EDUCATION
MINNESOTA - OSSEO GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETING MINUTES
The membership of Education Minnesota-OSSEO met Thursday May 20, 2010 at the EM-O offices. President Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:35 pm. Agenda: President Anderson called for a motion to accept the Agenda as printed. Kathy Shish made the motion and Candace Gordon seconded. Motion carried. Consent Agenda: President Anderson called for a motion to accept all items listed under the Consent Agenda (Treasurer’s Report, Secretary’s Report and the EM-O President’s Report). Bev Rath made the motion and Caren Gallagher seconded. Motion carried. Negotiations: Jay reminded members that LCAT (Local Contract Action Team) training will take place at the EM-O offices on June 15th and 16th. They are able to train 35 members at this time. 16 members are now signed up. Jay asked BR’s to encourage more members to sign up for the training. If you are interested in the training please contact your BR or Jay. Correspondence: Jay reported that he had received a number of thank you notes and emails from people who had attended the Retirement Social. Thank you notes were also received from Paul Mueller, Education Minnesota-Vice President, Patience Gall and the 279 Foundation Investment In Youth Committee. Facts from the Field: Susan Brady told members that the Primary’s will be this August and that EM-O will need members help to do phone calling and candidate screenings. She will be sending information to members via email. She reminded members to check their district email over the summer. She shared that if members are unable to attend the LCAT training in June they can take the training at Summer Seminar in August at St. Bens. EM-O will be offering MRA I (August 23rd) and MRA II (August 25th). Susan will be sending out additional information about the trainings to members before the end of the school year. Education Minnesota has openings for part-time and full-time Field Staff positions. If you are interested please contact Susan. Susan thanked members for a great year and all they do. Linda Hoden spoke to GM about her husband David Hoden running for District 32A- Minnesota House of Representatives. If you are interested in working on his campaign please contact Linda. New Business: Constitutional Changes for Crisis Fund and Defense Fund: Jay explained to members that the Budget Committee had recommended that EM-O set the budget amounts for the Crisis Fund and Defense Fund at $10,000 each. This would require a language change in the Constitution-Under Article 15 Crisis Fund and Article 16 Defense Fund. The language change would insure the funds would not fall below $ 10,000. The new language to be adopted – Sections 3 under each fund “Education Minnesota-OSSEO shall contribute $1.00 per member to the Crisis/Defense fund each year, if the balance of the fund is below $10,000.” Excess amounts in these accounts will be transferred to the General Fund to help defray increases in dues and cover operational costs. Jay asked for a motion to approve the constitutional language change. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Kelly Wilson seconded. Motion carried.
Budgets and Dues: Jay explained all line items on the 2010-2011 budget proposal made by the Budget Committee. He also reviewed the 2010-2011 dues structure. Jay called for a motion to approve the budget and dues structure for the next fiscal year. Doug Anderson made the motion and Candace Gordon seconded. Motion carried. Miscellaneous Information: TRA: A member had questions about the newly passed TRA pension legislation. Jay had sent an email to all members on May 17th explaining the plan changes. He said he is most concerned about the possibility of the plan changing from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan. Perfect Attendance: The following members were recognized for perfect attendance at GMM: Bonnie Capper-Eckstein, Linda Hoden, Brenda Mielke, Lana Park, Sue Simons and Paul Wardell. Drawings: Tom Spindler (OAK), Mary Callander (NVJH), Susan Frykman (FO), and Krista Frechette (OALC). Executive Board Members: Steve Johnson and Doug Anderson will be leaving their positions on the Executive Board. Members thanked them for their service to the Union. Having completed the Agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:55 pm.
