The story of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers is all too familiar. Just in the past couple of months, we have seen Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Tony McDade in Florida and Modesto Reyes in Louisiana, killed by police. These senseless killings of Black people must stop. In addition, President Trump, and many other politicians have stoked the fires by encouraging violence in the language of white supremacy. He has called to crush the protests using military force, and the increased militarization of police forces across the U.S. is a danger to the lives and freedom of all Americans. All this must stop.
 

Don’t Forfeit Our Future

COVID-19 is triggering state and local budget crises across the nation, especially in Louisiana. Our state and local governments are facing decreased revenue while simultaneously incurring huge new costs as they seek to contain and treat the coronavirus and respond to the virus-induced spike in joblessness and related human needs. 

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Check out this video of Local 1274 members taking about what our union means to them.

The Steering Committee of United Faculty and Academic Staff (AFT #223), in solidarity with activists and other labor unions across the country, stands in outrage and grief at the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. They are the most recent in a long string of such murders of Black people by the police. This includes the murder of 19-year old Tony Terrell Robinson Jr. on the near Eastside of Madison on March 6, 2015. His killer, Matthew Kenny, is still an officer with the Madison Police Department.

AFT-Lone Star College sends its condolences and support to the friends and family of George Floyd and stands in solidarity with all of those who call for justice in his name.

The past week and a half has been perhaps the most challenging time for the United States in the 21st century. The high profile deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (two of which we witnessed the heartbreaking video) has awakened a deep sense of unequal treatment of Black Americans by police and white vigilantes. This has led to protests and rebellions across the country where a number of police departments have responded brutally to journalists and protesters ironically protesting police brutality.

The wake of this has brought on rebellions and uprisings reminiscent of the long hot summer of 1968. Many historians direct our attention to the race riots of 1919 as a more apt comparison. Locally, we don't even have to go that far back. We vividly remember the 2015 uprisings in response to the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. Unequal treatment of Black people by law enforcement is abhorrent and must end if this nation is to live up to the full promise of its words. Dr. King reminds us that "a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?"

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June 3, 2020 – The School District of Manatee County and the Manatee Education have signed  Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that will adjust how employees are paid beginning with the 2020-2021 school year.  Every employee will have to select how they will be paid by filling out the Pay Option Form below and returning it to HR no later than Thursday, June 25, 2020. 

Currently, employees are paid semi-monthly (on the 10^th and 25^th of the month) and earn 24 pay checks in a school year. 

Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, employees will be paid bi-weekly (every other week).  Your annual salary remains the same in each option.  The options are as follows:

• 22 pay checks over the work year (August – June),
• 26 pay checks with pay over the summer
• 26 pay checks with 5 checks paid in a lump sum on the last pay check of the work year

Deductions for health insurance, life insurance, flexible benefits will be deducted equally among all checks depending on the option chosen, and MEA dues deductions will be deducted over 22 pay checks. 

The MOUs, pay options form and some examples of what these changes could look like for teacher and para pay checks are below.

Please make your selection using the pay option form and return to HR no later than June 25, 2020. If it is not returned, you will default into the 26 pay option.

Pay Options Form:   pay_option_form_2020_fillable.pdf

MOU Teacher Pay Options:  signedmouteacherpayoptions.pdf

MOU Paraprofessional Pay Options:   signedmouparapayoptions.pdf

Examples of Teacher Pay Options:   pay_options_teachers.pdf

Examples of Para Pay Options:   pay_options_paras.pdf

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