Michigan and Right T o Work Michigan Presenters: Kia Hagens, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CTA Issues Conference “Message from Michigan: How to Unite our Members in a World without Fair Share”

Michigan and Right T

• Work

Michigan Presenters: Kia Hagens, UniServ Director Tom Greig, UniServ Director Renaye Baker, UniServ Director

History

1970’s and 80’s

• Voucher attempt in 1978—failed
• The reign of John Engler begins—1980’s
• Resented the political influence the MEA had on state politics
• Mackinac Center begins—1987
• First emergency manager laws--1988

History

1990’s

• Gov. Engler robs teachers pension fund to

balance the state budget

• Never returns it to the fund—leaving an unfunded liability in the

system—hence members having to pay more into the program now.

• Strike laws implemented to almost totally

take school employees striking rights away—1994

History

1990’s cont.

• First erosion of PERA-taking collective

bargaining rights away from school employees—1994

• Forced imposition when bargaining reaches impasse
• Push begins for the Charter School

initiative—1994

• Proposal A—K-12 finance reform—state

controlled and distributed.

• Local control over financial resources limited

History

2000’s

• Voucher attempt again made—failed—

2000

• DeVos’ Family along with Engler attempt to privatize schools
• Republicans begin push to decrease

school funding throughout the rest of the decade

• Tying money to best practices
• Earmarking money for particular use to keep from using them

for increased school employee wages

History

2010’s

• PAC contributions no longer can be made

through school payroll deduction

• Teacher Evaluation System Reform—2010
• Erosion of collective bargaining rights
• Republicans control the state house, senate,

governor position and supreme court— January 2011

• Rename Emergency Manager to Emergency

Financial Managers—broadening authority

• ver local governments—March 2011

History

2010’s cont.

• Reduced school funding by $1,000,000,000—PA 62—

June of 2011

• Forced prohibition of increased compensation prior

to successor agreements reached—June 2011

• Freezes wages and increases health care costs to school

employees after contract expires

• Bans bargaining for retroactivity
• Prohibited subjects of bargaining: evaluation,

discipline, lay-off/recall seniority, assignments, merit pay, etc.—July 2011

• Change to tenure laws—July 2011
• Just Cause to now Arbitrary and Capricious standards

History

2010’s cont.

• Forced Health Insurance Premium Share—

20% or hard cap—September 2011

• Erosion of collective bargaining rights
• Eliminated cap on Charter Schools—PA

277—March 2012

• Forced auditing of local school union

finances—March 2012

• Prohibition of schools to use payroll

deduction for union dues—March 2012

History

2010’s cont.

• Allowed students to receive state aid for

college level courses while in high school—PA 131—July of 2012

• Pension reform—shifting more cost to

individual school employees and districts—3%--September 2012

• New members have no health care benefits upon

retirement in the future—PA 300

History

2010’s cont.

• Voters repeal Emergency Financial

Manager law—November 2012

• Voters defeat attempt at constitutional

provision to guarantee collective bargaining rights for school employees— November 2012

History

2010’s cont.

• Expanded the number of cyber schools—PA

129—October 2013

• Expanded the Education Achievement

Authority (EAA)—Spring of 2014

• Continued to reduce school funding
• Exempts development property from 18 mils non-

homestead school property tax—PA 204

• Eliminated a portion of sales tax on cars, boats, and

recreational vehicles—PA 159—net loss of $330,000,000—December of 2013

History

2010’s Lame Duck:

• Legislators re-enact Emergency Manager

laws—December 2012

• Right to Work legislation passed by

legislators—December 2012

ALEC Influence

Voucher initiatives—government

subsidize private schools

Increase number of charter schools Defund public schools—creating a

financial crisis allowing the take over with private charter schools

ALEC Influence

Academic achievement goals unattainable

to create crisis allowing the take over with private charter schools

Eliminating certification of teachers Elimination of teacher tenure

ALEC Influence

Erode away/eliminate collective bargaining

rights for public sector unions

Defund public sector unions Right to Work Laws Erode away public sector retirement

pensions

Changing MEA Culture

Moving from a…

Predominately Service Delivery Model

to a

Predominately Organizing Model

Struggles Experienced:

 Membership Decline due to Privatization

and Reduction of School Staffs to Save Money

 New Method of Collection of Dues  Increasing the Engagement of Members  Getting Members to Advocate for

Themselves

 Members Now Able to Opt Out of the

Union

 Balancing Union Service with

Organizing/Member Engagement

Struggles Experienced

• Loss of Membership to RTW
• Active Campaign by the American for

Prosperity and the Mackinaw Center We see as one of the MEA’s Victories: We have only lost approximately 5% of the membership to this effort

Future Challenges

• 2014 Election

 Lame Duck Session in December 2014  Continued Legal Challenges  Increasing Member Involvement  Providing Same Quality of Services with

Dwindling Financial Resources

 Getting members that opted out and future

new members to rejoin/join the union

Future Opportunities

 Members will be more engaged  Members will be more informed  Members will advocate more for

themselves and their colleagues

 Members will care more about the

survival of the organization

 Members will feel the “Power of We”

instead of the power of me.

Ideas to Engage Members

 Social Events  Trainings  Leader Ideas  UniServ Director Ideas

Questions and Discussion