Respectfully submitted Schools represented: AEC, ARB, BG, BW, CI, CV, EB, EC, ESC
The membership of Education Minnesota-OSSEO met Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at the EM-O offices. President Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m. Agenda/Consent Agenda: ER&D Funding was added to the Agenda. President Anderson asked for a motion to accept the Agenda with additions and all items listed in the Consent Agenda. Paul Wardell made the motion and Steve Johnson seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: Education Minnesota sent a letter to inform our local that Donna Ohlgren was a Foundation Grant recipient. Don Skoglund, Myrna Doran, Brian Hoel, Sue Smith and Eleanor Johnson sent thank you notes for the luncheon hosted by EM-O to recognize “Past Union Leaders”. Negotiations: Jay reported that the LMC on Parent Teacher Conferences will be meeting for the first time on April 28th. Ryan Gau, Terri Gits-Borgstrom, Bridget Pribyl and Tom Spindler serve on this committee. If members have issues they would like brought forward they can contact a committee member or Jay. The LMC on Workload has yet to set a date to meet. Members serving on this committee are Paul Terry, Janet Freeburg-Lawson, Lisa Whitney and Jen Ottinger. Fact from the Field: Susan Brady had members answer questions that pertained to the Contract and EM-OSSEO. New Business Summer Seminar: Jay encouraged members to attend Summer Seminar. All members who attend all 3 days and stay on campus will receive a $100 stipend. The Seminar will be held at the College of Saint Benedict on August 2-4th. Members who attend the Seminar will also receive mileage for one round trip. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made a motion to have EM-O pay the registration fee for all members who are interested in attending Summer Seminar. Terri Tompkins seconded the motion. Motion carried. Human Rights Award Winner: Donna Speake received Education Minnesota’s 2010 Human Rights Award for supporting GLBT students in the Osseo School District. Donna was recognized at the Representative Convention in March. Donna spoke to GM telling them about her experiences with SAGE. Constitution and Bylaws Changes: The Executive Board recommended language changes for Article 4-Section 1: Election of Officers and Elections. For the offices of President or Executive Vice-President must have attended at least eight (8) General Membership meetings in the preceding two years and participated in a least three (3) of the following activities: For all other officer positions must have attended at least seven (7) General Membership Meetings in the preceding two years and participated in at least two ( 2) of the following activities: They also recommend a change in how names are brought forward to the Executive Board if vacancies remain on the Board after the filing deadline. Any vacancy existing after the election filing deadline shall be filled by nomination(s) brought forward to the Executive Board by the Elections Committee. Krista Frechette made a motion to accept the language changes. Dan Nichols seconded the motion. Motion carried. LCAT (Local Contract Action Training): Susan explained LCAT training to members. The training will take place June 15, 16 &17 at the EM-O offices. Executive Board members, Current Negotiators, Prospective Negotiators and other interested members in leadership roles will be invited to participate in the training. A one time stipend of $100 will be given to members who take the training and are not currently on the Negotiations Committee or Executive Board. Jay will be sending out additional information in the upcoming Pipeline. ER&D Funding: Jay reported that a request was made for funding to send two teachers to thinking Math 3 Training and two members to Beginning Reading in 2010 ($1980). In 2011 -The same trainers would receive follow-up training. Also all trainers, the President and Vice President of EM-O would attend Minnesota’s Spring Training Institute ($3480). Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made a motion to approve the funding request for 2010 and 2011 ER & D trainings. Carol Fisher seconded the motion .Motion carried. It is a requirement that all trainings be done at the EM-O office. The $3480 will be added in the 2011 budget. Miscellaneous Information:
Drawings: Donna Speake (MGSH), Tom Spindler (OV), Mary Callander (NVJH), Renée Sawyer (WL) Having completed the agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: AEC, ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EB, EC, ENR
The membership of Education Minnesota - OSSEO met Thursday, February 18, 2010 at the EM-O offices. President Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. Agenda: President Anderson asked for a motion to accept the Agenda as printed. Doug Anderson made the motion and Bonnie Capper-Eckstein seconded. Motion carried. Consent Agenda: Items listed under the Consent Agenda: Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and the EM-O President’s Report. President Anderson asked for a motion to accept all items listed under the Consent Agenda. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Joyce Johnson seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: There was no correspondence. Negotiations: Two Labor Management Committees were established in the last round of negotiations. 