2012 December - Michigan Education Association

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Steven B. Cook President Nancy L. Strachan Vice President Richard S. Trainor Secretary-Treasurer 2 DECEMBER 2012 Letter to members There's no way to sugar-coat the recent loss on Proposal 2 enough to make it easy to swallow. The failure to pass Proposal 2 is a bitter disappointment felt by all of us, as well as the other members of the Protect Working Families coalition. Suffice it to say, the coalition simply was not able to overcome being outspent by corporate special interests that did everything they could to convince voters that Proposal 2 was about everything but collective bargaining. That said, we have never seen MEA members so engaged and united. And we’ve never been more proud of our association than we have been these past few months. Thousands upon thousands of members volunteered throughout the campaign, and that organizing will not be in vain—so long as we keep engaged in the fight for our schools and our rights. The battle to protect collective bargaining is not over—it’s never over. Research released just after the election shows that 70 percent of voters support collective bargaining, including 55 percent of those who voted against Proposal 2. For them, their vote was not a condemnation of collective bargaining, but an unwillingness to amend the Constitution—something that in the end took down all five proposed constitutional amendments on Nov. 6. Proposal 2’s defeat means collective bargaining is not protected in the Constitution, but it does not mean that collective bargaining is gone. Within the laws and restrictions placed on us by the Legislature, we will continue to collectively bargain with local school boards to make decisions in the best interests of students, employees and communities. Resourceful and creative members, leaders and staff will continue to find ways at the bargaining table to protect students, provide the necessary resources so students are successful and preserve public education. We also will continue the fight to prevent lawmakers from enacting further restraints on our collective bargaining rights. And in that vein, we had electoral successes that are truly worth celebrating: The re-election of President Barack Obama and Sen. Debbie Stabenow gives us friends in Washington, D.C., to continue the fight there. Bridget Mary McCormack’s election to the state Supreme Court gives us a justice who believes in protecting our families’ interests ahead of those of corporate CEOs. The repeal of the Emergency Manager law (Proposal 1) and the defeat of the tax supermajority measure (Proposal 5) shows that voters have no appetite for the policies of the extreme right. MEA was a key player in both those fights, with a huge number of members collecting signatures to put the EM law on the ballot and resources from both MEA and NEA that went into the “No on 5” effort. “Thousands upon thousands of members volunteered throughout the campaign, and that organizing will not be in vain — so long as we keep engaged in the fight for our schools and our rights.” Despite freshly-gerrymandered district lines designed to increase Republicans’ stranglehold on the Legislature, Democrats picked up six seats in the state House. We have several more friends in the House, with the election of fellow MEA members Collene Lamonte, Theresa Abed and Terry Brown. Joining them are MEA-recommended candidates Henry Yanez, Gretchen Driskell, Tom Cochran, Winnie Brinks and Scott Dianda, all of whom won closely-contested races. With their victories, the makeup of the House is now 51 Democrats and 59 Republicans. That means come Jan. 1, just four votes crossing over can change the outcome of a bill. On the State Board of Education, we elected two new friends and allies who understand the needs of education professionals: Michelle Fecteau and MEA member Lupe Ramos-Montigny. And we swept six out of six other recommended candidates for the boards of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. MEA members, leaders and staff put in a ton of focused and energized hard work. While Proposal 2’s failure is disappointing, teachers and support staff are stronger for the fight. That strength will come in handy over the course of 2013, because we will need to redouble our legislative efforts to proactively move a positive agenda for public education.
Cover photo An Atlas V rocket carrying the Juno spacecraft during a midday launch. (Thinkstock Photo) 7 11 17 Interim Executive Director » Gretchen Dziadosz Director of Public Affairs » Doug Pratt Editor » Thomas Morgan Publications Specialist » Shantell Crispin Contents In every issue 10 fast reads. 4 Look back. Look ahead. 6 Classifieds. 21 On the cover Election recap. 7 Blast off! 17 BPA conference. 19 More inside MESSA news. 11 24+ Club. 12 ESP elections. 20 Brunner Award. 21 The MEA Voice ISSN 1077-4564 is an official publication of the Michigan Education Association, 1216 Kendale Blvd., East Lansing, MI 48823. Opinions stated in the MEA Voice do not necessarily reflect the official position of the MEA unless so identified. Published by Michigan Education Association, Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573. Periodicals postage paid at East Lansing and additional mailing offices. Payment of the active membership fee entitles a member to receive the MEA Voice. Of each annual fee whether for active or affiliate membership, $12.93 is for a year’s subscription. Frequency of issue is bimonthly. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the MEA Voice, Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573 or via e-mail at webmaster@mea.org. Allow at least three weeks for change of address to take effect. MEA Voice telephone: 517-332-6551 or 800-292-1934. Circulation this issue: 140,512. Come tweet with us—follow MEA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ MEAOnline Join the conversation! Become a fan of MEA on Facebook: www.mea.org/ facebook MEA VOICE 3
Page 1: Election recap, Page 7 Bargaining a
Page 5 and 6: 6. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Have some
Page 7 and 8: Election efforts bring MEA members
Page 9 and 10: students and working families. “A
Page 11 and 12: Ask questions to take charge of you
Page 13 and 14: Catherine Case Patricia Cassel Erin
Page 15 and 16: Wendy McCloud William McCloud Maril
Page 17 and 18: Blast off! Kingsford science teache
Page 19 and 20: Bargaining and Public Affairs Confe
Page 21 and 22: Japanese Exchange Program Chaperone
Page 23 and 24: 12/12 If you chose Option 3, do you

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