EDUCATION
MINNESOTA - OSSEO GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETING MINUTES
Agenda/Consent Agenda: President Anderson asked for a motion to accept the Agenda and all items in the Consent Agenda (Secretary’s report, Treasurer’s report and President’s report). Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Kelly Wilson seconded. Motion carried. Osseo Schools Assistant Superintendent of Leadership, Teaching and Learning: Keith Jacobus came to the GMM to introduce himself to members and talked about his background prior to coming to Osseo Schools. He stated that one of his goals is to be out in buildings and classrooms. He thanked Jay and members for giving him the opportunity to come to GMM. Correspondence: The AFL-CIO sent information about scholarship opportunities for members and/or their dependents. Scholarships are for high school seniors graduating in 2011 and Adult Learner scholarships. If you or a dependent is interested in applying for one of the scholarships please contact the EM-O offices. EM-O received a thank you note from CEAP for the matching donation teachers made to their organization. A thank you note was also sent from OARE for the donation of gift cards and Jay’s help at the annual Scholarship Breakfast. Negotiations: Phil Bernards reported that the Negotiations Committee had developed a survey that was sent out to members. He requested that all members check their emails for the survey and to please fill it out. He also mentioned that the Negotiations Committee, members of the Executive Board and members interested in the LCAT training would be attending the 2011 Collective Bargaining Conference on January 21 and 22 in Bloomington. Jay reported that he, Kelly and Renée had attended the MAC meeting on Wednesday. The meeting focused on negotiation strategies, setting common negotiation goals for districts and monitoring what is happening at the legislature. District Budget Forecast: Jay shared the Osseo Schools budget forecast with GM. Members asked about how to best share this information with members. Jay said it is the responsibility of the District to share this information with staff. He also reminded members that this projection is dependent upon what the Legislature does this session which could change the budget forecast. He told members it is more important to tell their building about being informed and involved in what is happing at the legislature due to the present state of the economy and the large state budget deficit. He will send out talking points for members to share with their legislators. The LCAT team is also working on a political action plan which will be shared with members. Petition Request for a Professional Negotiator: The Executive Board had reviewed the petition request from Osseo Junior High at their last meeting. The Board recommended not hiring a professional contract negotiator for this round of negotiations because the current budget does not support this expenditure, the language in the Constitution does not cover the hiring of a professional contract negotiator, and GM has already voted to have the current members of the Negotiations Committee represent them in negotiations. The Executive Board also recommended bringing this item to the GMM for further consideration. President Anderson stated if we were to hire a professional contract negotiator we would have to make adjustments to the current budget in order to cover the cost. He also said at this point he was uncertain about the actual cost of hiring a professional contract negotiator. A BR at OJH was going to read an email written by an OJH staff member representing the OJH staff members who signed the petition. The BR was unable to read the email and requested President Anderson read it to GM for him, which President Anderson agreed to do. The email spoke to the reasons why the OJH staff who signed the petition believed it would be in the member’s best interest to hire a professional contract negotiator. The BR present at GM stated the email represented the Osseo Junior High staff perspective on the issue. He asked GM to think about the proposal. GM then discussed what they thought were the possible pros and cons of the proposal. Paul Wardell made the motion to ask for Osseo Junior High staff members that signed the petition, to put in writing what they felt did not get addressed in the last contract which could be better addressed by hiring an outside professional negotiator. Krista Frechette seconded the motion. Tim Hollis added a Friendly Amendment: Requesting the same staff members at OJH compile a list of names of people they felt could fill the position of a professional contract negotiator along with the cost of each of these professional contract negotiators. Jay restated the motion with the amendment and asked for a vote on the motion. Motion carried. Protocols for Ill Child: Susan Brady reviewed the protocols for when members have an ill child in their classroom. A member brought up the issue of buildings and programs that do not have nurses available. Postcard Party: Susan Brady asked members to fill out postcards to their legislators that she would then mail to them. She also asked members to sign on to the Education Minnesota’s website to email their legislator and to sign up for legislative alerts and updates. Legislative Proposals: Jay shared that the following items that are being proposed by legislators this session: Repeal of the January 15 settlement deadline, constitutional amendment to make MN a right to work state, alternative teacher licensure, repeal maintenance of effort in Safe Schools and a salary freeze for all school employees for next biennium Drawing: Kathy Dickinson (FB), Bridgett Bennett (FO/ZW), Gretchen Dullinger (WL), Having completed the agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 6:15 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ACH, AEC, ARB, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EC, ENR, ESC
