In this Issue: Bargaining Update, School Board Meeting Tonight, Insurance Scam, Euro Spec, Snap Fitness: Palm Harbor, Sardo s Pizza & Pasta

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1 No. 13 In this Issue: Bargaining Update, School Board Meeting Tonight, Insurance Scam, Euro Spec, Snap Fitness: Palm Harbor, Sardo s Pizza & Pasta My Union brothers and sisters, Bargaining Update Salaries: Many of you may have heard that the District is willing to give teachers, on an average, 4% raises. It is their hope that teachers will turn against the Unions when the bargaining teams of PCTA, PESPA, SEIU, and the PBA turn down what on the surface, sounds like a better raise than most have had in quite a while. There is, of course, more to the story. My definition of a raise is when people take home more money than they did the year before. A 4% raise is not really a 4% raise when you are forced to pay an additional $520 to $960 increase to your health insurance premium which is deducted from your paycheck. If the average teacher makes $46,000 and if they happen to fall on the highest step, they would receive a $1650 raise. If they have a family on the HMO Staff plan, they would be paying out $820 which would reduce their raise to $830, which would be a 1.8% raise. Even if the District adds a few dollars toward an across the board cost of living raise, reaching 4% in actual take home pay is a fantasy. This is just one example and there will be teachers that make out better, and those that make out worse. But let us consider how such a deal would affect our brothers and sisters in PESPA and SEIU. Many of them make between $10 to $15 an hour. A $15 an hour Educational Support Professional makes approximately $22,500 a year. A 4% raise would be about $900 which after taxes, would barely pay for an increase to their family insurance plan.

2 There is a fair balance between salary raises and benefits and we will arrive at that balance and come up with a compensation package that everyone will find fair. Do not allow those who swallow the District s 4% story hook, line, and sinker to divide us. Those that are not Union members are content to live with a take it or leave it view, as if they would get even that if there was no Union at the bargaining table. Union members should understand that their bargaining team is at the table attempting to get the best possible settlement for the bargaining unit. Raises will be negotiated but there are many factors that determine what kind of raise we can get for the bargaining unit. Annual contract teachers will be placed on a pay-for-performance schedule. Any teacher on this schedule with an evaluation of highly effective will receive a raise that is greater than the largest bump on the grandfathered schedule. Currently, and this may change in negotiations, the highest bump on the grandfather schedule is $1650. That means a highly effective teacher on the payfor-performance schedule would be entitled to at least $1651. An effective teacher on that schedule would be eligible for between 50 and 75% of the highly effective amount. Teachers on the grandfathered schedule are those on continuing contract or professional service contract. Their raises will be bargained in the usual way and may include a step raise, a change in steps and/or a cost of living increase. PCTA does not advise any teacher currently on the grandfather schedule to jump to the pay for performance schedule because the price of that jump is that you will be giving up your professional service or continuing contract. That will place you on an annual contract for the rest of your career. The District will be sending out forms to allow you to opt for the pay for performance option and they may make it seem like an attractive alternative. If you call the office I will tell you exactly what I have underlined in this message but if you want to talk to one of the UniServ Directors because you are considering this option, please call the office. Planning Time: The bargaining team is meeting with the District team on September 15. Once again, there has been no movement on the issue of planning. It is the position of the PCTA bargaining team to protect individual planning time. The District feels that planning can have multiple meanings and that many of the meetings and coaching sessions should be considered planning. There simply are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that the District expects. If they continue to impede on teacher planning, our teachers will have to continue to bring work home to prepare for lessons. How this issue plays out will be a good indication of just how much the District cares about the added stress that teachers have been under and how much an institution that professes to be all about what is in the best interest of kids, cares about the families and home life of their own employees. Health insurance: Agreement has been made on the plan designs but not yet on premium contributions by the School Board vs employees. Supplements: Supplements have not been increased in 20 years. Our District lags behind other districts in this regard. The District is willing to discuss plans to raise supplements to competitive levels over a specified period of time. We are currently examining the current supplement amounts and looking at positions that perhaps should be earning a supplement but currently do not.

