Mark your Calendars for these meetings:

• Exec, May 18, 12-2 pm

• General Membership, May 25, 12-1 pm

Check the SVCFT Canvas site or your email for meeting links.

Our EBRFT Political Committee researched and interviewed candidates for local offices. The following candidates were found to have ideologies that best aligned with the best interests of public education and the community.  WE ARE NOT TELLING YOU WHO YOU HAVE TO VOTE FOR; these are only suggestions and endorsements based on their answers to our questions.  If you have any questions, please contact out office.

An online info session on the tentative collective bargaining agreement (TA) for a new four-year contract with Hartford HealthCare’s representatives has been scheduled for Tuesday, 10/20 at 8:00PM. The ratification vote is scheduled Wednesday, 10/21 from 9:00AM to 9:00PM at our local union hall in Norwich.

WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR VERY OWN

WAPPINGERS CAFÉ WEBSITE

WCA.NY.AFT.ORG

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND WE WILL BE ADDING AND CHANGING CONTENT ON A DAILY BASIS. ASIDE FROM THE USUAL WORK CONTENT WE WILL ALSO BE ADDING A RECIPE CORNER, PHOTOS, AND SOME OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES AND FUNNY STORIES.

IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE,  PLEASE EMAIL MYSELF OR DAVID YOUR CONTENT AND WE WILL LOOK IT OVER AND UPLOAD IT TO OUR WEBSITE.

On Monday, October 12th, the board and union teams met to continue discussions over the teacher salary allocation. HCTA offered a counter proposal to the district’s initial offer, in the hopes of reducing compression. 

While the district’s proposal would push the vast majority of TSA funds to the very bottom of the pay schedule, HCTA‘s proposal seeks to create tiers within the bottom half of the pay schedule ensuring that TSA dollars are spread more equitably, establishing $45,500 as the new minimum salary,  and achieving the aspirational goal of $47,500 for many. HCTA’s proposal also seeks to improve non-classroom teachers to the same levels as classroom teachers. Finally, HCTA’s proposal requests that in addition to the TSA dollars, the school board provide a little less than a half million dollars to ensure all instructional staff receive at minimum a 2% increase this year 

The district team expressed concern that the HCTA proposal may be rejected by the DOE or could be flagged during audit for applying a tiered/banded approach to the distribution of funds. Nevertheless, the district team agreed to take the proposal back for consideration with the understanding that HCTA clearly does not want non-classroom and classroom teachers on different pay schedules and is pushing to ensure salary improvements are not entirely negated by health insurance premium increases. It is anticipated that insurance increases will be again be necessary.

In addition, HCTA proposed an agreement which would reserve a proportionate amount of referendum dollars for instructional salaries and positions. Should the referendum pass, the actual distribution of salary dollars would be negotiated. Funds raised through a local referendum could provide flexible dollars needed to create more equitable salary improvements in future years. To learn more about the local referendum, please visit the Hernando Schools webpage.

No agreements were reached on Monday, but the teams anticipate returning to the bargaining table within days. 

It is worth noting that the challenges associated with achieving equitable salary improvements can be attributed to the statutory requirements which limit flexibility of funds. You can learn more about the TSA on the HCTA website:  http://www.myhcta.org/resources/teacher-salary-allocation-what-you-should-know

Where to start with this one....as you are aware, most of the activities from A&R are accomplished through the efforts of volunteers.  We have always been fortunate and grateful to have support from our membership to accomplish everything from training classes at Water's Edge to political activity at the Capitol to social events at the AquaTurf, but as you will see below, we have lost quite a bit over the past month or so and we are looking for more helpers!

This year the residents of Connecticut will be electing our General Assembly (Senate and House).  The representatives in the General Assembly is of extreme importance to State Employees as this General Assembly will be the group who votes on our next labor contract...so A&R (with some help from AFT-CT) has vetted the candidates and made our endorsements for candidates who will support our next contract when it comes for a vote in the General Assembly.  A&R does not get involved in national politics, so we took no position on US Congress or the Presidenti