9/28/11, 10/26/11, 11/16/11, 12/14/11 - Retirement Workshops

Have you registered for these Workshops?

Mosher Financial, an OEA preferred provider, is offering 4 free workshops. Wednesday, September 28 Retirement Strategies for Women Wednesday, October 26 Understanding CalSTRS Wednesday, November 16 403(b) Plans and Retirement Security Wednesday, December 14 Planning for Your Financial Independence

All workshops are at the OEA Center 272 East 12th Street Oakland, CA To RSVP, call (415) 255-9177 or email info@mosherfinancial.com

12/12/11 OEA Endorses Oakland Port Shutdown

5:30 am W. Oakland BART March to Port 3 pm Rally at 14th and Broadway, Frank Ogawa Plaza 4pm March to Port from Plaza 5pm W. Oakland BART March to Port

PRESS RELEASE December 9, 2011 Today, I am speaking on behalf of the OEA Representative Council to reiterate our union's support for the 90 plus % of Oaklanders, predominantly working people, who are seeing their standard of living decline due to the cutbacks in both the public and private sector economies of this city, state, and nation. Our union voted on Monday, December 5, to endorse next week's "blockade" of the Port of Oakland. The following motion passed overwhelmingly: "I move that the OEA will endorse the Oakland Port shut-down mobilization on December 12 in solidarity with the Occupy Movement, the Teamsters & drivers at the Port of Oakland, and the ILWU, especially the local in the Bay Area and Local 21 (Longview, Washington) which is under attack. We shall encourage our members to participate outside of regular work hours." Why did we take this forthright position? From the beginning of the "Occupy" movement, members of OEA have participated in Occupy Oakland events, general assemblies, and committees with a message of solidarity and unity. We helped pay for sanitation at City Hall, and many of our members and retirees have been participants in "Occupy" demonstrations on behalf of the public school teachers and students of Oakland. Hundreds of teachers left their classrooms November 2 to march in solidarity with thousands of other members of the 99%. Now we are urging our members and the greater East Bay community to help defend the Longshore and Warehouse Union in Longview, Washington, from union-busting. We are asking our members to support port truck drivers who are denied the rights and benefits of regular employees by being classified as "independent contractors," although some drive company trucks, must follow company rules, and work on company schedules. For almost a decade, the OEA has called on the Port of Oakland to work with the city and school district to supplement the meager state and federal financing of our community's public service and education sectors. We have participated in community pickets at the port to draw attention to the Unit between war abroad and austerity at home. We have advocated that the Port and its commissioners raise revenue from its strategic air and sea locations by taxing airlines such as Southwest, delivery services such as FedEx and UPS, as well as shippers such as Matson to provide sorely needed resources to our public schools, hospitals, libraries, fire stations, and urban infrastructure. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. This needs to change. Oakland is not a poor city and the wealth of the 1 % can assist in leveling the playing field for all of our children, young adults, and the 99%. Betty Olson-Jones OEA President

Trouble viewing this email, click HERE.

