Colleagues,
1) NTU Ed Resource Center – Please be advised that the NTU Ed Resource Center will be closed for the rest of December. They will reopen on January 3, 2017.
2) Phase 2 Respect the Contract – So far, Phase 2 has been successful, but we know there are literally hundreds of health and safety, evaluation, Head Start, and Special Ed violations that the district continues to commit. THEY MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! Please follow this link to get started: http://newark.nj.aft.org/respect-contract/phase-ii-toolkit
If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve this process, email Mike Maillaro at mmaillaro@newarkteachersunion.com.
IMPORTANT REMINDER! The Phase 2 forms are for violations of state and federal law, regulations, and guidelines. If the issue is a “routine” violation of the contract (a la Phase 1), that should be dealt with through the Building Rep or NTU office, not by using the complaint forms! That is what our grievance policy is for!
3) Heath Waiver Update – At our monthly NTU/NPS meeting, NPS conceded that changing our health benefits to AETNA meant that NTU members were no longer in the state plan. As a result, NTU members who have spouses in the district would be eligible for compensation for waiving their health benefits IF THERE WAS A SAVINGS (words and emphasis are from NPS). NPS is trying to argue that there is no savings because the district would still be paying for that staff member’s benefits. We disagree entirely. We are discussing this situation with NPS and our counsel, and will provide an update as soon as possible.
In Solidarity,
John M. Abeigon President & Director of Organization Newark Teachers Union Local 481 AFT, AFL-CIO | Michael Maillaro Director of Research & Communication Newark Teachers Union Local 481 AFT, AFL-CIO | Michael R. Iovino Newark Teachers Union Local 481 AFT, AFL-CIO |