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Page 4 FEA Journal By Ted Carlin FEA Vice President In 1857, Robert Campbell, an African- American teacher at the Philadelphia Institute of Youth was the founding member of the National Education Association (NEA). He helped to defi ne NEA’s mission which is “To elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States.” Almost 100 years later, in 1956, the Overseas Education Association was formed for Department of Defense Overseas schools. When the Stateside Department of Defense (DDESS) schools were added in 1994, it became the Federal Education Association. During the 50 years of OEA/FEA there have been many diff erent structures or organizations of offi cers and staff . Even today a position may have diff erent titles in diff erent areas but overall the FEA organization is consistent throughout and is aligned with the DoDEA, DoDDS and DDESS structures. Th rough the use of the following diagrams and explanation boxes we will try to take the FEA Organization from titles to people and visually align it with their counterparts and responsibilities. The FEA Organization DoDEA Structure FEA Structure Building Principal District Superintendents Offi ce Area Directors for Europe, Pacifi c and Stateside DoDEA Headquarters in Arlington, VA DoDEA follows a mostly manager-driven model, wherein directives, policies, etc., are set at the headquarters, Area Director or DSO level and fl ow toward the school. communication, negotiation, confl ict resolution, etc., conducted between similar organizational levels FEA Area Councils in Europe, the Pacifi c and Stateside Consists of Respective Area Director(s) and District Reps/Local Presidents Membership Processors and Area Staff Michael Bauernfeind Pacifi c Dorothy Lee Stateside FEA UniServ Attorneys Individual FEA Members Faculty Representative Spokesperson (FRS) or other building-level Association representative elected by members in each building FEA District Representative, Local President or Country President elected by FEA Members in the district or local FEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Made up of the FEA President, four other At-Large Offi cers, and four Area Directors FEA President Sheridan Pearce elected by all Active FEA members FEA Executive Director/General Counsel H.T. Nguyen Reports to the FEA Board of Directors Supervises FEA staff, advises on legal and other matters Jan Freeman, Bill Freeman & Sequitta Banks Europe FEA Area Directors Caroline Myers - Stateside Jan Amend - Pacifi c Roseann Drydale - Europe Chuck McCarter - Europe elected by members from Area In FEA, all decisions are member driven since all association offi cers are answerable to the members who elected them. Th is results in a more “schoolbased” philosophy. Information, requests for assistance, and questions/ concerns from members fl ow from school level through FEA District, Area and Board/Washington levels, where they are handled by the appropriate FEA representative or staff member. FEA At-Large Offi cers Ted Carlin - Vice President Linda Callender - Sec./Treasurer Trudy Pollard - NEA Director Wanda Beatty - HCR Coord. elected by all Active FEA members FEA Washington Staff Connie Shanaghan Patricia Weil Dir. of Administration Executive Assistant Barbara Wright Gary Hritz Finance/ULSP Coord. Communications Coord. Alice Jefferson Richard Tarr Membership Assistant Staff Attorney
Protecting Your Rights By What is a Grievance? Simply stated, a grievance is a complaint concerning any matter related to the employment of a DoDEA employee in FEA’s bargaining unit. A grievance may also deal with matters such as a violation of our collective bargaining agreement, or any other violation of regulations or laws governing employment conditions. Who May File a Grievance? Any individual in FEA’s bargaining unit (Overseas or Stateside) may fi le a grievance. Normally, individual bargaining unit members write and document their own grievances. You may also obtain advice and/or assistance from your Faculty Representative Spokesperson (FRS), who in turn can get help from FEA’s legal staff or leaders. What’s a Group Grievance? As its name implies, a group grievance is fi led on behalf of multiple bargaining unit members who share a common complaint. The group can select a single person (typically, the FRS) to be the lead grievant, but all members of the group must be identifi ed in the grievance. What is an Association Grievances? An Association Grievance is fi led by FEA on behalf of the entire bargaining unit. They are similar in many ways to a classaction lawsuit. Most Association Grievances involve confl icting interpretations of laws, regulations or the Negotiated Agreement covering bargaining unit members. “Why Does FEA/NEA Protect Bad