Please Post Widely

IMPORTANT LINKSWatch this video Longshoremen Struggles 1985-2010, the Stuggle Continues Coordinated Port Blockade Actions & Schedules December 12 Press Release: Occupy Oakland & Organized Labor Plan to Shut Down Port – Blockades Planned at Every Major West Coast Port on Monday Latest Updates and Info on the West Coast Port Shutdown are available at westcoastportshutdown.org Support the West Coast Port Blockade Battle lines have formed as the West Coast Occupy movements, from San Diego to Alaska, flex their collective muscle against the federally coordinated, brutal attacks targeting the Occupy movements across the country. They are organizing for blockades of West Coast ports on Dec. 12 in San Diego; Los Angeles/Long Beach; Port Hueneme, CA (central coast); Oakland; Portland, OR; Seattle; Tacoma, WA; and possibly more. Solidarity actions have been called by OWS in New York and by Occupy movements at inland locations, as well. The Occupy movement is aligning itself with labor and the working class, as the West Coast Occupy movements organize to support the struggle of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, ILWU, in Longview, Wash. Longshore workers there are waging a ferocious battle against transnational EGT, controlled by Bunge Ltd., of the grain cartel that controls most of the world's trade in food products. EGT is trying to break the ILWU in an attempt to drive down wages and destroy the union. The West Coast Occupy movements are also aligning with the struggle of port truckers, who are fighting for the right to organize for union representation. Twenty-six of them were fired in Los Angeles for wearing Teamster jackets to work. Occupy LA and Long Beach are targeting SSA, an anti-union port terminal operator, majority owned by Goldman Sachs, the notorious Wall Street investment bank. Teamster president, Jimmy Hoffa Jr., has publicly expressed support for the Occupy movement. The West Coast Occupy movements are targeting the ports as major commercial centers, showing that they can strike at the institutions which help to aggregate the wealth of the 1 percent by disrupting Wall Street on the waterfront. It's the history of the militant ILWU which enables this attack to have teeth. The ILWU rank and file have historically supported political struggles such as the anti-apartheid movement, the anti-war movement, in defense of Palestine in the face of attacks on Gaza, in support of the Wisconsin struggle against union busting, etc. At a December 9th Press Conference regarding the West Coast Port Blockade, rank-and-file workers from the ILWU and Teamsters, local union leaders, veterans, and occupy organizers explained plans for the upcoming West Coast Port Shut Down on December 12 called for by the Occupy Oakland General Assembly: “Occupy Oakland called for this massive coordinated blockade as a way to strike back at the 1% after their attacks on the Occupy movement and their continued assault on working and poor people” said Boots Riley an organizer with Occupy Oakland. “Our action is aimed directly at Wall Street on the Waterfront and is in solidarity with the struggles of port workers in LA and Longview, WA.” ILWU veterans say: "We don't cross community picket lines!" As pressure builds for the Dec. 12 West Coast port shutdown, the port owners and their media began a battle of ideas to blunt this powerful threat to their profits and control – even for a day. The Port of Oakland launched the first volley of their assault on Dec. 4, with full-page ads in the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune against the planned Occupy port blockade. They know all too well how powerful this movement has become, evidenced by the historic general strike call and blockade of the Port of Oakland on Nov. 2, when the Occupy movement, with the support of the ILWU rank and file and port truckers, shut down the entire port. On Nov. 21, the leadership of the ILWU International issued a memorandum in an attempt to dissuade ILWU members from showing solidarity with the December 12th action. The memo stated that “Any public demonstration is not a ‘picketline’ under the PCL&CA [Pacific Coast Longshore & Clerk’s Agreement]. … Remember, public demonstrations are public demonstrations, not ‘picketlines.’ Only labor unions picket as referenced in the contract.” Two ILWU members — Clarence Thomas, who is a third-generation longshoreman in Oakland, and Leo Robinson, who is now retired — responded to this memorandum. Both men have held elected office in ILWU Local 10 and have been key labor activists during their years of work in the ports. Their remarks, which clarify the relationship between longshoreman and public demonstrations, are excerpted here. Clarence Thomas: A picket line is a public demonstration — whether called by organized labor or not. It is legitimate. There are established protocols in these situations. To suggest to longshoremen that they shouldn’t follow them demands clarification. It is one thing to state for the record that the union is not involved, but another thing to erase the historical memory of ILWU’s traditions and practices included in the Ten Guiding Principles of the ILWU adopted at the 1953 biennial convention in San Francisco. Leo Robinson: The international has taken the position somehow that the contract is more important than not only defending our interest in terms of this EGT but having a connection to the Occupy movement in that when you go through the Ten Guiding Principles of the ILWU, we’re talking about labor unity. Does