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About the Grievance Procedure?
What? A grievance is defined as an alleged violation of a specific Article or Section of our contract or any other matter relative to rate of pay, salaries, hours of employment, and other conditions of employment... (Article XV, Section A).
Where? The written procedure can be found in our Master Agreement in Article XV.
When? The process must begin within five (5) school days of the incident. The first meeting with the administrator is called an informal discussion... (Article XV, Section B). The Grievance Chair is notified prior to the meeting and must receive a copy of all notes taken at the meeting.

If the grievance is not resolved at the informal discussion, the Grievance Chair starts the formal grievance process no later than ten (10) school days following the informal discussion... (Article XV, Section C).
Why? The grievance procedure is a process for resolving alleged contract  violations. It protects you and your working conditions against continued violation.
Who? The Vice-President of our Association is the Grievance Chair and the person responsible for seeing a grievance through to resolution.

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The Importance of Your Contract?
  • What is a contract?
  • Why do we have a contract?
  • Who is responsible for the contract?
  • How does it work for you?
Who?
  • You are responsible for preserving it, using it and updating it.
  • A negotiating team is selected through the interview process by the Executive Board, before the expiration of each contract.
  • A Contract Adjustment Team (PCAT) decides on possible amendments to language during the life of the contract.
What?
  • The contract is a written statement of responsibilities, working conditions, salary and benefits.
  • It was written to protect you and your job. It often contains the resolutions of past grievances.
Why?
  • It spells out the limits of the District's responsibilities.
  • It creates a check and balance system for both District and teacher.
  • It maintains a fair and equitable working situation for all teachers.
 How?
  • Knowing your contract, your rights and responsibilities can prevent problems.
  • The grievance procedure (contained in the contract) exists as a tool to protect your rights if the District does not fulfill its responsibilities.

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About Getting Your Professional Teaching Certificate?
What? Your initial provisional certificate is only good for five (5) years.
When? After you successfully teach for at least three (3) years and complete at least eighteen (18) semester hours in a planned program, you apply for your professional certificate.
Where? You must apply for your "Professional Education Certificate" through the certification officer of the approved Michigan teacher education institution (university) from which you earned your 18 hours, NOT L'Anse Creuse or the state.

See also: MEA Member Services \Professional Development\ Certification

Who? You are responsible for getting and keeping your "Professional Education Certificate" up-to-date. Renewals are issued by the Michigan Department of Education, NOT L'Anse Creuse or the university.
Why? Your "Professional Education Certificate" is valid for up to five (5) years. It expires on June 30 of a given year. If you let your certificate expire, you could lose your job and tenure!

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About Technology Liability?
What? Generally, employees do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the workplace. A laptop computer purchased through Teacher Technology Initiative (TTI) funds is considered school property even when being used at home.
Why? Employer-provided e-mail and Internet access are not private. They have the right to read your private e-mail. You may be subject to discipline for things you have written.
Who? Loss of your teaching certificate can result as well as legal consequences if you are accused of criminal conduct for: 1) cyber-smuggling, 2) dissemination of sexually explicit material to minors via the computer/Internet, 3) exhibition of obscene matter in view of children, 4) stalking.
When? Excessive Internet or e-mail activity and personal phone calls made during scheduled class time may be subject to disciplinary action.
How? All e-mail items are retained on the server unless permanently deleted from your login. All phone calls are logged by the system as to time placed and length of call.

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About Technology Liability 2?
What? Teachers appearing on Internet sites without their knowledge.
Why? Technologically astute students with continual access to camera phones, computers, and Internet are utilizing this capability to the detriment of educators.
Who? Students in your classes could be capable of setting up situations putting you at a disadvantage and recording it by camera phone. Once these pictures are on the camera phones, they can be downloaded to Web sites.
When? During class periods. Activity based instruction is the most vulnerable to these potential intrusions.
How? Watch your students. Be aware of escalating situations. Good classroom management helps minimize the possibility of trouble. Any infraction of cell phone use by a student needs to be reported to the administration.

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About Workshops and Training?
What? All in-service, workshops, or any other training offered during the summer or outside the contractual teaching hours is COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY for all teachers. Teachers always have the right not to attend if it is offered after contractual hours.
Why? Incentive points are offered in lieu of payment. For any district approved in-service offered outside of contractual hours, a teacher would receive ten (10) incentive points per hour for attending, fifteen (15) points per hour for presenting.

**REMEMBER! Specific grants may and often do include funds to pay teachers for additional time spent training.
How? If materials are sold as part of the in-service, the charge is deducted from the incentive points earned by a teacher and the materials are received at no charge.

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About Slotting? 
What? Slotting is the process by which teachers may voluntarily move to an open position according to their seniority.
When? Slotting is done in the spring for the following year. Your building rep. will provide the timeline.
Where? It takes place at the Administration building.
Why? The process was designed to allow you the freedom to change positions within the district.
How?

See also: Slotting Procedures

 Preference forms are made available to teachers around the beginning of April. If you wish to make a change, complete the preference form stating positions in which you have interest and certification. Around the same time all open positions as determined by the master schedule of each building (including new and/or those that opened during the school year) are posted. During the slotting meeting, scheduled about the middle of April, members of the Association Executive Board and the Personnel Office proceed to fill the open positions. We start with the most senior teacher's preference form and compare their request with the list of open positions. If the position is open, the teacher is moved or "slotted" into that position. Teachers receive notification that day if the change they requested was possible. Requests that are not granted are kept confidential.

