St. Paul Federation of Teachers schedules strike vote

January 24, 2018 by

SPFT members called on corporations like Securian to pay their fair share toward the schools St. Paul children deserve during a march through St. Paul’s skyways last month.

Frustrated by the St. Paul Public Schools’ refusal to take up their top priorities in contract negotiations, members of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers will take a strike authorization vote Jan. 31, the union announced today.

Members of three bargaining units in negotiations with the district will participate in voting next Wednesday. SPFT represents over 3,400 teachers, educational assistants and community service professionals working in 65-plus St. Paul school district buildings.

“Our members are incredibly disappointed that the school district has so far refused to work with us, but as educators, we remain committed to creating the schools Saint Paul children deserves,” said SPFT President Nick Faber, an elementary science specialist.

SPFT members took an ambitious and groundbreaking approach into negotiations with the district that began last summer.

Union members proposed partnering with the district to seek new revenue from large non-profits and corporations that enjoy property-tax exemptions in St. Paul. The district has so far refused that partnership, leaving SPFT members to meet independently with Ecolab, Allina Health, Macalaster College and other potential targets.

Additionally, union negotiators say they continue to wait for management’s response to proposals that would strengthen St. Paul schools and address the district’s racial disparities, from lowering class sizes to staffing each school with a nurse and librarian.

Rather than respond, district negotiators have pushed for teachers to work longer hours with more students at no additional pay. And the union alleges negotiators “continue to dismiss the contributions of our Educational Assistants and School and Community Service Professionals in SPPS.”

Members of SPFT’s executive board voted Monday to call the strike vote. Mediated talks with the district will continue this week.

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Four for Change: Meet the Labor-endorsed St. Paul school board candidates

November 2, 2015 by

 

Maddy Lee, a senior at Harding High School in St. Paul, asks candidates for school board a question about the district’s discipline policies during a forum at the East Side Freedom Library. St.  Paul Federation of Teachers Local 28 sponsored the event, attended by all four labor-endorsed candidates for the board: (L to R) Jon Schumacher, Mary Vanderwert, Steve Marchese and Zuki Ellis.

Maddy Lee, a senior at Harding High School in St. Paul, asks candidates for school board a question about the district’s discipline policies during a forum at the East Side Freedom Library. St.  Paul Federation of Teachers Local 28 sponsored the event, attended by all four labor-endorsed candidates for the board: (L to R) Jon Schumacher, Mary Vanderwert, Steve Marchese and Zuki Ellis.

 

Four candidates for four open seats on the St. Paul school board have been endorsed by the St. Paul Federation of Teachers and the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. Here are brief profiles of the candidates that appeared in The Union Advocate’s Election Guide in advance of the Nov. 3 election.

11209340_865531016818197_9128463057204661149_nZuki Ellis

• Union background: Former member, Bakery Workers Local 22. Her husband is a Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) trustee.

• Best teacher she’s ever had: Ms. Betty Richardson, high-school English. “She wouldn’t let me get away with doing anything halfway, she challenged me and she introduced me to authors that I had never heard of,” Ellis said. “We had great conversations about books, and she made me feel like I was the smartest person in the room. I adored her and appreciated that nudge that she gave me to work hard.”

• On what it means to be labor endorsed: “It says to me that the vision of success, growth and empowerment that I have for all students of the St. Paul schools is supported by the men and women of this city who would like to see their children reach those same goals. Labor continues to be the backbone of our country, and it is wonderful knowing that the message I conveyed during this campaign is resonating with those who are connected and not connected with unions.”

marchese_headshotSteve Marchese

• Union background: Former AFSCME member while living in New York.

• Best teacher he’s ever had: Judy Alcaly, sixth grade. “She was originally from England and brought a whole different approach to how she taught,” Marchese said. “She gave me the opportunity to learn more about the world and a chance to do creative projects, like plan a lesson or do a radio broadcast of world events. She was creative, thoughtful and sophisticated in her approach.”

