Latest news releases and President's column.
Posted on 11/07/12 at 3:39pm
Dear MEA members,
There's no way to sugar-coat last night's loss on Proposal 2 enough to make it easy to swallow. But I will preface my comments with this -- I have never seen this organization so engaged and united. And I've never been more proud of our Association than I have been these past few months. We organized thousands of members to volunteer throughout this campaign, and that organizing will not be in vain so long as we keep our members engaged in the fight for our schools and our rights. I can only say thank you, but it doesn't seem like enough.
The failure to pass Proposal 2 is a bitter disappointment felt not only by you and me, but the other Protect Working Families coalition members as well. Suffice to say, the coalition simply was not able to overcome being outspent by corporate special interests who did everything they could to convince voters that Proposal 2 was about everything but collective bargaining.
But the battle to protect collective bargaining is not over--it's never over.
Posted on 10/17/12 at 8:59am
EAST LANSING, Mich., Oct. 16, 2012 – Answering the call for input on education funding reform by the Governor’s Oxford Foundation school finance workgroup, MEA has submitted a comprehensive set of research-based recommendations for how to properly fund an effective public education system in Michigan.
Posted on 10/10/12 at 4:58pm
EAST LANSING, Oct. 10, 2012 —The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Steven Cook regarding the “MEA memo” being used by opponents of Proposal 2 to scare Michigan voters:
“Last spring the MEA Legal Department circulated an internal memo speculating about the effects of Proposal 2. Since the MEA memo was written, the Michigan Court of Appeals has rejected a broad interpretation of the amendment saying:
Posted on 10/09/12 at 11:38am
The Michigan Education Association today launched a new Web video holding Republican legislators accountable for cutting schools to pay for a $1.8 billion tax break to corporate special interests.
Posted on 10/03/12 at 4:26pm
Urges funding to back it up
East Lansing, Mich., Oct. 3, 2012 – Governor Rick Snyder recently spoke out on the need to expand vocational and technical education for Michigan students.
Posted on 06/15/12 at 10:04am
The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Steven Cook regarding today’s passage of Senate Bill 1040 in the State House:
“With their passage of Senate Bill 1040 today, most House Republicans went on record in support of the single worst attack on school employee retirement security in history.
Posted on 06/06/12 at 10:21am
East Lansing, Mich., June 6, 2012 - The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Steven Cook in response to yesterday’s gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin:
“Tom Barrett’s loss to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in yesterday’s recall election, while disappointing, sends a strong signal to those who have worked to destroy collective bargaining rights and the voice of working people: we will not forget.
Posted on 06/06/12 at 9:58am
DETROIT, Tuesday, June 5, 2012 – In a federal court hearing today, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Page Hood ruled that the Legislature violated the constitutional rights of school employees and their unions by enacting Public Act 53, which would prohibit payroll deduction of union dues for school employees only. Judge Hood indicated that a written ruling, along with a preliminary injunction stopping the enforcement of the prohibition on dues deduction, would be issued tomorrow.
Posted on 05/30/12 at 5:01pm
EAST LANSING, Mich., Wed., May 30, 2012 – The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Steven Cook in response to Muskegon Heights Emergency Manager’s plan to turn the school district into a charter school district.
Posted on 05/29/12 at 2:09pm
Pontiac teachers overwhelmingly ratified a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, last Thursday evening. Teachers accepted a two year contract containing wage reductions, increased out of pocket costs for health care, one and a half unpaid work days and a loss of step increases and longevity pay.
