Author: D128 Union

A well-funded Union is a strong Union.

Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, our Union dues will increase from 0.053% to 0.073% of the base salary. Members voted (134 yes, 6 no) this week to increase the dues to cover outstanding stipends due to previous Executive Board and Negotiations Committee members. The increase, which comes out to 51 cents more per paycheck, will also allow us to sustain our Union in the future.

Treasurer Nikki Olszewski explains past, current, and future budgets in these informative videos:

Dues will increase by about 51 cents per paycheck, or about $12 per year.

Thank you to the 140 Union members who voted regarding our recent bylaws update. Members voted on proposed bylaws language over a 4-day period from Mon Oct 9 – Thurs Oct 12, 2023.

140 votes were recorded by the LCFT email voting system:

  • 140 votes recorded in favor of the non-financial bylaws proposals
  • 134 votes recorded in favor of the Union dues increase; 6 votes recorded against the dues increase

Here are the updated bylaws.

Wishing you a restful Labor Day on Monday, September 4, 2023!

As you are enjoying your family and your final summer’s fun, also remember the reason for this holiday: “to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the workers of the past who sacrificed to ensure workplaces are fair and safe for us all (IFT).”

Labor Day is a day to celebrate OUR Union – our collective work, our representation, and our strength together. Your work educates, supports, and lifts up our students and our society.

By Secretary Paul Karnstedt (Science, LHS)

My first job out of college was at Kenosha Unified School District in 2010-2011.  During that school year, the Wisconsin state government passed legislation that effectively ended collective bargaining for teachers unions.  I left that job after only one year, so didn’t personally experience the effects of this.  However, I kept in touch with some friends… some stayed, and some went to other districts in Wisconsin.  Some examples of the fallout in various Wisconsin school districts that were shared with me were: the base salary in KUSD was frozen for over 5 years, medical coverage being immediately downgraded, class sizes drastically increasing, evaluations being changed to every single year for all teachers (with more observations), and immediately going from five to six preps.

This simple example shows the importance of unions because it showed how quickly to me that school working conditions, which are learning conditions, can change without our collective voice.  This is the third district I’ve worked in and it has always been clear to me that at every stop, even as teachers unions advocate for our union, we are the strongest advocates for our students.  I’m proud to serve in a leadership position and further involve myself in this work.