WEA Republican Educators Caucus

Hi MLEA Members,

There's a new group starting up within the WEA called the WEA Republican Educators Caucus. The intent is to give Republican and Conservative educators more of an active voice within the organization and make sure that their viewpoint is heard; it's an effort being put together by Ken Mortland, a retired member and former high school teacher who I've had the pleasure of meeting through my WEAPAC work and some who I think very highly of.

If you're interested in being a part of the effort you can get more information off of the the Facebook page that has been set up, here. You can also email me and I'll happily send you an information packet, or you can email Ken directly at wearec1130@aol.com.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

MLEA Budget Approved

Thank you to everyone who voted!

Weingarten Rights

A little bit of labor law for a Wednesday morning!

One of the ways that collective bargaining benefits us is through the codification of what are known as "Weingarten Rights" from a 1975 Supreme Court case of the same name. Fundamentally, what Weingarten means for you:

*You have the right to Union representation at a meeting with a principal, superintendent, or direct supervisor if you "reasonably believe that discipline" could result from the meeting. That's a tricky phrase, though, because "reasonable" has everything to do with your thoughts and feelings at the time, and "discipline" could be anything from a verbal reprimand to a loss of status to termination.

Bottom line: if you're requested to attend a meeting and you're not comfortable going on your own, you can request representation. If you're in a meeting and it takes a turn against you, you can request representation. If after a meeting you need to talk about what it could mean, you can call your Association Rep and debrief.

If you have any questions about Weingarten Rights, or any other aspect of the Association, please feel free to ask!