During the heat of the summer, water is a real magnet for birds and other wildlife looking to cool off and get a drink.

Michigan Chronicle feature on our Member Lata'nya Littlejohn!  CLICK THIS LINK TO READ https://michronicleonline.com/2017/07/21/dpscd-secretary-offers-good-customer-service-and-motherly-love/

AFT-McDowell officers Kevin Green and Ginger Blankenship (pictured with AFT representatives Zanetta Thomas and Leah Hale) attended the 22nd annual AFT-WV Summer School in Kingwood, WV. The week long event combines professional development courses for teachers and service personnel with fun evening activities like bingo, karaoke and trivia night.

It also provides an opportunity to meet school staff from across the state and share ideas and discuss common issues. 

AAG union members will have the opportunity the week of Monday, July 10 to cast their ballots on tentative agreements (TAs) reached to protect state employees' healthcare and retirement security.

Voting credentials for the online balloting on our A&R Contract and the Pension/Healthcare Tentative Agreement should be arriving in mailboxes starting Friday 7/7/17.  Voting credentials will be on a postcard with the A&R logo and will include a username, password, and the exact web address to key in.
Only active members will receive credentials.

If you have not received your voting credentials, email office@andr.org with your name and a home email address by noon on Friday 7/14/17.  BigPulse (the voting administrator) will contact you via email with your credentials within 24hrs.

If you are having trouble typing/accessing the voting website, this link will bring you directly to the log-in screen 

https://www.bigpulse.com/p47315/signin

 Voting opened on Friday 7/7/17 and closes Sunday night 7/16/17 at 11:59 pm.

SAVE THE DATE: RC 43'S Annual Fall Conference will be Tuesday September 26, 2017 at the SpringHill Suites Orlando Airport.  

A&R Employees have two tentative agreements: one is our own contract and the other is a pension/healthcare agreement.

Both agreements are required to pass a majority vote of the membership.  Voting will open Friday 7/7 through Sunday 7/16 11:59 pm.  This will be an electronic vote via website just like our annual union voting. 

While two seperate votes are required: one vote on the A&R contract and a second vote for Pension/Healthcare, be aware that this is a package deal.  In order to obtain the wage increases and job security being offered, a 'yes' vote is needed on both the A&R contract and the SEBAC modifications.   If the A&R contract is passed by the membership, but the membership votes down the SEBAC changes (pension and healthcare) it is a near certainty the legislature will reject the A&R contract, sending us to arbitration.  

All ACTIVE members will receive their voting credentials in the mail within the next few days (non-members/fee payers will not receive credentials).  Voting credentials will be on a postcard-sized document with the A&R logo on front and back.  Type in the web address identified on the postcard (exactly as written) and enter your credentials. The website is enabled for smartphone access as well.

If there are issues with the voting or you do not receive your credentials by Tuesday 7/11, please email: office@andr.org.

The 15 members of SEBAC voted to accept the negotiated Framework resulting in a Tentative Agreement between the State and the SEBAC unions.  The Tentative Agreement will now be subject to membership ratification.  The results of the ratification vote are to be reported back to SEBAC on July 17, 2017.

The A&R membership will be voting electronically on 2 issues simultaneously:

1) Pension/Healthcare Tentative Agreement
2) A&R Contract Tentative Agreement.

A simple majority (>50%) is required to pass each issue.

View the SEBAC Tentative Agreement
View the A&R Tentative Agreement