Union update. (Georgetown Contract Action Team & Silent Reps)


 

Dear Colleagues:

We wanted to update you on a few union items.

First, a few members have received emails from HR Director Michael Cassidy regarding sick time discrepancies since the district switched over to the MUNIS System last year.  We feel that these discrepancies are clerical errors and that our members are at no fault.   Last week, the GEA Executive Board sent a cease and desist letter to Mr. Cassidy (See below).  If any member receives any notification regarding this matter, please forward them to me.  

Soecond, a few members at Penn Brook under the generalist license (including me) have received some letters from HR DIrector Michael Cassidy regarding the validity of our licensure.  We are in contact with the MTA regarding this issue and awaiting a response.  If you have received an email regarding your licensure, please let me know.  We have an MTA contact person and would like to take care of this issue all at once.

Third, The GEA is aware that some members have already been told that they will be laid off at the end of this school year.  If you are one of the members that receives this information, please let us know immediately.  We will be going over the Seniority List and the contractual layoff language with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything is followed properly.  Furthermore, if you do indeed have bumping rights and certification issues can be addressed in a timely manner, we want to make sure all avenues are explored before anything is finalized. 
 
Finally, it is not too late to get involved with the Georgetown Contract Action Team (GCAT) or to become a silent member at our next contract negotiations meeting.  The GCAT agenda is below and the link to sign up for both is below. 

Here is the link to to sign up to be a member of GCAT and to become a silent member at contract negotiations:

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lDycj-lnOnErM4Il4NLrzjBsYXMh1wnDdZGfHRS_0-8/edit?usp=sharing

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GCAT Meeting Agenda 3-21-24 MEETING BEGINS AT 3:30 PM.

MTA Office is located at 35 Village Road, Middleton, MA


  1. Intros

  2. Situation in Georgetown

    1. Budget Cuts

    2. Bargaining

    3. Climate and Culture

    4. What has been your experience?

    5. How is it all connected?

  3. Theory of Power/How We Win

  4. AHUY/1on1s

  5. Mapping and Charting

  6. Action Planning/Turning Up the Heat

  7. Next Steps

    1. Climate and Culture Survey

      1. First step of NoCV

    2. Bargaining HQ Posters

    3. Rally Signs

    4. One-Pager

    5. Action Network Letter Writing Campaign (linked on one pager)

    6. Morning Standout and Walk In on [insert date]

  8. Next Meeting 3/28/24 @6pm (on Zoom)


    Joe

--------------------------------------------


Mike Cassidy
Director of Human Resources
Georgetown Public Schools

Mr. Cassidy,

It has come to the GEA’s attention that due to clerical and
administrative errors, the District is claiming some of our members,
(particularly those who accessed FMLA during the 2022-2023 SY), have
sick leave balances that are inaccurate in the MUNIS system. The
District has started to send out letters to our members stating the
following:

“Hello, During a recent audit of sick time used, the Payroll staff
audited your sick time during a FMLA in School Year  2022/2023.  It
appears the district did not deduct sick time during your leave even
though you were paid.  It appears 20 sick days were NOT deducted.

If you did not take this time off or did not get paid, please contact
Traci Brousseau to reconcile the time before she deducts the time from
your MUNIS accrued total.”

Instead of taking responsibility, acknowledging your mistake, and
moving forward, the District has chosen to penalize our members,
(mostly new mothers), by attempting to reduce their sick balances now,
long after the fact.

Having recently utilized FMLA, these members have just gone through
major medical events, and many would be left with little or even a
negative balance of sick days. The costs of the District’s mistakes
have already been absorbed and incurred in previous fiscal years.
There is no pertinent need for the District to demand our members,
(who by no fault of their own may have sick leave balances that may
have inaccuracies), go without sick time or have limited sick time.
Especially for members who need sick time availability to a greater
extent than most.

As such, the GEA is requesting that the District immediately cease and
desist taking away our unit members sick time as a result of the
District’s own potential clerical errors. Failure to comply with this
request will result in the GEA taking any and all actions necessary to
remedy the situation.


Sincerely,

The GEA Executive Board

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