"Rights don't exercise themselves; you need a vehicle to exercise them. In the workplace, the union is that vehicle."
By Dick Gale, SDEA Executive Director

The titles of my newly-created file folders began to blur as I tried to organize my thoughts and my tasks. The State Budget...Dealing With RIFs...SDEA Listening Sessions...AR Trainings...SDUSD Budget Cuts...Charter School Absorption... Initial Bargaining Proposals...Catastrophic Leave Bank...Post and Bid...School Board Elections.

My return from six weeks in academia was proving to be a monumental challenge. While my time in Massachusetts was both provocative and energizing, it was clear that life here at SDEA continued at a feverish pace in my absence. The incredible work of your leaders and staff over the past two months completely validated the quotation above from Elaine Bernard, the Director of the Harvard Trade Union Program.

Her comment about the importance of unions was being reinforced on a daily basis as I observed the work being done at our school sites and here at our Association office. It was gratifying to feel, with absolute assurance, that SDEA is the vehicle representing and empowering our members in the workplace.

Please permit me to comment on several of the areas outlined above to provide some details so that our members have that same confidence that their union is working on their behalf.

The State Budget- With the deficit approaching an astronomical $16 billion, the voices in Sacramento and around the state are growing louder and more pointed. As the budget process continues over the next few months, it is clear that deliberations will center on the wisdom of closing the gap with only spending cuts versus a combination of cuts and revenue enhancements (fees & taxes). More on this point can be found on Page 5.

It is imperative that educators continue to make their voices heard during this debate so community members and parents understand that a system that is already bare-bones cannot absorb a $4 billion hit without devastating impacts on our students. CTA is on-the-air with radio ads and is working with members of the Education Coalition to get crucial information out to the public. SDEA has been working locally with our fellow union members in SDUSD and the community to resist massive layoffs for next year. I urge all of you to continue to spread the word among your own family members, neighbors, sports and church fellows.

Initial Bargaining Proposals- If you were among the three to four thousand teachers and certificated support staff who attended a Listening Session at your school or program during January or February, you know how serious SDEA is about having member input regarding our 2008 bargaining proals. I extend my sincere thanks to the over forty members of the SDEA Board of Directors and Bargaining Commission who joined with SDEA staff to conduct these listening sessions at 175 different sites and programs. Special thanks go to Nena Najera, SDEA staffer, who coordinated the logistics for this massive undertaking.

The Association collected a mountain of crucial data and worked to shape your priorities into a conceptual initial bargaining proposal for delivery to the SDUSD Board of Education at their meeting on March 11th. The 2008 SDEA Bargaining Team is comprised of unit members: Marc Capitelli, Chair; John Anella; Bill Freeman; Meghann Hughes; Shari Wood-Valenzuela; along with staff members Steve Kaplan, Craig Leedham and myself.Bargaining for a successor agreement (the current contract expires on June 30, 2008) will begin no sooner than May since we now are awaiting the District's "sunshine" proposal in in April.

AR Trainings - During the last week of February and early March, more than 125 of our dedicated Association Reps. gathered at the SDEA office for a full day to participate in Round 2 of this year's advocacy trainings. Building on the initial workshops offered at our Fall Leadership Conference last October, this new round of training was focused on many of the most common contract-related issues that arise in the course of the school year.

In addition, reps. were given an opportunity to practice the advocacy skills needed to represent members in a grievance meeting with site administrators. The participants learned interviewing techniques, meeting preparation and verbal strategies. This focus on teaching the specific advocacy skills enables our reps to assist in the representation of teachers and certificated support staff members at their schools. As the first line of defense, we want all of our bargaining unit members to feel confident involving SDEA reps. in their search for a solution to their problem.

As I reviewed the evaluations by the participants, I was struck by the seriousness and dedication with which they approached their jobs as ARs. One representative spoke succinctly for many in response to the prompt, " My key learning ..." Their answer was, " I can." This kind of member empowerment is what SDEA's organizational efforts are all about. Our third and final AR training for the year is scheduled for May.