UEA leaders and staff to meet Saturday

UEA leaders and staff from around the state will meet at the UEA offices Saturday to discuss the recent plans to attack our association by Sen. Stephenson. Rick

Ogden District School Board to meet August 4

Ogden School Board will meet in a work session August 4. We hope they will discuss (in executive session) our requests to return to the bargaining table. Rick

Sen. Howard Stephenson's attack on the UEA

Sen. Stephenson will introduce legislation to eliminate our right to bargain, our ability to deduct association dues from payroll and start giving tax credits for private school tuition.
Rick

Read in sl trib and standard about petitions

Go to www.sltrib.com and www.standard.net to read about the petitions. Rick

Doug Stephens to turn in petitions today

President Doug Stephens will turn in over 2000 signatures in to the district today.
RIck

Message to OEA Members from President Doug Stephens

O.E.A. Members,
I will deliver the signed contracts that we have gathered at the UniServ office on the morning of July 20th, (Wednesday).  The last chance for you to have me deliver your contract to the district will be to turn it in tomorrow, July 19th (at the UniServ office) from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Please turn in your contract on your own if you cannot get them to us at the UniServ Office, 939 25th Street tomorrow. Remember the deadline is July 20th at 4:00pm.

If you turn in your contract to us and would like verification that we have a receipt from the district for you please email me( stephensd@ogdensd.org ) and I would be happy to respond that I have a receipt for you.

If you want a copy of the receipt you will need to check with the staff at the UniServ office.  The phone number is 801-399-3746.

Thanks,
Doug Stephens

Ogden teachers send us your personal (home) emails

Please send us your personal (home) emails to continue to contact you throughout the summer.

Send them to me at rick@ogdenweber.org

Thanks Rick

Nice article by President Gallagher-Fishbaugh in Sunday Trib

Go to http://www.sltrib.com/ to read a very nice opinion piece by Sharon on our situation here in Ogden.

Also, in the Standard Examiner (http://www.standard.net/)  Brad Smith, OCSD Board member continues to say that the OEA refused invitations to meet in April and May..TOTALLY FALSE...

Watch today's KSL's "Sunday Edition" and KUTV's "Take Two"for more discussion of the contract crisis in Ogden.

Thanks Rick

Go to the UEA webpage at www.myuea.org

There is a pretty complete list of the press coverage of the rally at the UEA website: www.myuea.org
and at our website: www.ogdenweber.org

Thanks Rick

A big THANK YOU to all of our members, leaders, staff and many friends for a successful rally Thursday

Thank-you to all who helped (you know who you are) in our very successful rally yesterday.  I have never been more proud to be a member of this organization.

Go to our website: www.ogdenweber.org for Press coverage, announcements, questions given to the district etc.

Thanks Rick

Ogden teachers, other unions rally for collective bargaining

"An estimated 800 people rallied in Ogden's Liberty Park on Thursday to protest the city school district's decision to not negotiate a contract with its teachers union"...Read the rest of Rosemary Winters's story at www.sltrib.com

A big thanks to everyone who attended and those who supported us who could not attend

Rick

Rally this morning at 10:00 am...Liberty Park, 21st and Monroe Blvd, Ogden

OEA members, Ogden teachers and friends will rally this morning at 10:00 am in the Liberty Park, 21st St. and Monroe Blvd, Ogden.

Speakers will include Doug Stephens (OEA President), Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh and Greg Johnson, NEA Executive Board member from Oklahoma.

After the rally, Ogden teachers will walk to the Ogden School District offices.

Please wear red in solidarity of our request to the Ogden School Board to return to the table to discuss these unprecedented actions taken to issue an ultimatum to teachers and bypass negotiations for the 2011-12 school year.

We hope to see you there.

One in solidarity,
Rick

Watch KUTV "Take Two" and KSL "Sunday Edition shows this Sunday, July 17

OEA President Doug Stephens and UEA Director of Communications, Mike Kelly, will be on the KUTV Sunday "Take Two" show with Rod Decker this Sunday, July 17 at 10 am on Channel 2.  They will be on with Ogden School member, Brad Smith.

UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, will be on the KSL "Sunday Edition" show with Bruce Lindsey this Sunday, July 17 at 9:00 am with Rep. Greg Hughes (topic of collective bargaining)

One in solidarity,

Rick

Ogden Teachers to Rally Thursday: Educators troubled by Ogden School Board "ultimatum"

Where: Ogden Liberty Park, 21st Street and Monroe Blvd, Ogden
When: Thursday, July 14, 10 a.m.
What: Teacher rally
Who: Presenters will include local, state and national teacher representatives, a parent and an administrator.  Hundreds of teachers, parents and concerned citizens are expected to attend.

Rick

Ogden Teachers meet to discuss contract

Over 200 Ogden teachers listened to their OEA and UEA leaders as their questions were answered about the unprecedented actions of the Ogden School Board.

Please come join us at our rally, Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 am at the Liberty Park, 21st and Monroe Blvd. in Ogden.

Go to our website at www.ogdenweber.org to learn more.