1) Parent Teacher Conferences: This committee will investigate how to best use the 30 hours now allocated for conferences. The Executive Board suggested that the committee be made up of a member from Elementary, Junior High, Senior High and Special Education. This committee would meet until the end of the school year. 2) Workload Issues: This committee will have member representation from the same groups as the Parent Teacher Conference committee. The purpose of this committee is to discuss the management and reduction of the current teacher workload. This committee will also meet until the end of the school year. If any member would like more information or would like to serve on a committee, please contact Jay. Jay will also send out committee sign up information to all members. Phil Bernards thanked the Union for providing lunch for the Negotiations Team. He reported that the Negotiations Team has met to talk about planning for the next round of negotiations. He reminded members that back pay and raises will be on the March 20th check. Jay stated that members will no longer be receiving paper copies of the Contract. Copies of the contract will be posted on the EM-O and District websites. New Business AFT National Convention: Jay asked GM if it would be better for EM-O to not send some members to a national convention and then send more members to Summer Seminar. A member wanted to know the expected outcome of sending a member to a national convention. Jay stated that it keeps our local in touch with the national organizations and national issues as well as a place to bring our local issues forward at a national level. Members requested more information about Summer Seminar. Jay has agreed to send an electronic copy of the Summer Seminar flyer to all members. It was decided to delay the decision about the number of members EM-O will send to national or local conferences until the April GMM, giving members time to review information about Summer Seminar. Lobby Day: Susan explained that on Lobby Day members gather at Education Minnesota for some basic instructions and then visit with legislators that represent our school district. She encouraged members to think about attending to share their personal story. Lobby Day will be scheduled for the 1st part of April. If any member is interested in attending please let Jay know. Jay also reminded members that the Education Minnesota website has daily legislative updates. PAC Fund Distribution: Jay told GM that we need to add a policy that defines how PAC funds are distributed. Mory and Renée have agreed to begin working on language. Tim Hollis has agreed to begin working on a PR campaign to encourage members to donate to PAC funds. Insurance Presentation: Jay gave GM a general overview of his presentation about the different insurance plans being offered through the district. Open enrollment will be in April. The presentation schedule has been sent to all members. Jay stated that he wants members to have information so they are able to make informed decisions about the plan they choose. Candace Gordan told members how impressed she was with the insurance presentations Jay has been doing. Miscellaneous Information:
Drawing: Melissa Martinson (PL/BG), Jackie Ulwelling (WVR), Renée Sawyer (WL), Lisa Dick (BG) Having completed the Agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ACH, AEC, ARB, BG, BJH, CI, CV, EB, EC, ESC
Consent Agenda: Items listed under the Consent Agenda: Secretary’s report, Treasurer’s report and the President’s report. President Anderson called for a motion to accept the Consent Agenda. Doug Anderson made the motion and Rich Erling seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: Thank you notes for donations made by 279 teachers to CROSS and CEAP were read to members. Negotiations: Jay reported that on Tuesday the Union had worked with the District to update and add the new language to the contract. The electronic version of the contract should be available to view by next week. The contract will be posted on the EM-O and District web sites. Jay will notify the BR’s when the contract is available to view. New Business: District Budget Forecast: Jay presented the District’s Budget Forecast to GM. Jay presented the information to help members have a better understanding of how the current financial climate impacted this year’s negotiations and how the future budget forecast could effect the next round of negotiations. He again stated how important it is for members to be political advocates for education. Members further discussed the importance of contributing to AFT PAC and how difficult it has been to get more members to donate. Susan Brady suggested that it would be beneficial for our local to think about forming a Settlement Committee. A Settlement Committee is put in place to help support the Negotiations Committee. Susan will be taking training and then provide our local with more information about starting a Settlement Committee. A member reported that they had been asked if it would be beneficial for EM-O to hire an outside professional negotiator to negotiate our next contract. Jay stated that this question had also been asked and discussed at the Executive Board meeting. He said that EM-O will continue to explore this question and how best to prepare for the next round of negotiations. He said another option to consider would be to send the President, Field Staff, and Lead Negotiator to additional training. Other Local Settlements: Jay shared information about other metro district’s contract settlements. Policy Changes for Officers and Negotiators: Due to IRS regulations language under Policy Statement-Dues needs to be changed. Officers and Negotiators will now have their dues deducted from their payroll check and then be reimbursed through their May 5th honorarium. This will have a zero impact on the budget. The language change reads as follows “the full amount of dues will be added to the stipend and the member will be charged for the full amount of dues.” Jay requested a motion to approve the language change. Paul Wardell made the motion and Annette Hokanson seconded the motion. Motion carried. Miscellaneous Information:
