In this article we list the 21 unionized public institutions that are ranked Very High or High in the Carnegie Research ranking, the 4 public institutions in the AAU whose tenure-related faculty are unionized and 11 public institutions in the AAU whose non-tenure-related faculty are unionized. Click on the article title to read the story.
United Academics projects that union dues at UO will be no more than 1% of gross monthly salary. Click on the article title to see a table of dues at various unionized institutions in Oregon and throughout the country.
Up until March 4, 2010, there was a two-tiered, double ballot requirement for conducting representation elections among OUS faculty. This requirement for university employees differs from the how elections for all other state public employees are conducted. SB 989 cleans up the language in the Oregon Revised Statute that created this inequity for faculty. It was passed by both chambers of the legislature during the special session and was signed by Governor Kulongoski on March 4, 2010. Click on the article title to read more.
According to Education Week, California ranks 47th in the nation in K-12 education spending and spends $2,000 per pupil below the national average. Our current state deficit is $20 billion and you can find relevant state budget details on the state comptroller’s webpage: http://www.sco.ca.gov/. Considering the above numbers, there is no doubt that California desperately needs to explore alternative forms of revenue if it wants to support quality education for its young citizens.
Your urgent help is requested. I am appealing directly to you to help our profession through this current budget crisis. Please participate in the following to show policy-makers how concerned we are about the current state of education in California:
A Movement is Born
When PEEHIP and the Teachers Retirement System announced deep, painful cuts to health and retirement benefits, Birmingham-AFT mobilized to fight. Thousands of teachers and paraprofessionals have met, signed petitions and reached out to their brothers and sisters across the state of Alabama. A movement has been born. The voice of educational professionals is being heard in Birmingham.
The university has created a website on unionization and has sent various emails with "neutral" information on unionization. The information provided has only told part of the truth and has been misleading on a number of counts. In this article, which is under development, we will dispel the myths surrounding what dues will be, fair share (also called agency fees, card check, and other matters.
Several members have approached me about compiling a list of ways for the school district to save money. Please contact me or any of the union leadership about ideas you have to save money.
Your Union (AFT) circulated petitions in the MCPSS to protect Education Healthcare, Retirement, and prevent the PEEHIP and TSA Boards from making proposed changes without consulting the persons affected.
It is quite evident that the state of California cannot cut its way out of the $20 billion deficit it is currently facing. While state-wide politicians seem hesitant to raise the necessary revenue required to run the state at an effective level, it is up to us to raise awareness.
The following link discusses the benefits to closing the prop 13 loophole. Please sign up: www.closetheloophole.com/
Proposition 13 has, since its inception in the late 1970s, shifted the tax burden from commercial properties to residential properties because industrial property tends to change hands less frequently. It is time to tax commercial and residential properties at different values. For example, Disneyland, which has not ever changed ownership, is taxed at about a nickel per square foot.
Additionally, proposition 13 stifles the creation of new small businesses by requiring them to compete against other businesses that are taxed at much lower rates.
On a related note, California is the only state that requires a 2/3rds majority to pass a budget. This super-majority requirement leads to a minority being able to hold the budget process hostage leading to gridlock and economic chaos. The following site intends to work to change the budget process back to a simple majority: www.californiansfordemocracy.com/
Please join these websites and donate money or time to help get the word out.
It is time for change. We need to start raising awareness and pushing our politicians to create a democratic and fiscally responsible budget.