Agenda Adjustments: the following items were added to the Agenda: Legislative Agenda, Audit Review and PEIP Bid Request. Agenda/Consent Agenda: Jay called for a motion to accept the Agenda with additions and all items listed in the Consent Agenda (Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and EM-O President’s Report). Kelly Wilson made the motion and Bev Rath seconded. Motion carried. Negotiations: Phil Bernards reported that he had been selected as Chair of the Negotiations Committee. The Negotiations Committee had met on Dec. 15th to design a survey that will go out to members in January. New Business Ed MN President Tom Dooher: President Tom Dooher spoke to GM about this year’s legislative priorities. He said that Education Minnesota will be focusing their efforts on the “Achievement Gap”. President Dooher had the opportunity to speak to Governor Elect Dayton. He said Dayton supports education and educators. Dayton asked for his input on the type of person Ed MN would like to see as Minnesota’s Commissioner of Education. Dooher also said that the issue of alternative licensure will surface again this legislative secession. He encouraged all members to attend the Legislative Dinners and to be in contact with their Legislators. He asked members to be aware of MinnCan (Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now). This is an offshoot of a national effort called 50CAN. As of yet they are unsure of their policy and legislative action. The Connecticut model focused on the expansion of charter schools and called for teacher certification reforms. Education Minnesota will keep members informed about the action of MinnCan. Identity Theft: An ESI representative gave a short overview of the different Identify Theft insurance packages ESI offers to union members. If members are interested in more information ESI will set up informational meetings. Candace Gordon made a motion to set up an informational meeting at the EM-O offices. In addition she asked that meeting times be set up so it is convenient for secondary and elementary staff members to attend. Kelly Wilson seconded the motion. Motion carried. Jay will check into dates. Delegates for Representative Convention: EM-O still had additional spots for members to sign up to be delegates at the upcoming March convention. Gretchen Dullinger and Shawn Johnson asked to be added to the slate of members wanting to be convention delegates. Jay asked for a motion to accept the names of the 19 members who had signed up to be delegates to the 2011 Education Minnesota Representative Convention. Paul Wardell made the motion and Tim Hollis seconded. Motion carried. The following members have agreed to be delegates to the Representative Convention: Jay Anderson, Bridget Bennett, Mory Bohmbach, Kathy Dickinson, Jenna Diem, Tom Greve, Kim Haugo, Tim Hollis, Carol Larson, Lana Park, Bev Rath, Renée Sawyer, David Soderholm, Tom Spindler, Mary Beth Wells, Kelly Wilson, Gretchen Dullinger, Shawn Johnson and Dan Nichols. Minnesota Union Leadership Program: The Union Leadership Program was developed by the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the AFL/CIO. After reviewing the program materials the Executive Board recommended sending one of the Board members to the training. The cost of the 2 year program is $1000. Jay told members that the training would be beneficial to growing union leadership. He said that the Executive Board will decide who will be sent to the training. They will choose a member who will be able to make a long term commitment to EM-O. The member who receives the training will be required to report to the Executive Board, LCAT and GMM. Jay asked for a motion to pay for sending one Executive Board member to the Union Leadership Training. Bev Rath made the motion and Joyce Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried. ATPPS Steering Committee: Jay asked if there are members who would be interested in serving on this committee. This committee meets 3 times a year. They determine policy questions in regards to the ATPPS program and listen to appeals if members are denied their stipends. Joyce Johnson, Cathy Hanson and Annette Walen Hokanson said they would be interested in the positions on this committee. Jay will be in contact with these members. District Legislative Platform: Jay reviewed the current District 279 Legislative Platform with members. He encourages all members to go to the District website to review the platform. Jay stated the importance of all members to be politically active. Jay