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4 Don t fall for this feeble attempt to bust Unions Insurance scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Just another attempt to bring down the defenders of public education The Florida Education Association and your local union provide many services to our members. We provide a voice for issues that concern educators, help with your professional development, negotiate your salaries and working conditions, provide many legal services and get you discounts on a wide array of goods and services and we are the foremost voice in this state in support of our public schools. This rattles some public officials. They worry about our growing voice in defense of our public schools and they fear our potential to become a political powerhouse throughout the state. That s why in the last legislative session they revived a failed program to provide liability insurance for educators. The program being funded is a failed program which was in effect from 2001 through 2006 when it was repealed. An OPPAGA study found that during the five years that this program was in effect about a decade ago, the state spent $5.6 million in premiums to obtain claims payments of $50,375. Obviously, there was not a need for this coverage. Lawmakers earmarked $1.2 million to revive this program in the current budget year. The current sovereign immunity statutes already provide protection to educators who are accused of negligence. Moreover, in addition to those protections, most (if not all) school districts already maintain liability insurance which protects, not only the districts, but also district employees. The supporters of the program have openly stated the purpose of the program is to induce a significant hit to union membership. That s the exact reason Jeb Bush gave for supporting the program in During the five years the program was in effect a decade ago, our membership grew. The FEA legal program covers and protects our members in a far more comprehensive manner than does the very limited liability insurance program being offered by the state. For example, at no cost to dues-paying members, the FEA legal program provides legal representation to members in all employment-related disputes in the following types of matters: Certification disputes Disciplinary actions Unfair labor practices FLSA, ADA and FMLA issues

5 Retirement disputes Collective bargaining issues Discrimination disputes Public labor disputes Just as importantly, FEA s legal program provides to members when engaging in educational employment activities comprehensive liability coverage through the Educators Employment Liability Program. Under this program, members are protected as follows: Coverage of up to $1 million per occurrence for indemnification of civil suits for damages. Each occurrence is subject to a $3 million aggregate. Coverage of up to $3 million per member per occurrence for legal defense costs (not including any civil rights issues or civil rights claims). Each occurrence is subject to a $9 million aggregate. Coverage of up to $300,000 in lawsuits involving civil rights violations (in contrast to the above, this amount includes both indemnification and defense expenses). A defense will be provided to the member under this coverage unless and until a court makes a finding that the member specifically intended to violate the civil rights of the accuser/claimant. Coverage for up to $35,000 for reimbursement of criminal defense expenses, provided that the member is exonerated of all charges. If the criminal charges involve allegations related to the use of corporal punishment, members may receive criminal defense reimbursement regardless of exoneration. Coverage of up to $1,000 of bail bond premium for occurrences arising out of their educational employment activities. Coverage of up to $500 for damages to personal property, when the damages occur during assault on the member in the course of performing educational employment activities. We provide real legal services and real benefits! Feel free to call us if you have any questions. Andy Ford & Joanne McCall President & Vice President of FEA

6 PCTA-PESPA has yet another benefit partner in Mike Cabral of EURO SPEC Automotive. Mike s shop is at 400 Douglas Road East in Oldsmar. Mike is a qualified Master Technician who will get the job done and save our members money. Welcome Mike Cabal and Euro Spec!

7 PCTA is proud to welcome a new benefits partner. Snap Fitness Palm Harbor is giving a corporate rate of $15 a month to PCTA members. Working out can also save you on your health insurance if you participate in the Vitality program. With a rebate on your insurance premium, this gym membership could end up not costing you anything.

8 Best Pizza in Tampa Bay Fast Pizza Delivery Always Hot and Fresh Ask for your Teachers Union Discount! Tell them Big Mike sent you. Italian Restaurant Ulmerton Rd Largo Sardos Pizza Delivery in Largo and Seminole, Florida