Drawings: Lana Park (ZW), Dan Nichols (ENR), Sue Lyon (EC), Donna Speak (MGSH) Having completed the Agenda President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:55 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ARB, BG, BJH, CV, EB, EC, ENR, ESC
Agenda: President Anderson asked for a motion to accept the Agenda as printed. Tim Hollis made the motion Doug Anderson seconded. Motion carried. Consent Agenda: A correction was made to the November Secretary’s report. President Anderson asked for a motion to accept the amended Secretary’s report, Treasurer’s report and the President’s report. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made the motion and Doug Anderson seconded. Motion carried. Correspondence: Jay reported the donations made to CROSS and CEAP. He stated that this is the second highest total donated by union members to these organizations since EM-O began contributing to their fund drives. The Secretary read thank you notes from the Palmer Lake teachers, OARE Scholarship Committee and Macky Knutson. A Holiday greeting from the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO was also shared with members. Negotiations: Phil Bernards updated members on negotiations. He said the next meeting will be a mediation session set for December 28, 2009. Fact from the Field: Susan Brady discussed language in the contract pertaining to Section 7: Personnel Files. If members would like to view their personnel files they need to call H.R. to make an appointment. Susan again led membership in the popular game of “Contract Bingo”. If BR’s would like to use “Contract Bingo” during their building meetings please contact Jay or Susan. Nomination and Approval of Delegates to the Representative Convention: Members voted to send the 19 members who signed up to be delegates to the March Representative Convention. Bonnie Capper-Eckstein made a motion to give the Executive Board the authority to approve the name of one additional delegate when a member name is submitted. Also the Executive Board would be given the authority to approve names of any members who signed up to be alternates. Kelly Wilson seconded the motion. Motion carried. Political Races: Jay discussed the significance of the 2010 political races. He emphasized the importance of electing pro-education candidates. He requested that members attend a precinct caucus training hosted by EM-O on a Saturday in January or February. He also told GM that he will be requesting members to become more involved next fall in helping work phone banks, literature drops and door knocking. EM-O will also be participating in “Lobby Day” at the Capitol this spring. District 279 Foundation: Members discussed how District 279 educators financially support the Foundation through the annual fund drive and providing raffle items for the “Night Out” event. EM-O also purchases two tickets to the “Night Out” event. Insurance Renewal: Jay explained how the upcoming health insurance rate increases will be spread out amongst the 3 insurance plans. He also requested that more members sign up to be on the Insurance Committee. CBVAT: All members attending GMM received a small gift package from United Educators Credit Union. Bev Rath shared that the students from the Community Based Vocational Assessment and Training Program had partnered with United Educators to help with the assembly of the gift pack. Drawings: Barb Sawyer (OAK), Bridget Bennett (PL), Linda Hoden (ARB), Brenda Mielke (CV), Christine Barthel (BW), Tom Spindler (OAK). President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EC, ENR, ESC
The membership of Education Minnesota - OSSEO met Thursday November 19, 2009 at the EM-OSSEO offices. President Jay Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm. Agenda: President Anderson called for a motion to accept the Agenda as printed. Tim Hollis made a motion to approve the Agenda. Bonnie Capper–Eckstein seconded the motion. Motion carried. Consent Agenda (Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and EM-O President’s Report): Correspondence: Thank you notes from the following individuals and organizations were read at GMM: David Hoden, Katie Rodriguez, Education Minnesota–Rockford Negotiations Team and Osseo School’s HR staff. Negotiations: Phil Bernards reported that the Union Negotiations Team has met with the District 6 times. Additional meeting dates have been set. He believes that the meetings have been going well and that the EM-O team has done a good job of presenting the Union’s position. Phil stated that he thinks a settlement will be reached by the January 15th deadline. Kathy Shish, who is also a negotiator, spoke to encourage members to think about joining the negotiations team for the next round of negotiations. This will be Kathy’s last time on a negotiations team. She currently is the only member representing elementary educators. If you have an interest or have questions please contact Kathy. Facts from The Field: EM-Field Staff Susan Brady reviewed contract language under Property Damage Reimbursement & Vandalism (Article VIII - Section 9) and Personal Leave (Article IX-Section 6). To help members further understand some of the particulars of the contract Susan led members in a rousing game of “Contract Bingo”. New Business ED- MN Political Conference: 8 members signed up to