that include the teachers? Does that include state, county and municipal workers? Those questions need to be analyzed as to who supports whom. The Occupy movement is not separate and apart from the labor movement. Clarence Thomas: Labor is now officially part of the Occupy movement. That has happened. The recent article done by Steven Greenhouse on Nov. 9 is called “Standing arm in arm.” The Teamsters have been supported by the OWS against Sotheby’s auction house. OWS has been supportive of Communication Workers in its struggle with Verizon. Mary Kay Henry, International President of the Service Employees, has called for expanding the Occupy movement by taking workers to Washington, D.C., to occupy Washington particularly Congress and congressional hearings demanding 15 million jobs by Jan. 1. Leo Robinson: There was the occupation in Madison, Wis. That was labor-led. People are trying to confuse the issue by saying we are somehow separated from the Occupy movement. More than anything else the Occupy movement is a direct challenge or raises the question of the rights of capital as opposed to the rights of the worker. I don’t understand that the contract supersedes the just demands of the labor movement. It says so right here in the 10 guiding principles of the ILWU. Article 4 is very clear. Very clear. “To help any worker in distress” must be a daily guide in the life of every trade union and its individual members. Labor solidarity means just that. Unions have to accept the fact that solidarity of labor stands above all else, including even the so-called sanctity of the contract. We cannot adopt for ourselves the policies of union leaders who insist that because they have a contract, their members are compelled to perform work, even behind a picket line." It says picket line. It doesn’t say union picket line. It says picket line. Clarence Thomas: Only 7.2 percent of private sector workers have union representation today, the lowest since 1900. Facing a critical moment, the labor movement has been re-energized by the Occupy Wall Street movement. Leo Robinson: Any number of times this union [Local 10] has observed picket lines, including Easter Sunday 1977 when the community put up a picket line at Pier 27 to picket South African cargo. Longshoremen observed that picket line for two days. So I don’t understand how all of a sudden the sanctity of the contract outweighs the need to demonstrate solidarity. It just does not compute. It doesn’t make sense. Clarence Thomas: The first action against South African apartheid was a community picket line. It was not authorized by the union. It was a community picket line from start to finish. Leo Robinson: It was about 5,000 people out there on the Embarcadero for two days running a community picket line opposing South African apartheid. Local 10 officers took the position that it was an unsafe situation and our members were not going to cross that picket line, period. It was ruled as such by the arbitrator. We have never waited for the employer to declare what is safe or unsafe. It is always the union that moves first. We don’t ask the employers what is safe or unsafe. They wouldn’t give a damn one way or the other as long as they got their ship worked. If the police have to escort you in or out, that is patently saying it is unsafe. What if someone decides to throw a rock while you’re being escorted in by the police? Does it make it hurt any less? A longshoreman determines what is safe for him or her — on the job and off. Clarence Thomas: Our members have been hurt by the police and so has the OWS movement. In 2003 when we were standing by at a picket, police shot our members with wooden bullets. In Longview, WA, at the EGT Grain Terminal, ILWU members and their families have been hurt by the police. We don’t want the police to do anything for us. Solidarity Of Labor Above All Else Clarence Thomas: Our union is at an historical juncture. Our jurisdiction is being challenged up and down the coast — the issue of logs and Local 10 and use of “robotics.” There has been nothing like this since 1934. If ILWU members don’t honor the community picket lines, it will cause an irreparable breach with the community. If the ILWU can’t support the community, why should the community support the ILWU in 2014 contract negotiations or when the new grain agreement is up next year? Who knows what the employer has up their sleeve when they demanded only a one-year contract. Clarence Thomas: These ports are the people’s ports. Ports belong to the people of the Pacific Coast. The money came from the taxpayers in California, Oregon and Washington. EGT was subsidized by the Port of Longview. So the people have the right to go down there and protest how their tax dollars have been ripped off. Fifty-one percent of Stevedoring Services of America is owned by Goldman Sachs. EGT is a multinational conglomerate trying to control the distribution of food products around the world. The face of Wall Street is in the ports. The ILWU is not some special interest group. We are a rank-and-file militant, democratic union that has a long history of being in the vanguard of the social justice and labor movement. We don't cross community picket lines. When people begin to do so they have completely turned their backs on the ILWU’s 10 guiding principles. Is it coincidental that Harry Bridges&rsqou; name has not been asserted in relation to the OWS movement and the history of militancy? Is it an accident? How can we not talk about Harry Bridges? That is how we got what we have today.