Teachers?” We don’t! FEA protects ALL bargaining unit members against attacks on their rights and against discrimination or other unfair treatment. As the nationally-recognized labor organization for DoDEA employees, it is not FEA’s role to determine guilt or innocence – our role is to see that due process and fair treatment, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, is aff orded to everyone we represent. Opponents of employee rights sometimes attempt to twist the protection of rights by FEA/NEA into an argument that we purposefully protect bad teachers, or even worse, child abusers. Th is is a perversion of logic and an insult to supporters of our system of laws. Need an example? Ask your friends and coworkers. Chances are someone will know a fellow educator who has been falsely accused of child abuse. Th e majority – the vast majority – of such allegations prove to be false; made up by students to get back at a teacher who What is the Typical Format for a Grievance Filing? Contact your FRS for a sample grievance letter you can use to model your complaint. Are There Deadlines for Filing a Grievance? In DoDDS, grievances resulting from a specifi c action or incident must be fi led within 15 days. In DDESS, the deadline is 20 days. Grievances from ongoing situations, such as a problem with your pay that recurs every pay period, are considered to be continuous and are generally not subject to a deadline for fi ling. When in doubt, consult your FRS immediately as to whether your situation falls under the 15day deadline for fi ling. It is better to err on the side of caution than to miss a deadline. What Are the Typical Steps in a Grievance Procedure? Usually, grievances begin with an informal discussion between yourself, your FRS and an administrator. If no resolution can be reached informally, that is when you would submit your written grievance to the administrator. The administrator should respond within the appropriate time limit. Often this response amounts to the administrator’s rebuttal to your complaint. If you are not satisfi ed with the administrator’s response, you can request (in writing) elevation of the grievance to the next level. Be sure to consult your FRS and send a copy of your complete grievance packet to your FEA Area Director and UniServ Attorney. They can advise you on further options. disciplined them or did not give them the grade they felt they deserved. If the accused in such a case is not given the fair hearing he or she deserves, it would be human nature to react solely to the heinous accusation and demand severe punishment. Emotions would trump the truth. One of FEA/NEA’s primary reasons for existing is to be sure those who are falsely accused of any act receive their fair hearing. FEA does not want bad teachers in our schools anymore than you do, and we certainly do not want child abuse in our schools. But neither do we want innocent educators punished or disciplined unjustly because no one would stand up for their rights. We are fortunate to live in a country where there is a system of laws to see that the guilty are punished and the innocent are vindicated. FEA/NEA’s role is to make sure that system is not forgotten. August, 2006 Page 5 Roseann Drydale FEA Europe Area Director For most FEA members, protection of their rights is the single most important reason for joining the association. Knowing there is someone who will stand up for you if you ever need it is a very good feeling. FEA employs seven full-time attorneys to serve our members. In addition to two lawyers in FEA’s Washington offi ce, each Area of FEA (Europe, the Pacifi c, and Stateside) has its own legal staff to service and assist members. Th ese UniServ Attorneys assist with grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, and a myriad of other legal issues aff ecting our members, as well as provide legal advise to their respective FEA Area Councils. Th e legal staff in FEA’s Washington offi ce, led by our Executive Director/General Counsel, directs the overall legal strategy of FEA and handles issues, such as NSPS, aff ecting the membership as a whole. Th e network of FEA staff and leaders – from our General Counsel, to your Area Director, to your District Representative or Local President, to the Faculty Representative Spokesperson (FRS) in your building – is there to make sure your rights are always protected.
Page 1 and 2: CELEBRATING FIFTY YEARS OF EXCELLEN
Page 3: Th is summer was anything but quiet
Page 7 and 8: FEA and NEA Th e NEA is the parent
Page 9 and 10: Human & Civil Rights By Wanda Herri
Page 11 and 12: August, 2006 Page 11 ESPs By Caroli
Page 13 and 14: FEA Safeguards Transfer Program Th
Page 15 and 16: August, 2006 Page 15 Call NEA Membe

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