AUGUST 2019 FEA STATESIDE NEWSLETTER

posted August 6, 2019

Jane Loggins – FEA Director For DDESS
Ben Hunter – FEA-SR General Counsel
Angelia Stubbs – FEA-SR General Counsel

Welcome Back School Year 19 — 20 — Many schools in the Southeast have started and soon the mid Atlantic and Guam will join us! As educators return to school we face the same harsh conditions the agency forced upon us last year. The agency continues to implement a bogus and unsigned collective bargaining agreement. Training and scheduling are micromanaged and don’t meet the needs of educators or our students. Administration has already shared testing schedules for students that make it appear we are to test more than teach. In some welcome back ceremonies, administrators patted themselves on the back with slide presentations touting they have achieved the “Mission Impossible” improving test scores of our DoDEA students. We all know that is a farce. Our students have always done well on standardized tests. The NAEP scores of DoDEA students are always well above the national average. DoDEA educators know how to to their jobs! They know that our students deserve so much more than just to be taught to master a test. DoDEA educators ensure our students are welcomed into a safe, nurturing and supportive learning environment. Teachers not only help students learn academics, we make sure students grow socially and emotionally. We want our students to think critically, create, challenge and question what is the standard. DoDEA students deserve the best. Our educators know what to do in our schools. DoDEA just needs to let us do our jobs as professionals and students will excel!

 

Illegal Implementation of MLA and Arbitration — On September 11, 2019 FEA-Stateside Region will proceed to arbitration over management’s illegal and unilateral implementation of an unsigned contract on Stateside schools and the professional bargaining unit represented by FEA SR. This arbitration will last two days. DoDEA’s illegal implementation includes forcing stateside certified employees to work extended hours without added compensation in violation of the current valid contract. We have seen many schools flip-flop on how to implement these illegal extra hours. Schedules have been changed multiple times. Among other relief, FEA-SR is seeking back pay for any additional hours assigned, restoration of any leave improperly charged, and salary adjustments and back pay owed resulting from the Agency¹s illegal implementation. The arbitrator’s ruling is not likely to be decided for several months and may only be the beginning of a drawn out legal process seeking restitution for DDESS educators. Please also remember to record any extra hours worked due to the implementation of this bogus contract. The tracking form can be found here

 

EDA Grievance and Arbitration – FEA SR has filed a grievance over the agency’s refusal to pay members for the time and work they completed while doing EDAs last school year. An arbitrator has been selected. We will soon proceed to arbitration and seek compensation for educators’ time spent working on the EDA which the agency refuses to pay.

 

Discussion and Negotiations with FEA — FEA SR and FEA are involved in discussions and negotiations on how to better serve our members of FEA Stateside Region. FEA Stateside Region is affiliated with FEA but is the sole representative on all matters that involve stateside members. FEA Stateside has submitted proposals to FEA requesting equity in representation on the FEA Board of Directors and also on financial equity. FEA and FEA SR will begin discussions on these matters and others in the near future. The goal of FEA SR is to always best represent our members. We will ensure that your dues dollars are spent supporting your rights and issues as educators.

 

FEA and NEA Dues — This school year FEA and NEA dues have increased. Dues for this school year will be…

  • Certified Dues — NEA $196 and FEA $455 per year (Local Dues run from $30 to $67 per year)
  • Classified ESP Dues — NEA $119.50 FEA $227.50 (Local Dues run from $30 to $50 per year)
  • FEA SR receives $30 per member of the local dues paid.

 

Dues Deductions — Dues deductions will begin on October 18, 2019 and end on May 1, 2020. If for any reason you intend to stop dues deductions please make sure you do this by submitting an SF 1188 to your school secretary by September 15. We cannot stop dues deductions after this date per the MLA.

 

Know Your Rights — MLA – Article 8 Section 10–Compensation Information

Upon being hired, and thereafter at the beginning of each school year, each unit member will be provided an applicable salary schedule. Upon a bargaining unit member submitting a written request to the Agency within the first sixty (60) days of each new school year, the Agency will provide the unit member with a worksheet (Appendix D) explaining their salary breakdown for the year. If necessary, the worksheet will be updated and redistributed once during the year if the employee so requests in writing. The worksheet will reflect what the employee has earned by pay period compared with what the employee has received and the cumulative result of salary earned compared to salary paid. This information will allow employees to identify the pay period(s) in which salaries earned and paid are at a “break-even” point.

 

MLA Certified -The MLA remains in full force and effect until a new agreement is legally implemented. An update about the status of contract bargaining can be found at feaonline.org.