Dixie State University Challenges Employee's Right to Unionize!

We received a transcript of a meeting at Dixie State University. (Transcript PDF) In this meeting, Doajo Hicks, General Counsel & Chief Diversity Officer of the university, stated, "So, what you have to understand is that tenure gives you, otherwise in the State of Utah, everyone knows this, in the State of Utah every employee is at will. You cannot unionize, because it's against the law."
Obviously, Mr. Hicks doesn't know or understand national labor law or employee rights in Utah. (Which is surprising considering he is the General Counsel for DSU)
1) It is not illegal to unionize in Utah or in the United States. Every employee has the right to organize a union.
2) Not every employee in the "State of Utah" is at will. There are several thousand public employees across Utah that have contracts and unions negotiate on their behalf.
It has long been recognized that Utah Board of Regent's policy prohibits collective bargaining rights in public higher education institutions. That does not prohibit higher education faculty and staff from joining and forming unions.
Such bullying and intimidation, such as this example, unfortunately has become common in the workplace. This is why employees have formed unions and organized. We are seeing employees get fed up with such treatment as is the case in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado, and now Arizona. Thousands of employees in public education organizing, protesting, and fighting back! The greatest defense we have against unfair labor practices, intimidation at the workplace, and attacks against working families is to organize! Together in solidarity, we collectively have a voice. It's time for higher education faculty and staff to organize and come together. AFT Utah stands ready. Join the cause... join the union. #AFTEmpoweringU

 

Welcome New Board Members

Below are the SSEU Officers as of July 1, 2018. Please join us in welcoming them!

President: David Hayes

Executive Vice President: Mark Kolakowski

Vice President: Steve Fisher

Secretary: Stacey Revette

Treasurer: Kathleen Cantrell

Executive Committee: Bart Grimsley, Deb Saturno, Tiffeny Scott, Barb Smith

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Managing Stress!

The most common complaint that is shared with us concerning the work environment is the amount of stress at the workplace.

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Statement on May Day from President English

Statement on May Day from AFT-Maryland President Marietta English

On this day, AFT-Maryland reflects on the many contributions organized labor has made in this nation and across the world. We remember the sacrifices made by so many women and men to ensure workers have fair wages and decent working conditions.

We also remember... 

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Share My Lesson

Share my lesson is a free resource that is available to all teacher and PSRP's. For teachers, these resources can include free lesson plans, actvities, and videos that are alligned with the Common Core. You can also connect with a community of experienced educators for the sharing of ideas and suggestions. You can also contribute your own ideas and lesson plans to the website for the use of other teachers around the state. For PSRP's, can also receive a variety of ideas and strategies from colleagues around the world.

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Support Fair First Contract at CCV

Send a message to CCV President, Joyce Judy, that all faculty deserve RESPECT and a fair contract. Click here to join with hundreds of Vermonters calling for Justice for CCV Faculty.

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The Faces of Unionism

The Janus vs. AFMSCE Supreme Court decision is expected to be decided this June. EdMN President Specht suggests we show our solidarity by taking selfies with the word "Union", and posting them on our social media.

Here are some examples from this weekend's training

AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin, 2018-16

Urgent-Action Necessary

April 29, 2018 - Bow, NH

It is time to act on SB 193!  Please contact your state representative(s) by clicking this link Contact Your Representatives.  

So, the moment has arrived.  This past Wednesday, the Finance Committee took its fateful vote on SB 193, the so-called voucher bill to use education savings accounts to funnel public monies to private schools, religious schools, and home-schoolers.  The previous week, the Finance sub-committee charged with SB 193 voted 7-1 in favor of “interim study,” and on this past Wednesday, the Finance Committee as a whole followed suit.  By a 14-12 margin, with three Republicans (including long-time Finance Chair Neal Kurk) joining Democrats, the committee voted to recommend “interim study” on SB193 as its recommendation to the entire House.  Simply put, the Committee was not able to resolve the financing issues in this bill, with costs conservatively estimated at $100 million to local districts over the next ten years.  This would be downshifting on a massive scale, not unheard of in New Hampshire, but a tactic disavowed by Republicans in general and certainly by Finance Chair, Neal Kurk.  Further, the repeated attempts to amend the policy of SB 193 made clear that even its advocates could not quite solve the policy & financing link.  Further complicating matters is passage by the House and Senate of HB 1496 requiring public schools to meet both input-based and performance-based accountability standards to be considered as providing an adequate education (currently schools need only meet one of these standards).  The result would be more schools suddenly deemed “inadequate,” thereby swelling the number of students eligible under SB 193 for public funds to attend private, religious, and home-schools.

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