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About "subbing"?
Who? Bargaining unit members
What? Substituting on your prep hour for another teacher. According to contract: Any teacher substituting for another teacher (or you have another class join yours), but not on a regularly scheduled basis, shall be compensated on a prorated basis at the hourly rate... will be $30.00. Article IV C pg.7
Where? In your building
When? You have the right to say "no" when an administrator asks you to sub on your prep hour. There are emergency situations where it may be a necessity.
Why? Substituting during your prep hour is voluntary.
How? If you are "scheduled" for subbing, let your building rep know. On completing that duty, go to your administrator and tell them you are not interested in substituting on your prep hour. If you are interested, tell them.

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About Protecting Your Contractual Rights?
What?
  • Your contractual hours (7¼ hour day) are the result of long hours of bargaining.
  • We are not resistant to change, but we are NOT interested in working any more for less.
Who?
  • Members are seeing hard won bargaining rights being disregarded and are afraid they will be given away by some of our own members who don't understand the history and the original need for those rights.
  • We do not want to promote alienation among our own members, so we need to educate our membership as to why contract rights must be protected.
Why?
  • Our position at the bargaining table is damaged or destroyed by teachers volunteering, being coerced, or pressuring others to do the duties of what should be a paid position.
  • Because many teachers choose to go to conferences on their own time does not give administration the right to mandate conference or in-service attendance outside of work hours.
  • If a program, curriculum, athletic, or otherwise, is mandated by administration, after hours training should be paid for by administration.
 Why or why not? Choose the conferences you wish to attend on your own time very carefully. Attend these because they will help you do your job in a more professional or efficient manner! Not because you feel:
  • You will be evaluated
  • You are being coerced
  • You are preparing for mandated programs
  • "If I don't do it, it will be used against me"
  • In lieu of something else, or "Oh by the way, we are going to meet anyway."
  • You are a new teacher and feel you don't really have a choice
 Don't
  • Set a precedent that other teachers will feel compelled to follow.
  • Think not only of yourself, but also think how your decision will affect other teachers, our contract, and our bargaining power.

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See also:
What every new member should know...

About MPSERS Service Credit Changes?
What? As of January 1, 2004, the cost of universal buy-in, maternity, paternity, child rearing time, and non-public education service credit will be calculated based on your age and years of service. Currently the cost of service credit is calculated solely on your age.

8% interest (per year, compounded) will be charged on  or after Jan. 1, 2004. Agreements established before Jan. 1, 2004 remain exempt from this interest.

To purchase service credit, you must have wages from the previous fiscal year. If not, you must wait until the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, after you have established wages to submit an application to purchase service credit.

 
When? These changes begin January 1, 2004. Executive Board members and building reps have an information sheet.
Who? These changes were enacted by the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement Board (many of whom were appointed by John Engler).

In 1997, MEA successfully lobbied against these changes, but this recent action by the MPSERS Board overturns the previous decision.

Jury Duty and Bereavement Leave Responsibility

Who? People on JURY DUTY
What?  Jury duty is not charged against a teacher's sick leave or personal leave.
How?  Fill out a leave request form and attach a copy of the summons. At the conclusion of jury duty, send a copy of the check and court receipt of days served to Payroll Dept. Your payroll check will be altered by this amount. Retain and cash the check received from the court.
Why? 

Only jury duty pay is deducted from your payroll check, NOT the mileage. The court receipt delineates the amount paid for each
Who?  Members using BEREAVEMENT LEAVE
What? Contract Article XI, B.6.

Five (5) days shall be allowed for the death of a member of the immediate
family. (immediate family shall be interpreted as mother, father, spouse, and
child). Three (3) days shall be allowed for the death of remaining family
members (sister, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, or step relations of the
employee, or a person living in the teacher's household). Two (2) additional 
days may be allowed if necessary and charged to sick leave. Two (2) days
shall be allowed for the death of an employee's grandchild, grandparent, 
brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law and shall be
charged to sick leave. One (1) day leaves may be granted for funerals of 
others than those persons defined above and will be charged to sick leave.

 
How? Fill out a leave request form and state for whom you are taking the leave.
Why? Absence for bereavement will be charged to your sick days if there is no other information given to Personnel.
When? As soon as you know the dates you will be absent or immediately upon return to work.

  New State Requirements

What? Districts are required to schedule 1,098 hours of instruction by the State School Aid Act and the School Code for public schools. The 180 day requirement is eliminated. Districts must also provide 5 days of professional development.
What else? The first 30 hours lost due to circumstances outside the control of the district (snow days) can be counted as instruction. (Previously it was about 13 hours)
What counts? Pupils and certified teachers are present and the class is offered for credit or grade progression (elementary).

1. Passing time to the first class period does not count.
2. Passing time between class periods does, as long as it's reasonable.
3. Only one passing time for each lunch counts.
4. Lunch periods and recess attached to lunch do not count.
5. Passing time from the last period does not count.
6. Recess at the beginning or end of the day does not count.
7. Homeroom counts if it's no more than 15 minutes.
Change in 2000-01 Teachers need to work 170 days to get a full year of MPSERS credit.

School districts have the option of counting up to 51 hours of teacher professional development time as if it was pupil instructional time in order to meet the 1,098 instructional hour requirements.
Why? Changes were made this summer in the School State Aid Act.

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