• On what it means to be labor endorsed: “As the son of a long-time Teamsters truck driver, I am very proud to have labor support. I know what unions have done for my family, enabling my father to make a living wage to provide for us.

“People coming together to work for a common goal is what has motivated my campaign for school board. This is the work unions do every day. We need to think about the community and how we support the workers who both work in our schools and send their children to our schools.”

16830_789029934466708_1610625907302473931_nJon Schumacher

• Union background: Member, SAG/AFTRA – Twin Cities Local, 30 years

• Best teacher he’s ever had: Ms. DeSart, junior-high French. “She brought joy, energy and clarity while challenging us to think and travel outside of our own cultures,” Schumacher said.

• On what it means to be labor endorsed: “Community is the core of everything we do. Building community around our public schools is critical to their success. Unions represent the best of community. They guarantee living-wage jobs and working conditions that give their members and families stability. That allows them to contribute to our communities with their time, talent and financial support.

“Receiving labor endorsements means that I can continue to build relationships with these strong and engaged community members to find ways to make our schools pathways to success for all our kids.”

10873436_1596440330590150_2869741665802944207_oMary Vanderwert

• Union background: Former member, AFSCME and MAPE.

• Best teacher she’s ever had: Bill Albrecht, third and fourth grades. “Because it was a very small school in a very small rural community, we could do frequent field trips to explore in nature,” Vanderwert said. “We seined for fish, hunted for arrow heads, had sledding outings and played soccer before school in the back yard. He showed me that learning was exciting, that nature was so very interesting and that we need to combine fun and music with whatever we do to keep our energy up. We learned the academic basics we needed but so much more about life and the world.”

• On what it means to be labor endorsed: “Unions have made our country productive, innovative, just and safe. In this time of anti-union rhetoric, we need to remember that our workers are the backbone of our economy and most of them parents of the children in our schools. They must be treated with respect and their work valued with fair wages. I have been impressed with the willingness of our unions to work not only in our schools but with our schools to provide opportunities for students to explore careers in the Trades. I hope we can work together to help our students with interest to be able to gain the skills they need to move into the higher education or other training they need to be active workers and members of the unions that will move our community forward.”

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

School board to senators: Raise minimum wage to boost student achievement

March 14, 2014 by

1911839_261359094030624_201300809_nSchool board members weighed into the minimum-wage debate this week, when all seven members of St. Paul’s Board of Education signed a letter urging state senators to help close achievement gaps in their district by supporting a substantial wage hike this session.

Louise Seeba, a board member and AFSCME Local 3757 member, spearheaded efforts to put the school board on record in support of raising the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2015 and indexing it to keep up with inflation.

Click here to download a copy of the letter, provided by Seeba.

“We realize we are not legislators, but feel it is our charge to do whatever we can to help reduce learning gaps,” the letter reads.

Board members pointed lawmakers to several studies proving a link between families’ economic stability and their kids’ performance at school. Among them was a 2011 study by the Brookings Institution, which found gains of as little as $1,000 in annual income for low-income families resulted in significant improvements in their children’s reading and math scores.

Closing achievement gaps has long been a focus of teachers, board members and administrators in the St. Paul Public Schools, which typify the “large gaps” identified by Brookings “across groups of children defined by family income” when it comes to school readiness.

“As board members of the most diverse school district in the state and with over 25,000 students that qualify for free and reduced lunch, we feel compelled to address this vital issue,” board members said.

If lawmakers agree to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour, an estimated 20,000 workers in St. Paul would see a raise, according to an economic analysis by the JOBS NOW Coalition.

“We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children,” board members said. “Please stand with us and support the increase in the minimum wage (indexed to inflation) to help stabilize families income and to improve learning readiness for students.”

[Click here to tell your representatives at the Capitol you support raising the minimum wage to $9.50 and indexing it to inflation.]

Filed Under: Politics, Union Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,