Bail Out the People Movement Solidarity Center 55 West 17th St 5C New York, NY 10010 1-212-633-6646 www.bailoutpeople.org email: bailoutpeople.org/cmnt.shtml

12/9/11 OEA Holiday Party!

11/19/11 Tax The Rich Conference

Click HERE to print the flyer above

11/16/11 OEA General Membership Meeting

CALLING ALL MEMBERS!!

We are counting on you to attend the the upcoming
General Membership Meeting next WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16.

This meeting is being structured primarily to hear and share ALL our members' voices on a wide variety of important issues, from charters to school closures, from Occupy Oakland to seniority to bargaining. It promises to be engaging and informative! OEA is only as strong and democratic as we make it, and we look forward to a great turnout and great discussion next week.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16
4--6 pm
OAKLAND HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
1023 MacArthur Blvd @ Park Blvd.
plenty of parking behind the school off McKinley St.

11/4/11 OEA Social Drake's Brewery.

Oakland Education Association SOCIAL FOR NOVEMBER 4, 2011

OEA's October Social was great, with art work from students and teachers decorating every wall of the OEA Center. Our newly formed, all-volunteer Social Committee is gearing up for our end-of-year Toy Drive and Social December 9th. So this month, in lieu of a Social at OEA, (and with apologies for the short notice - all efforts have gone into the "General Strike" this past week) we're suggesting you attend Friday's Fundraiser for ACORN Woodland Elementary at Drake's Brewery. Come out and show your support for ACORN Woodland while enjoying Drake's beer, eating, and dancing! * Supporters pay a $5 donation upon entrance. * Beer enthusiasts can pay $15 for a Drake's tasting glass and 3 tokens for 3 full pours. Additional tokens can be purchased separately ($3.50 each, with a dollar of that going to AWE). Eight Drake's beers will be available. * Great food will be available for purchase. * Park in front of Walmart and walk back to the brewery.

When: Friday, November 4, 2011, 4:00-8:00pm Location: Drake's Brewery: 1933 Davis Street, San Leandro, CA 94577 Contact Information: Contact: ACORN Woodland Elementary Email: claudia.robles@ousd.k12.ca.us Phone: (510) 846-8666

Sincerely, Betty Olson-Jones Oakland Education Association

11/2/11 General Strike: We Are, We Teach the 99%

OEA Supports the Occupy Oakland General Strike Wednesday November 2, 2011

OEA Substitute Ms Randle Suffers Police brulality Tuesday October 25, 2011

10/26/11 March for our Children

click HERE for the flyer

10/25/11 Take One National Board Certification Program

Learn about the Take One National Board Certification Program Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Where: Oakland Education Association, 272 East 12th Street, Oakland CA 94606 Time: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. There will be subsidies provided if the teacher works in a school that is "high-need." A California indicator would be an API statewide rank of 5 or less, but NBPTS also uses the federal guidelines of 51%+ of students on free or reduced lunch or Title I status. Please register with Lisa.Spielman@ousd.k12.ca.us

Background: The Targeted High Need Initiative (THNI) is a program designed to promote the growth in the number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) teaching in schools with the greatest need. The Initiative is in its sixth year. In 2006, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) created THNI Take One! sites to permit teachers who are not yet ready to complete the full certification process to benefit from some of the key professional development aspects of the full certification process. Take One! is a product in which an educator completes one of the four portfolio entries included in the full certification assessment. Scores can be banked and applied later to eligible teachers who pursue National Board Certification. This program supports learning communities in schools, provides exposure to the National Board Certification process in a way that is less intense and more manageable. Approximately 40 percent of teachers completing THNI Take One! continue to pursue National Board Certification. Even those who do not continue gain valuable professional development and insight into the reflective teaching focus of National Board Certification. The teachers who participate in the Take One! process will be encouraged to complete National Board Certification as soon as they are eligible. Teacher must be "high-need." A California indicator would be an API statewide rank of 5 or less, but NBPTS also uses the federal guidelines of 51%+ of students on free or reduced lunch or Title I status. The THNI Participants can be accepted through the end of a calendar year which is the end of the NBPTS registration cycle. The Take One! portfolio entry for 2011 participants must be submitted to NBPTS by April 15, 2012.

