Greetings, Fellow Union Members!

 As you may recall, Idaho’s public school teachers came under serious attack during the 2011 Legislative session. Teacher bargaining rights were diminished, seniority-based reductions in force were outlawed, and individual employment contracts for new teachers were changed in such a way that they have become at-will employees.  

Fellow union members were incredibly supportive of our efforts to maintain bargaining rights and our subsequent efforts to gain sufficient signatures to place three referenda on the November 2012 ballot in order to overturn these harmful education laws. We are grateful to each and every person who stood with us. We rediscovered the power of the collective voice during this tumultuous time. 

We expect additional attacks on unions in the 2012 Legislative session – possibly on all public and private sector bargaining rights, union dues deduction, and other bread and butter issues of importance to all of us. IEA Region 2 is partnering with other Lewis-Clark Valley public and private sector unions to find ways of providing mutual support to each other in this difficult political climate. 

I invite you to participate in the next roundtable discussion on Saturday, April 28, 2012, 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Location to be announced. I am attaching a flier with the meeting details...Click here. 

Please join us.  You may RSVP to me by reply to this email, or to Angie Gustafson of the Clarkston [Education Association] Classified Association (email kcbm@cableone.net, cell 509-780-2699).  Please feel free to call me with any questions you might have (208-743-5555). 

In solidarity,

 

Patti Roberts, Director

Region 2

Idaho Education Association