attend the ED -MN political conference on November 20th and 21st. GMM had approved paying to have 31 members attend. Jay shared his disappointment about the lack of members willing to sign up to be involved in the conference. He stated that if we expect to make changes in education we all will have to become political advocates. Annual Audit: Jay shared the results of the annual EM-O audit with membership. He thanked Linda Schugg and Jenna Diem for their excellent work. If any member wishes to see a copy of the audit please contact Jay. Jay asked for a motion to accept the audit report. Kelly Wilson made a motion to accept the audit report. Candace Gordon seconded the motion. Motion carried. CEAP/CROSS: Jay asked for a motion to approve EM-O matching funds of up to $400 per organization for their Holiday fund drives. Bev Rath made a motion to approve matching funds of up to $400 per organization. Bridget Bennett seconded the motion. Motion carried. Jay will send out additional information to members about how they can make a donation to these two organizations. Bev Rath added that many more families are in need of assistance this year. Delegates to March Representative Convention: Members were asked to sign up to be delegates to the March Representatives Convention. EM-O is allowed up to 20 delegates. If you are interested in being a delegate or alternate please contact Linda Schugg. Delegates will be voted on at the next GMM. Jay reminded members that this is an important year because all ED-MN leadership positions are up for election this coming year. Bridget Bennett spoke to encourage members to think about becoming a delegate because she believes it builds relationships with other colleagues in Osseo making our organization stronger. Drawings: Christine Barthel (BW), Nate Nistler (OJH), Lana Park (ZW), Tim Hollis (PCSH). President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:20 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ABE, ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EC, ENR, ESC
The membership of Education Minnesota - OSSEO met Thursday, September 24, 2009 at the EM-O Offices. President Jay Anderson called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm. Consent Agenda: Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and EM-O Presidents Report. Candace Gordon made a motion to accept all items listed in the Consent Agenda. Terry Tompkins seconded the motion. Motion carried. Correspondence: Jay reported that EM-O had received a note from the 279 Foundation thanking them for their donation. Jay also shared information about the upcoming TALL (Teachers as Learners and Leaders) trainings. He explained the importance of having our members trained to become Professional Development Advocates. Candace Gordon also talked about how valuable it has been to have members trained in TALL. Advocate I training is October 2-3 and Advocate II training is December 4-5. If members have questions or would like to register for TALL trainings please contact Jay or Susan. Negotiations: Phil Bernards reported that to show our support the teachers have not begun negotiations with the district, allowing the district to concentrate on coming to a tentative agreement with the Administrative ESP’s. He also told members that the District has hired a labor relations director who will be handling all contract negotiations. They hope to have this person in place by October 12th. Facts from the Field: Susan Brady explained the Ten Minute Meeting format. She encouraged BR’s to try it at their buildings. Paul Wardell spoke about how well the 10 Minute Meeting had worked at his building (MGSH). Susan has offered to come out to buildings to help facilitate their first meeting. New Business ED MN Core Trainings: Susan Brady told GMM about the Core Trainings being offered by ED MN; Union History, Member Rights and Developing Ongoing Relationships with Members. Jay will send out more information about the trainings in the upcoming Pipeline. Union Celebration: Jay reported that the EM-O celebration held at the Lookout on September 9th was a big success. He said he got a positive response for inviting all ED MN members in the district. The next celebration will be on March 11, 2010. A suggestion was made to request that the Lookout extend “Happy Hour” to the entire time of the celebration. It was also suggested to have the Lookout review how they bring food out during the evening so that people who come later get something to eat. New Members: We had 51 new members join the Union this year. Jay asked for a motion to approve the new members. Kelly Wilson made a motion to approve the list of all new members. Paul Wardell seconded the motion. Motion carried. Fair Share: Jay asked the BR’s to help encourage members who are Fair Share to move to Full Membership. The list of Fair Share members was sent to all BR’s. Jay emphasized the importance of a personal contact to share the benefits of being a Full Member vs. being Fair Share. If anyone needs additional membership forms contact Linda Schugg. EM-O Offices: EM-O has gone into a new 5 year lease agreement for the offices. The offices will be closed October 15th and 16th for renovations. This will be during the ED MN Professional Conference. Drawings: Bridget Bennett (PL), Jeremey Carel (ZW), Peggy Riley (ARB), MB Wells (ARB) President Anderson adjourned the meeting at 5:15 pm. Respectfully submitted Schools represented: ABE, ARB, BG, BJH, BW, CI, CV, EB, EC, ENR
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Individual Contacts
Linda Schugg: (763) 315-3416
Susan Brady: (763) 315-3416
Jay Anderson: (763) 315-3416