enrollees
4 New Members
|
|
BUILDING A POWER LOCAL!
NOW is the time to start thinking about how to build up the strength of YOUR Local! Do you think you could sign up 10 new members in your Local next year? Below are two workshops sponsored by Region 3 that will help your Local become bigger and more powerful. Also check the state-wide calendar (below) for other events that may be closer to you than Green Bay.
|
|
|
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019
Membership Drive Workshop
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
TEAMS (of at least 3) are invited to learn about best practices, then have time in the workshop to PLAN a Fall Membership Drive for YOUR Local.
To Register:
|
|
|
|
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019
SOLIDARITY SEMINAR
8:30 am - noon
Designed for members interested in learning how to be a better building rep or officer, we'll cover best practices in communication, Weingarten Rights, and a whole lot more.
To Register:
|
|
|
|
|
Get ready for a new membership year at our workshop for Local Associations.
The WEAC Welcome Program is a partnership that incorporates Interest Cards and encourages one-on-one conversations that begin after a new educator is hired. Through emails, professional development based on the individual's interests, and continued outreach, our union builds a relationship with new educators. Please consider signing up for a Welcome Program Workshop this summer to develop or fine-tune your membership plan for 2019-20.
CHOOSE A WEAC WORKSHOP LOCATION
MILWAUKEE - JULY 13 - 10 a.m.-Noon
NEENAH - JULY 16 - 4-6 p.m.
EAU CLAIRE - JULY 20 - 10 a.m.-Noon
SPARTA - AUGUST 3 - Noon-2 p.m.
RHINELANDER - AUGUST 13 - 10 a.m.-Noon
DRUMMOND - AUGUST 24 - NOON-2 p.m.
WAUSAU - AUGUST 31 - NOON-2 p.m.
|
|
|
|
Regions 5, 6, and 7 are holding Membership Drive and Leadership workshops August 6, 7, and 8.
Location Selection - Tuesday, August 6, 2019
- Baraboo - Region 5 Office, 135 3rd Avenue
- Watertown - Watertown Public Library, 100 S. Water Street
Location Selection - Wednesday, August 7, 2019
- Brookfield - Region 7 Office, 13805 W. Burleigh Road, Suite 200
- Janesvillle - Sidelines, 731 S. Wuthering Hills Drive
Location Selection - Thursday, August 8, 2019
- Madison - Region 6/WEAC Office, 33 Nob Hill Road
- Oshkosh - UW Oshkosh Reeve Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.
|
|
|
|
Clicking on the image below will bring you to a state-wide calendar of events open to ALL members. Do you work in a Region 3 school, but live closer to Region 7? No problem? Sign up today for topics that interest you and are convenient to you!
|
|
DATES AND TIMES:
Monday, July 29 – Wednesday, July 31
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
LOCATION:
UW-Stevens Point
|
|
Hello all,
I get a pain in my stomach whenever I hear this question: "What can the union do for me?"
That's just not how it works.
Well, okay, as a member, you can access some money-saving benefits that seem to be a thing that falls from the sky into your lap (low-cost life insurance, anyone?).
But the real power of unions, the stuff that really does something FOR you, takes work. It takes some key leadership to identify an issue that members can rally around. It takes some organizing of the message and the ask (what do we want and when do we want it?). And it takes some commitment to create a plan of action that will get our demands achieved.
I hope you read the success stories in
last month's Membership Edition. It can be done! I hope you noticed the workshops we planned to help you get there. We're here to help!
--Peace
Kathy Rohde
Region 3 Regional Director
|
|
WEAC Region 3
1136 N. Military Ave.,
Green Bay, WI 54303.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|