Please register with Lisa.Spielman@ousd.k12.ca.us Sincerely, Betty Olson-Jones Oakland Education Association

10/24/11 Bargaining Workshop

Last spring a number of OEA members expressed interest in learning about contract bargaining –laws, procedures, realities.

This fall, OEA will need to assemble a new bargaining team.

All interested OEA members who want to learn more about contract bargaining are encouraged to attend two (2) OEA-sponsored Saturday workshops.



Monday, October 24 4:30pm—7:30pm
OEA Bargaining History

This discussion will review issues like how contract bargaining is never a one-time process. For example, what is lost in one contract (like a 4% increase) can be regained in another. Or what the district failed to get in one contract can be sought after in a subsequent contract. In sum: Contract clauses are the result of ongoing organizing—and the result of compromise by both parties.



OEA members who were involved in previous bargaining rounds, from the early 90’s on, will summarize OEA bargaining history: Class size? Follow the students? Faculty Councils? Learn how OEA was able to win these key clauses in our contract, and many others.

Saturday, September 17 10:00am—1:00pm
Bargaining Basics

Theo Austin-Smyth from the CTA Negotiations and Organizing Department and our OEA CTA Staff Representatives will review the basics of the collective bargaining process—how bargaining teams are chosen, roles on a team, team dynamics and the legal framework for collective bargaining.

10/7/11 OEA MURMUR

oaklandartmurmur.org

OEA MURMUR
October 7, 2011
4:00-7:00

A CALL FOR ART FROM CHILDREN AND TEACHERS

Since our first OEA social shares the date with Oakland “Art Murmur,”* (oaklandartmurmur.org) we decided to display the best of student and teacher art for the month of October. All members are invited to start their Friday at OEA to view that art, enjoy refreshments, and continue their Friday activities at Oakland Art Murmur.

SUBMITTING CHILDREN’S ART

Please give mounted or framed pieces (up to 5 from each school) of children’s art to your OEA Rep to bring to the Rep Council on Monday, October 3. Art will be returned at the November Rep Council. On the front have the name, grade, and school of the artist.

SUBMITTING TEACHER ART

We know you are out there! To be an Oakland teacher means to be a creative teacher! Bring your pieces of art to the OEA Center between 3:00 and 5:00 on Wednesday, October 5. Volunteers will be there to help you mount your pieces.

CELEBRATE OUR ORIGINALITY!

*The mission of the Oakland Art Murmur is to support art and cultural venues that are dedicated to increasing popular awareness of and participation in the arts of Oakland. We promote the arts community through collective marketing and outreach efforts and organize a monthly First Friday Art Walk event, Art Murmur, which is free and open to the public.
Every First Friday of the month, member galleries are open to the public from 6-9 pm. Additionally 23rd Street between Telegraph and Valley is closed to car traffic, and craft, art, and food vendors are set up along this corridor.

11/19/11 Tax The Rich Conference

Tax the Rich Conference

Click HERE to print the flyer above

8/27/11 Attend and Achieve Back to School Rally

Click HERE for more information. Click HERE to download Flyer

Hello.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer break. I wanted to inform you all about a great event that is happening on Saturday, August 27 in the hopes that you will be willing and able to participate as a volunteer and OEA representative.

This year several non-profit and community groups will be working with the Oakland Natives Gives Back Foundation and hold the Fourth Annual Attend and Achieve Back to School Rally and Giveaway. I have included a draft agenda for the event following this message. This year the rally will include workshops/activities, performances, and speakers (including Tony Smith and Betty Olson-Jones).
OEA is participating by being a sponsor, adding magnetic clips to the backpack giveaway, and having an organization booth at the event. We will need volunteers to come and peolpe our booth, help out with morning registration, help facilitate the lunch distribution, be present to support our President, Betty Olson-Jones, help distribute the giveaway, and help break-down/clean up.

