February 10, 2004

Chuck Herring, Uniserv Director
Harriet Poch, Uniserv Associate Staff

WHERE’S CHUCK?

Feb. 9	- Meeting with ACC-ESP Bargaining Team (ACC)
Feb. 10	- Meeting with Alpena EA Grievance Committee & APS Human Resources Director (APS) -Alpena ESP II Crisis Committee Meeting (MEA Office) -14A Coordinating Council (MEA Office)
Feb. 11	-Meeting with ACC Faculty Council Bargaining Team (ACC) -Region 14 Council (BJ’s – Gaylord)
Feb. 16	-Pre-retirement meeting with member (MEA Office)
Feb. 17	-Bargaining – Alpena ESP II (MEA Office)
Feb. 18	-Election 2004 Meeting (Petoskey)
Feb. 19	-NMEA Staff Meeting (Ruby Tuesday’s – Gaylord) -NMEA (BJ’s – Gaylord)
Feb. 20	-Lansing
Feb. 23	-Spring Arbor Student Teacher Presentation (ACC)
Feb. 25	-Northeast Michigan Consortium Meeting (Best Western – Gaylord)
Feb. 26	-Posen EA Bargaining Workshop (Posen)
Mar. 8	-Atlanta Board Meeting (w/Ron Stablein, MESSA)
Mar. 9	-14A Coordinating Council Meeting (MEA Office)

Want to Strike!?

The Statewide Staff Meeting was devoted to issues/techniques/politics/legality of the strike. All was absorbed and properly filed in case such action should take place in 14A or should this Uniserv be called to assist in a strike elsewhere in the state.

Bargaining in General

Six units will be up for bargaining this year—ACC Faculty, Alpena EA, Atlanta EA, Mio AuSable EA, Posen EA, and Posen ESP. Carryovers from last year are—ACC-ESP, Hillman EA, Hillman ESP, Rogers City EA and Rogers City ESP. Carryover from two years ago is Alpena ESP II. Helping me out this year and next is Dann French. He is presently working with the Rogers City ESP and will be working with two yet to be named units for next year.

Alpena ESP II went to Fact-Finding on the 24^th of January and has received the Fact-Finder’s Report already. We will be at the table with the Board on February 17^th. With luck and a supportive Fact-Finder’s Report we hope a settlement can be reached for a contract that has gone too long without closure.

Reminder: NMEA Bargaining Teams are required to attend the General Membership/ Bargaining Training tentatively scheduled for March 6 at Sylvan Treetops Resort in Gaylord.

Bargaining Conference

ACC Faculty, Alpena EA, and Alcona EA were in attendance and all seemed quite satisfied with the conference. Be sure to ask all attendees how it went and whether they felt it was worthwhile. I had some free time on Thursday and became an attendee as well. I sat in on Ruth Beier’s session on school funding. Not only is this woman astute but can actually talk about budgets for three hours without boring anyone.

All units should do whatever is necessary to have bargaining representatives attend this conference prior to bargaining. It covers it all—bargaining issues, PR, and politics.

ESP Conference

I sent emails to the ESP presidents announcing the ESP Conference in Mt. Pleasant at the Soaring Eagle on March 19-20, 2004. Some monies are available through the Northern Zone Office for attendance. This is an ESP issues conference only. For those members bemoaning no training for ESP, this is our opportunity to see exactly how important the MEA feels the ESP contingent is.

Cabin Fever

‘Tis the season leading up to what I refer to as "March Madness". Students begin to wear on us, our peers begin to wear on us, and the administration/administration rules wear on everyone.

So….I remind you all to think before responding. By now everyone knows everyone else’s "hot buttons". Stay away from them if at all possible. With the heavy snow season and forced reclusion from the elements put us all on edge. Seventy percent of all grievances are initiated in the first trimester of the year.

Did you know…

...employers are increasing 401(k) matches? In the past three years, 17% of large companies added or increased matches…12% are considering increases within the year. Only 7.4% reduced or eliminated matches. Amy Reynolds, principal, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Richmond.

…every two yours of TV watching per day raises diabetes risk by 14% and obesity risk by 23%? Frank Hu, MD, PHD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and leader of an analysis of more than 50,000 women in the Nurses’ Heath Study, reported in Journal of the American Medical Association.

…hugs make life less stressful? A brief hug and 10 minutes of handholding with a romantic partner keep heart rate and blood pressure down in stressful situations. Karen M. Grewen, PhD, assistant professor, department of psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and coauthor of a study of 185 adults, reported at a recent meeting of American Psychosomatic Society.