will be sending out legislative talking points. EM-O will also be showing members how to use the Education Minnesota’s CAPWIZ. MRA Trainings/Legislative Information: Susan Brady reported that she will be hosting MRA Training’s at the EM-O offices on the following dates: MRA I-January 15th, MRA II Feb 12th, MRA III April 9th. All trainings will be held from 8:00-2:00. Trainings need to be taken in numerical order. If you are interested in taking the trainings please contact Linda or Barb at the EM-O offices. Jay will send out talking points for the Legislative Dinner being held on January 6th. Susan also told members that Ed MN has requested that all Locals come up with a systematic way of having members contact their local legislators at least 25 times a week. The Local will also invite local legislators to monthly events set up by the union. LCAT will be sending members additional information about contacting legislators. Audit Review: Jay reported that the Independent CPA firm gave EM-O a clear review of their financial statements for the year ending August 31, 2010. He stated that the good review was due to the excellent work and record keeping of Linda Schugg and Jenna Diem. If any member is interested in looking over the review please contact Jay. PEIP (Public Employees Insurance Program): Jay has requested a PEIP bid for health insurance for our bargaining unit. Bids will be out this spring. Request for Professional Negotiator: Fred Brown brought forth a petition signed by members from Osseo Junior High requesting that the Executive Board look into hiring a Professional Contract Negotiator for this round of negotiations. Jay will bring this item to the Executive Board. The Board will report back to GMM. Drawings: Holly Thompson (CV), Cindy LeBaron (RL), Julie Spanier (MGJH), Sue McNattin (BG). Having completed all Agenda items President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 6:25 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ACH, AEC, ARB, BG, CI, CV, EB, EC, ESC
Introductions: All members introduced themselves and identified what school site they were representing. Agenda: President Anderson called for a motion to accept the Agenda as printed. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Tim Hollis seconded the motion. Motion carried. Consent Agenda: President Anderson called for a motion to accept all items (Secretary’s report, Treasurer’s report and EM-O President’s report) listed in the Consent Agenda. Dan Nichols made the motion and Terry Tompkins seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: Notes were shared from Katie Rodriguez and Tammie Epley thanking EM-O for their endorsement and financial support during their recent political campaigns. Negotiations: Report: Jay reported that there will be Collective Bargaining Training and LCAT Training on January 21st and 22nd. Negotiators will be attending the Collective Bargaining Training. Executive Board Members who have not had LCAT training will attend the training in January. Jay also reported that LCAT is meeting once a month setting the stage to support the next round of negotiations. He reminded members that negotiation begin this spring. Jay stated that EM-O meets weekly with HR on “Meet and Confer” issues and feels they are making progress. Facts from the Field: Susan Brady reporting- Teachers as Substitutes: Susan reviewed the Contract language with GM. She reported that HR will also be reviewing the language will all Principals and Coordinators. Susan addressed individual questions from GM and has agreed to send out more information to all members. New Business ESI Long Term Care Insurance: Jennifer Mortenson gave a short presentation on ESI’s long term care insurance. She is able to offer informational meetings at all District buildings if the BR is interested in setting up a meeting for their site. Open enrollment has been extended until the end of January. Approval of Negotiators: Jay requested a motion to approve Phil Bernards, Gretchen Dullinger, Paul Terry, Bridget Bennett and Marshall Thompson as the new Negotiations Team. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Tim Hollis seconded. Motion carried. LCAT made the suggestion that all members get Bio’s of each of the negotiators in order to get to know them better. Jay said EM-O will put those together. Representative Convention: The next Education Minnesota Representative Convention will be held on March 18th and 19th. EM-O can send 20 Delegates and 7 Alternates to the Convention. Sign-up sheets were distributed to GM. Jay will send out additional information in the next Pipeline. If interested in being a delegate contact EM-O 763-315-3416 or barb.warhol@edmn.org School Board Election Results: Tammie Epley was reelected to the school board; Theresa Lunt and Jim Burgett were elected to fill the 2 open spots on the Osseo School Board. K-12 Business Connection Volunteers: Susan encouraged members to sign up to be part of this ED MN initiative. It will be a chance for teachers to share the story of what their classrooms are really like. LCAT members will be contacting BR’s with more information. Holiday Dollars: Jay requested a motion to have EM-O match up to $400 for both CROSS and CEAP during their Holiday donation drive. Paul Wardell made the motion and Bonnie Capper-Eckstein seconded. Motion carried. Jay will send out more information about how members can donate to both organizations. Drawings: Paul Wardell (MGSH), Lana Park (ZW), Bonnie Capper-Eckstein (PL), Having completed the agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:55 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: AEC, ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CV, EB, EC