I know…that is the Saturday before we meet our students, and many of us, despite the fact that we are not paid to, will be working in our classrooms over that weekend…But I hope that the spirit of the event and our need to be visibly represented in the body of community partners moves you to get involved. I let the organizers know that the date complicates our ability to mobilize volunteers, but perhaps teachers may be able to commit to volunteering in shifts: 9-12 and 12-3.

Did I mention that the lunch for volunteers will be catered by the chicken and waffles restaurant by Jack London Square…

Please, please, please do your best to help find volunteers for this event. I will be volunteering for the whole day and I hope to have some OEA buddies with me.

The organizer has asked that I provide a list of names of volunteers (mainly for food ordering purposes) so please contact me ASAP about your availability: (510)703-5126.

I may be out of cell range on August 16-18, but you can leave me a message.
My email address is kei1116@comcast.net

Sincerely looking forward to seeing you,
Kei Swensen
Attend and Achieve
Back to School
2011 Rally!

Volunteers needed!
Friday, August 27, 2011
All committee leads and event coordinators must be present
5:00-7:00pm
Arrive at City Hall to begin set-up
Marking (with tape) of table locations,
food placement, and podium placement (external)

Saturday, August 28, 2011
7:30-9:00am
Set-up/Preparation
(Decorations, bus arrival, food, photography, tables, etc.)


7:30am First shift of volunteers report to City Hall
8:30-8:45 Volunteer Group Meeting in Volunteer Area
9:00-9:30am Volunteer Group Meeting in volunteer area
9:30-10:00am All volunteers return to designated areas
12:00-1:00pm Lunch (In Shifts)
1:00-2:30pm Celebration Performances and Speakers
2:35-3:30pm Giveaway
2:00-3:30pm Break-down, clean up
Workshops & Activities
9:00-12:30pm


Imagine That! Grades K-5
9:30-12:00 (Outside in the Plaza)

Man Up Grades 6-8 and 10-12
9:30-10:45 (In Council Chambers)
11:00-12:15 (In Hearing Rooms 1 and 2)

Girl Power Grades 6-8 and 10-12
9:30-10:45 (In Hearing Rooms 1 and 2)
11:00-12:15 (In Council Chambers)

College Bound! 9t h grade boys and girls
9:30-1:00 (Holy Names University)

Parent Café “Commitment to Success”
10:00-12:30 (In 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza)

8/16/11 Speakout for good jobs now!

Click HERE for the event flyer.


Dear Labor Leaders:

Congresswoman Barbara Lee will be joined with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ) and Congressman Jerry McNerney next Tuesday, August 16 at 5:30pm for a 'SPEAKOUT FOR GOOD JOBS NOW" townhall meeting at Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ located at 1034-66th Avenue, Oakland (between San Leandro Street & International Blvd.

FLASH: Congressman Mike Honda has just confirmed attendance. Due to redistricting, a new congressional district will be created in south county to include Newark and part of Fremont. This will be 1/3 in Alameda County and 2/3 in Santa Clara county. Honda plans to run for this newly created district and has been a very strong advocate and supporter of labor's agenda...

We want to have a strong showing of support for Congresswoman Barbara Lee's speakout, because it gives us the opportunity to have workers voices heard, especially those who are currently working, unemployed, furloughed, laid off and underemployed. Barbara has been a national leader in the debate on the debt ceiling. She has been a strong voice in opposition to the FAA shutdown and continues to advocate against the threatened immigration audit against GMP members at Pacific Steel foundry in Berkeley.

We're also in touch with our State Federation to see if it makes sense to have a flyer on the FAA reauthorization since we know that fight isn't over yet as the republican leadership wants to trade reauthorization for taking away organizing rights.

We have been lining up some workers to speak out at the townhall. Speakers should be present at 5pm and check in with Jean. Some speakers so far have included; confirmed*

1. Locked out Castlewood worker: Francisca Carranza UH 2850*

2. Port trucker: Eddie Hernandez CCSP*

3. Former NUMMI worker: Debbie

4. Gillig Plant: IBT member (Doug)

5. Port airport tower: IBEW 595 (Victor)

6. Urban Peace Movement: Youth (Nicole)

7. Lifetime Client/single mom: Diana Spatz (Saundra)

8. Cypress Mandela Training Program: Graduate* (Liz)

9. IUPAT DC 16: Painter (Liz)

10. Anyone else?

ASKS:

1. Attend this speak out with 2 from your local. If you can't come, please send at least 3 representatives. This is an opportunity where our members will hear other workers' stories, be inspired and motivated to become active and help build and strengthen our labor movement.

