Good morning, and Happy Three Kings Day to all who celebrated it. Below you’ll find a few pieces of important information.
Last week, as we do every year, we reviewed the procedures for claiming compensation for lost P&Ds, lost SEIMS time, and the like. A few members called regarding what procedures, if any, are in place in autonomous schools, such as pilots and Innovation Schools, for these procedures.
Autonomous schools have to let our members know, through their school-specific EWA (which comes up each year for a vote), whether a particular provision in the BTU contract is voided via its EWA. Provisions in the BTU Contract apply to all members, in all schools UNLESS specifrically voided. In other words, if an EWA for a pilot school, for example, says specifically that a teacher will not receive compensation for losing a P&D period — and the EWA is approved by the BTU membership at that school — then teachers at the pilot will not receive compensation for losing a P&D period.
On the other hand, let’s say that the school’s EWA is silent on the issue, i.e., there’s no mention made in the EWA of what happens when a teacher loses a P&D because a substitute is not present. In that case, the section below describing what to do when one loses a P&D is applicable, and affected teachers are entitled to compensation.
There is an also a section below that discusses the December 2016 paycheck deduction for health insurance and what will turn out to be a missed paycheck on September 7, 2017. We offer the latter as a heads up for planning purposes.
In the matter of the September 7, 2017 check, it will be skipped because of the way paycheck Fridays match up with the opening of school next year. The key is that no one loses compensation. The problem is that the paychecks for school year 2017-18 start two weeks late, and there is a four-week pay gap between the end of the 15-16 SY and the beginning of the 16-17 SY. All will still receive 26 full paychecks for each school year.
Nomination papers for the 2017 BTU election will be available on Wednesday, January 11 at 3 PM outside the union meeting and following the meeting in the BTU office until March 8. Learn more about the election and the responsibilities of the officers.
Please plan to join us on Thursday, January 19 from 4:30-6 PM, when Richard Stutman will explain the responsibilities of all the elected union positions. There will be an opportunity for questions, and refreshments will be served. See the full agenda.
See all instructions for NOMINATION PAPERS.
This Friday and all Fridays going forward until our contract is settled are BTU Contract Fairness Days. We get back to negotiations this week. We ask that all members wear something in BTU Blue (we have fleece vests for $20 and fleece long sleeve jackets for $25 if you wish). We ask that you wear our BTU stickers as well.
