The document outlines an agenda for a leadership conference on advocacy and organizing. The schedule includes sessions on advocacy and contracts, evaluations, grievances, policies and laws. Expected outcomes include understanding the impact of recent laws on employees and strategies for organizing and increasing membership. The document provides examples to illustrate how advocacy impacts membership and reviews employee rights and legal requirements for contracts. [END SUMMARY]

1. WAKE UP,
EVERYBODY!
Advocacy in our New
World
LAE Summer Leadership Conference
July 24, 2012

2.  Lynda Guidry, LAE Director of Field Services,
Membership, Organizing & Legal Services
 Melanie Mitchell, NEA Membership Organizational
Consultant
 Vera Loyd, LAE Region 1 UniServ Director
 Angela Miller, LAE Region 3 UniServ Director

3. Expected Outcomes
Basic Understanding of Act
1’s impact on employees
Strategies for organizing &
increasing membership in
your workplace

4. NORMS/PARKING LOT
 Be on time
 Be respectful when sharing
 Turn cell phones to silent mode
 Be fully present
 Place issues off topic in the Parking Lot to
be addressed
Any other suggestions?

5. Schedule
 9:00 – ADVOCACY & CONTRACTS
 10:15 - BREAK
 10:30 – EVALUATIONS, GRIEVANCES, POLICIES, LAWS
 11:45 - LUNCH

6. INTRODUCTIONS
 Please share with us…
Your Name
Your Local Association
Your Position in the Local Association

7. Advocacy Impact on
Membership
8 7/20/2012

8. Advocacy Impact on Membership
Be a fair and helpful advocate or you will lose
members.
Many members join so that they will have
someone to help them if the district treats them
unfairly.
Let members know what the association does to
help members in a general way, but keep
names and details confidential.

9. Advocacy Impact onMembership
 If members question why the association is
helping a “bad” employee, explain that the
association works to protect the process and
ensure that all members are treated fairly.
 Develop cooperative relationships with
administrators, if possible, so that you have more
credibility when trying to resolve employee
problems.
 Help prevent problems by helping members
improve their job performance.
10 7/20/2012

10. Employee Rights Quiz
Agree Disagree

11. State or Federal law covers most
employment problems for school
employees.
Agree
Disagree
12 7/20/2012

12. DISAGREE
Support employees are governed by
FLSA, but very few state laws
govern ESP.
Most laws that teachers have enjoyed
for many years have been
amended or repealed.
13 7/20/2012

13. All school employees have the same set
of legal rights.
Agree Disagree
14 7/20/2012

14. Disagree
Teachers who were tenured before
September 1, 2012 will retain tenure.
Beginning July 1, 2012 teachers rated
“highly effective” for 5 years within a 6-
year period earn tenure pursuant to the
performance evaluation program.
Teachers not awarded tenure remain
”at-will.”
Support professionals are “at-will.”
15 7/20/2012

15. All school employees have a right to a
fair hearing prior to being terminated
from their jobs.
Agree Disagree
16 7/20/2012

16. Disagree
Tenured teachers have the right to
a hearing before a panel of 3
people – superintendent designee,
principal designee, and teacher
designee. Support staff may or
may not have a right to a hearing,
depending on their contracts and
district policy. Everyone else is
“at-will” and does not have the
right to a hearing.
17 7/20/2012

17. A teacher cannot be transferred to
another grade level, subject or school
building without his or her permission.
Agree Disagree
18 7/20/2012

18. Disagree
Some districts can involuntarily
transfer employees for any reason
or for the “needs of the district.”
District policies will have to be
changed to reflect the new laws.
19 7/20/2012

19. All school employees can quit by simply
submitting a letter of resignation.
Disagree
20 Agree 7/20/2012

20. Disagree
It will depend on school district
policy and new contract
language.
21 7/20/2012

21. A school employee’s personal life
is none of the school’s business.
Agree Disagree
22 7/20/2012

22. Disagree
Many aspects of a school employee’s
personal life are not the school’s
concern. However, a school district has a
legitimate interest in personal activities
that interfere with the employee’s ability
or fitness to work.
Also, it is the school’s “business” if the
employee has molested children or
stolen property, even if those crimes
were committed after work hours.
Employees must also exercise good
judgment when using Facebook, My
Space, Twitter, etc.
23 7/20/2012

23. Contracts

24. Basic Requirements
for Teacher Contracts
1. Certainty as to the
length of the school day;

25. Basic Requirements
for Teacher Contracts
2. Certainty as to the
length of the school year;

26. Basic Requirements
for Teacher Contracts
3. Certainty as to the
amount of money that a
teacher will be paid for the
agreed upon school day/
school year; and

27. Basic Requirements
for Teacher Contracts
4. Certainty as to the
amount of money that a
teacher will be paid for work
outside of the agreed upon
school day/ school year.

28. Contracts
Examine contracts
What’s missing?
How would you organize to
fix the contract in your
district?

29. LAE Works
http://laeworks.org/index.html

30. 10-Minute Meeting
Template for 10-Minute Site Meeting (advertise agenda)
Minutes Topic Rationale
(1-2) Brief overview Keeping members informed
(3-6) State issue Gain consensus
(7-9) Take stand/ Creates solidarity @ site
make decision
(10) Recognition Develop spirit and improve
morale @ site
Use 4x6 cards to alert AR of other issues to be addressed in
the future.