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We hope you have a healthy and restful Spring Break!
Colleagues,
Your Union in Action: what was going on at NTU this week?
The NTU Community Engagement & Social Justice Committee is encouraging members to support (either through donation or their time). The event is one of many designed to help raise awareness about gun violence in our schools and communities. NTU Vice President and co-chair of the NTU Community Engagement & Social Justice Committee Chris Canik will be there. If you will be there, please e-mail Chris at ccanik@gmail.com or ccanik@nps.k12.nj.us to confirm a meet-up location
2) Building Rep Committee – Over the last few months, the NTU has been talking with our Executive Board, Building Reps, and members about our intention to shift away from a single Building Rep to have a Building Committee at each school. The goal is to have a committee that better represents the entire membership in each building as well as to ensure that a Building Rep won’t have a target on their back, which sadly happens too often.
We have received a lot of favorable feedback on this idea, and we will be moving forward with this after Spring Break. More information to come, but start thinking about who belongs on your Buildin Committee…
Here are some questions to consider when trying to identify potential Building Committee members:
Who are the natural leaders? Sometimes the best person to be on a Building Committee isn’t known as an activist, but simply has a wide social network, and is well-respected at work.
Who will put in the time? We need committed members to do the work of liaising between management and the membership in the building.
Who will best represent the members? Members need to know the Building Committee is an accurate representation of the building. The Building Committee should look like the membership, and diverse voices should be represented.
3) The NTU’s position regarding EWA’s – The NPS is circulating EWA agreements and coercing staff to sign these agreements. Signing the EWA commits you to the terms of the agreement and precludes you from participating in job fairs and Talent Match. It is disingenuous to put the cart before the horse, especially when the cart is empty. Denying anyone who signs the EWA the opportunity to participate in Talent Match and job fairs denies teachers and administrators the opportunity to develop best fits to meet the needs of their student population. The administrators agree with us on this point. Therefore, we would appreciate your assistance in getting the message through that TALENT MATCH MUST COME FIRST.
NO MEMBER SHOULD BE FORCED TO SIGN AN EWA!
1. Before signing, if you have any questions or concerns, CONTACT THE NTU
2. If an administrator is pressuring you to sign an EWA, CONTACT THE NTU
3. If you want to sign the EWA, but aren't sure what it means, CONTACT THE NTU
DON'T GIVE UP YOUR VOICE, MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE!!
Any further questions and concerns, you can reach out to mmaillaro@newarkteachersunion.com.
Completed nomination forms must be received at the NTU office by Monday, April 9, 2018.
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This year, the Newark Teachers Union will be awarding our first ever NTU Legacy Award to Christine "Roz" Samuels. Roz worked in Newark for 40 years and served as NTU Secretary Treasurer along with being both a Building Rep and Executive Board Member.. Roz continues to be very active in the labor movement even after she retired from the Newark Public Schools. We are very happy to be able to honor her legacy to Newark.
We are relying on your continued support and good will to continue this worthy endeavor.
Applications and purchasing information can be found below and on our website.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Johanna Rios at (973) 643-8430 or e-mail ntuscholarshipawards@gmail.com
From in Between the Bricks I Rise – East Side Guidance Counselor Yari Pares Vincenty has released a terrific book of poetry. Yari has been actively writing since 4th grade, but he became particularly inspired by a visiting writer during his freshman year at Barringer High School where he was first published in the school’s literary magazine. His poetry talks a lot about the difficulties of growing up in Newark as a Latino male and the search for identity and a place in society.
For more information and to order the book, email Yari at boriquawriter@yahoo.com.
There will be a book signing event at the Newark Public Library on April 26th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm
NTU Outreach – Don’t forget to visit our website (http://newark.nj.aft.org) and follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewarkTeachersUnion)/ for updated information, forms, and resources!
Other Information
- DYFS – Attached is information on NTU’s Child Abuse Neglect Prevention and Protection Program. Please review this document! It could save your career! We have been seeing a large number of DYFS cases every week.
- The 2015-2019 NTU/NPS Contract book is now available on our website! A printed copy will be coming out in the next few weeks. We thank the hard work of our negotiations team for getting this done.
- NTUniversity: If you are interested in presenting a workshop to your fellow NTU members, please review the following requirements and draft a submission. All presenters will be given a stipend of $50.00/session
- Kudos – The NTU website is regularly updated with a wide variety of important information. If you have anything you’d like added to the website (kudos, pictures/videos from your school, etc), just send it to mmaillaro@newarkteachersunion.com.. There a lot of amazing things going on in the Newark Public Schools, and it’s important to highlight them!
- Rebuttal Tips: IMPORTANT!! It is vital that if you receive a bad evaluation or observation that you disagree with, YOU MUST WRITE A REBUTTAL! Refusing to sign your observation or evaluation is not the same as writing a rebuttal! Without a rebuttal, the record has nothing to show except that you agreed with this negative assessment of your performance. The NTU has prepared some tips on the best way to go about writing your rebuttal.
- Member Services: Members should never hesitate to communicate with us by phone, email, etc regarding any of the issues we handle at the Newark Teachers Union.
- Supplemental Fringe Benefits
- Planning for Retirement
- Pension & Buy Back Issues
- ER+D Staff Development
- AFT Membership Benefits
- FMLA and other leaves of absence
- Assistance with Evaluations and Observations
- Disciplinary Hearings
- Labor Relations & Payroll
- Legal Representation
- Workers Comp
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Call 973-643-8430 or visit our website http://newark.nj.aft.org/ to address these or any other concerns you may have.
Important dates:
- March for our Lives – March 24
- Spring Recess – March 26-30
- RESCHEDULED – NPS Board Meeting – Tuesday, March 27 - Barringer High School Campus, 90 Parker Street
- NTU Executive Board Meeting – Wednesday, April 18 – 4:00 pm – 1019 Broad Street.
- NTU Building Rep Meeting – Thursday, April 19 – 4:00 pm – 1019 Broad Street.
Reminder:
· Monday, April 2, 2018 – School Open. If absent, employee must use personal day if not it’s a part of an extended or short term sick leave.