The membership of Education Minnesota -OSSEO met Thursday September 23, 2010 at the EM-O offices. President Jay Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:35pm. Introductions: All members attending the meeting introduce themselves and told what site they were representing. Agenda: Jay called for a motion to accept the agenda as written. Mory Bohmbach made the motion and Bonnie Capper-Eckstein seconded. Motion carried. Consent Agenda: Jay called for motion to accept all items listed under the Consent Agenda (Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and EM-O President’s Report). Bev Rath made the motion and Paul Terry seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: EM-O received information about the upcoming TALL trainings. Candace Gordon shared additional information about the opportunities available through TALL. The following individuals or organizations sent thank you notes to EM-O: Mary Arnold, MGSH Senior Party, MGSH National Honor Society, Mary Tucker and the United Educators Credit Union. Negotiations: Jay reported that the District is currently making corrections for the deductions that were made on paychecks for members who are on the 21 paycheck plan. He told members to make sure that all of their paycheck deductions are correct. Especially for members who moved to the deductable health insurance plan. If this is the first year a member is on the deductable plan the entire VEBA deposit should appear on the 9/5/10 pay date. A member requested that Jay also put this information in the next Pipeline. Negotiators Selection Committee: Members will be selected to be on the Negotiations Committee in October. Members will be approved at the November GMM so that they will be able to take advantage of additional training. School Board: 7 Community members are running for the 3 open positions on the Osseo School Board: Collette Guyette-Hempel, Steve Antolak, Tammie Epley, Teresa Lunt, Jim Burgett, Kevin Rebman and Jay McNeil. EM-O will be screening candidates on September 28th. At this time the Screening Committee will decide if they will forward any names to the Executive Board for endorsement. Facts from the Field: Rick Theisen, former Osseo teacher, encouraged members to sign up to work on the Phone Banks for “Get Out the Vote” Susan Brady said they have open time slots where they still need people to sign up to help. She reminded members that the Governor’s Race is very important to education and educators. If you can help out please give Susan a call. She also said that the week before the election there will be other “Get Out the Vote” activities they will need help with. Jay put out a request for members to help with the David Hoden campaign. If interested in helping go to www.hodenforhouse.com. A list of all ED MN endorsed candidates can be found on the ED MN website www.educationminnesota.org. Jay and Susan shared information on the NEA’s response to the film “Waiting for Superman”. Susan Brady had members play the EM-O Jeopardy game. A copy of the game will be sent out to all BR’s. New Business Yearly Budget Review: Jay reviewed the 2009-2010 budget with members. If members have any questions about the budget please contact Jay. LCAT and Buttons: All members received a “Kids Count” button. The buttons were paid for by Education Minnesota. Please save the buttons so that they can be worn at future Union events. Jay explained that each building will have an LCAT Leader. The Leaders at the sites help mobilize members around issues related to contract negotiations. Union Celebration: Tim Hollis reported the October 7th Union Celebration will be held at the Lookout. Another event is scheduled for March 10, 2011. All Osseo ED MN members are invited to attend. Approval of New Members: Jay presented the list of new members to GM. He asked for a motion to approve the list of new members. Tim Hollis made the motion and Joyce Johnson seconded. Motion carried. Moving Fair Share Members to Full Membership: Jay reported that no site has more than 4 Fair Share members. He requested that BR’s make a personal contact with the FS members at their sites to encourage them to consider full membership. Insurance: Christine Thorn-Borrow from NEA Insurance and Joe Cassidy from MetLife will be dropping off insurance information at all building sites. Prize Drawings: Bev Rath (TLP), Mary Callander (NVJH), Krista Frechette (OALC), Kathy Dickinson (FB), Sue Simons (MGJH), Gretchen Dullinger (WL), Barb Sawyer (OAK) and Kris Williams (GC) Having completed the agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:50 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EB, EC, ESC
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Individual Contacts
Linda Schugg: (763) 315-3416
Susan Brady: (763) 315-3416
Jay Anderson: (763) 315-3416