Rick

Editorial Response to be published in the Standard-Examiner

We have posted our OEA Response to the Standard Examiner editorial and the Brad Smith (school board members) letter to the editor on our webpage at www.ogdenweber.org

Rick

PLEASE ATTEND OGDEN TEACHER MEETING TODAY

PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND OUR OGDEN TEACHER MEETING TODAY AT 4:30 PM
LOCATION: PLEASANT VALLEY BRANCH OF THE WEBER COUNTY LIBRARY
5568 ADAMS AVE., ACROSS FROM THE OGDEN REGIONAL HOSPITAL

WE WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS AND GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTRACT CRISIS WE ARE FACING

THANKS RICK

Please attend Ogden teacher meeting Monday, July 11

Please attend our Ogden Teachers meeting, Monday, July 11 at 4:30 at the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Weber County Library (auditorium), 5568 Adams Ave., Ogden. (across from the Ogden Regional Hospital)  Local and state leaders will be their to answer questions and give you information on our next steps.  Go to our website (www.ogdenweber.org)  for copies of the the following documents:

• New Ogden Common Contract
• New Teachers' Procedural Manual
• Summary of changes from negotiated agreement
• Summary of changes in salary schedule
• 2009-10 negotiated agreement
• 2009-2010 salary schedule

You can read more about what is happening in today's Salt Lake Tribune, www.sltrib.com and Deseret News, www.deseretnews.com

Thanks for your support
One in solidarity
Rick

Please attend a members only meeting at the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Weber count library

We need all Ogden teachers to attend a  meeting Monday, July 11, 2011 at 4:30 pm at the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Weber County Library, located at 5568 Adams Ave, (across from Ogden Regional Hospital)  It is crucial that you attend to be informed on the current contract crisis and learn what our next steps will be.

If you have questions call me at 801-390-6365 or email me at rick@ogdenweber.org

More information is on our website at www.ogdenweber.org

Please spread the word to all Ogden teachers to attend this important meeting.

Rick Palmer

Media Alerts on Ogden contract crisis

Here are some places to view articles and interviews dealing with our contract crisis:

• www.ogdenweber.org (You can access Doug Stephen's, UEA Executive Director Mark Mickelsen's  and Supt. Z's interviews with Doug Wright (KSL Radio)
• www.standard.net (you can access yesterday's editorial comment (blasts us and supports the district's view on performance pay...surprise, surprise, surprise) and a great Grondahl cartoon.
• www.sltrib.com (you can access todays front page headlines  "Ogden gives teachers ulitmatum"

We are meeting in an emergency OEA Executive Board meeting today with UEA's Executive Director and Legal Counsel.  Yesterday we mailed a "hot pink" alert on our upcoming rally and gave more information to our members.  We need everyone at the rally at Liberty Park, 21st and Monroe at 10 am, Thursday, July 14.  Bring your other teacher friends and families to support our right to bargain.

Thanks One in Solidarity
Rick

OEA to Rally July 14th in Liberty Park

President Doug Stephens issued a call to action for all members and teachers in the Ogden District and our UEA family to attend a rally in Liberty Park, 21st and Monroe Blvd, Ogden, UT at 10:00 AM.  We will have speakers from UEA and NEA.  We will give more information in the email that was sent to your school email and a mailing (look for a bright pink flyer in the next couple of days) that we are preparing to mail out as I write this.  Please continue to check this site and our website (www.ogdenweber.org) for more info and the new documents that the District has imposed on us.

Thanks One in Solidarity
Rick

Ogden School Board Arbitrarily Changes Negotiated Agreement without negotiations with OEA

I hope you have had a chance to look at the documents on our webpage (www.ogdenweber.org):

• The new "Procedural Manual" and "Common Contract" that take parts of our former Negotiated Agreement and has made huge changes- 26 sections entirely gone, 24 sections left alone, 42 sections w/changes (some huge ones) and 3 entirely new sections
• My summary of the changes (I eyes are crossed from trying to cross-reference between the three documents)
• The changes in the salary schedule (some teachers will receive a lot of money, some not so much) that even out the steps at about 3% increments as you go down the column. (I calculate it will cost at least $1 million to pay for it, much more than steps cost)
• Supt. Z's video explanation to the Standard-Examiner Editorial Board (no friends of ours)

I will need to post a copy of the old Negotiated agreement since the district took it off their page.

If you have questions please email me at rick@ogdenweber.org or call me at 801-390-6365

Thanks for your support and solidarity
Rick

Go to UniServ Webpage for contract changes

You can go to www.ogdenweber.org to see a list of the many changes that the Ogden School Board has made to our contract without ANY NEGOTIATIONS.  Please continue to check this blog, your school email and our UniServ website for communication concerning the contract.

Rick

Go to our website to view the Supt. Zabriskie video with the Editorial Board from the Standard

Go to the ogden weber uniserv website: http://www.ogdenweber.org/ to view the Zabriskie video about the gutting of our contract negotiations.

Rick

OEA President sends message to all members

You should have received an email from President Doug Stephens today on your school email.
We will keep you posted at this location as we get more information.  Look for a mailing next week also.
Thanks Rick

Ogden City School Board issues ultimatum to teachers

Read in today's Standard-Examiner: www.standard.net.com
Ogden SB sends letter to teachers "sign or lose your job".

Rick