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Elections for the Executive Board of the Central Valley Education Association were held last month. A special thanks to all who chose to throw their hats in the ring to represent fellow members. It is a big commitment and their willingness to serve is appreciated. CVEA Officers for the 2008-2009 school year are as follows:
Also elected were the CVEA delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly in Washington D.C. in July. Elected were:
They will attend the RA along with new president elect Dick OBrien and retiring president Kent Richardson.
Congratulations and thanks to all!
The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for the 2008-2009 school year was set by the state legislature and it is expected to be signed by Governor Gregoire this week. The COLA was raised from 2.8% to 3.9% because of an increase in the Consumer Price Index. An additional .5% was added to restore part of the COLA not given in the 2003-2005 biennium. An additional .6% will be added to CV and most other Eastern Washington districts as part of a catch up to districts on the west side with grandfathered higher salary schedules. This makes the total COLA for CV 5% for next year. A 2008-09 salary schedule will be distributed as soon as available.
BARGAINING NEWS
In December the CVEA Representative Council selected your bargaining team for the upcoming negotiations with the District. Our current collective bargaining agreement expires August 31, 2008. Those team members are:
The team began meeting in January and will continue to meet through March. We have developed a bargaining survey which was sent out to members in February and we are currently analyzing the survey results and developing our bargaining priorities. The Team of Twelve will pick a team of five or six which will actually sit at the table with the District team to negotiate a new contract. Actual bargaining will begin after spring break. We hope to be finished by the first week of June and have a ratification vote before school is out. The possibility always exists that we will not be finished before school is out and in that case we will have to have an August ratification vote or a summer vote by mail. With that in mind we will be asking building reps to update our telephone trees and summer addresses to help facilitate a summer ratification vote. We will continue to update members via the newsletter or email on bargaining progress as negotiations continue. Please thank your team members when you see them for their willingness to represent you in this arduous process.
NEED A LAWYER?
The Attorney Referral Program (ARP) is a service provided to WEA/NEA members (active, life, educational support or retired, their spouses and dependent children) who need the services of an attorney on personal legal matters, i.e.,not employment related.
Participating ARP attorneys provide each member with two free 30 minute consultation sessions during each year of the program (September 1 through August 31). These two free consultations are taken separately and deal with two different questions. This benefit allows you to discuss your problem with an attorney to determine whether you need additional legal services. If further legal services are necessary and fall within the areas listed below, the attorney’s fees are discounted 30%.
You may discuss almost any subject during one of your 30 minute consultations excluding member’s business dealings, preparation of tax returns, bankruptcies, or defense of a criminal violation (other than traffic). Upon your initial visit to the attorney’s office you must present some evidence of NEA membership. Participating attorneys in Spokane are the offices of Powell, Kuznetz and Parker, PS (455-4151).
By now most members have learned about the District’s plans regarding the make up of snow days missed this school year. As you can imagine the Association has received hundreds of emails and phone calls regarding the make up days and the District’s plans. The most frequently asked question is, “Why does CV have to make up the days and Spokane does not?.” The simple answer to that question is that following Mt. Saint
Helen’s eruption in 1981 SEA successfully bargained the following language in their collective bargaining agreement.
“In the event that the District temporarily closes one or more of the schools of the District for one or more days of the contracted year, the affected employees will be granted leave at no deduction in salary or benefits, provided that the students are not required to make up the day(s).”
Given this language and the SEA’s determination to make the District abide by the language the Spokane School Board apparently felt it had no option but to waive the days.
The Mead Education Association had in fact bargained nearly the identical language as Spokane. However, because the Mead School District did not meet the 1000 hour minimum average for students they were not given the student waiver by the state. Mead missed four days and students and staff will have to make up three of the four days to reach the 1000 hour minimum. Following the contract language then the fourth day will be waived for students and staff.
The CVEA contract has no similar language to Spokane or Mead’s, thus we had no basis on which to pursue a similar outcome as that in Spokane.
CALENDAR
CVEA OFFICERS
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