2. If you have a member who can speak out, let Jean know asap. She is coordinating labor speakers from our end.

We will be following up with you.

Also, we have put in a request to meet with Congresswoman Barbara Lee for Revive Oakland which both the Alameda Labor Council and Building and Construction Trades are members. This will give us another opportunity to talk about the community jobs agreement with labor peace and card check neutrality.

Please distribute this message and flyer about Tuesday's Speakout to your members and friends.

Si Se Puede!

Josie

Josie Camacho

Alameda Labor Council

Executive Secretary-Treasurer

100 Hegenberger Rd., Suite 150

Oakland, CA 94621

510-632-4242 x231 office

510-502-1454 cell

510-632-3993 fax

josie@alamedalabor.org

8/2/11 Unemployment Benefits Appeals Workshop

Date: July 2011

To: OEA Members Appealing Unemployment Insurance (UI) Decisions

From: Ben Visnick, OEA Treasurer


Re: How to Appeal a Negative Determination Letter


If you have applied (or are in the process of applying for UI) and you want to know the process of appealing an EDD decision, please attend this important meeting.


WHAT: UI Info Meeting


WHEN: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 4:00 pm


WHERE: OEA Center, 272 E. 12th Street at 3rd Avenue, Oakland, CA 94606


RSVP: pgray@oaklandea.org,

or Patricia Gray at 510-763-4020, x11


Pg/forms/2011UIappeal

7/30/11 OEA ACTION ALERT! Save Our Schools Rally!

OEA ACTION ALERT!
Save Our Schools Rally!
California State Capitol Building
1315 10th Street, Sacramento
Saturday, July 30, 2011
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Make it a family day! Come to the rally then take your family to Old Town or the California State Fair!

Carpooling will take place at Sankofa/Washington School, 581 61st St.
Entrance to parking lot is in the middle of the block.
Those wishing a carpool hook up should be at the lot by 9:30 am.
Contact info: Trish Gorham oklyntrish@yahoo.com

Educators from across the country are converging on Washington, DC July 28-31 to stand up for our students and the future of public education. Oakland's own, Anthony Cody, has organized a conference and rally that will protest the misguided policies of Arne Duncan, the concerted effort to privatize education, and the unwarranted attacks on teachers. http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/

Further information from the organizers about what to expect the day of:

1) WATER: Bottled water will be readily available free of charge the day of the event. Simply head over to the SOS tables to pick one up to stay hydrated!

2) T-SHIRTS: We are happy to announce that we have SAVE OUR SCHOOLS T-SHIRTS available for reserved purchase at the very low price of $6 each! We only have a limited amount, so reserve yours today. (S, M, L, and XL)

To reserve your t-shirt, please email Amy at: amiemay08@gmail.com with your name and the size(s)/ quantity you need. They will be available for pick-up the day of the Sacramento Save Our Schools Rally, July 30th on the State Capitol Lawn (1315 10th Street).

The day of the event, please have exact cash ready or a check made payable to: Amy Mayfield. These will go quickly, so please get your order in to us ASAP!

3) FLYER: Our event flyer is available on our Facebook page and at www.CTA.org. I encourage you to print it out and hand it out where ever you go. The more people who show up to this event, the bigger the impact we will make. The DC event happening on the same day is expecting over 10,000 people! While we won't have anywhere NEAR that many, we do want to show solidarity and an urgency for this important movement, and the more people who come the more successfully we can accomplish that.

4) FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: If you go to and click on EVENT you will be able to RSVP, comment, and even reach out to other event attendees to inquire about carpooling and other questions you may have.

5) WHY I AM MARCHING: We are joining in on the campaign "Why I am Marching" that SOS National started a few weeks back to inform the general public about why we are doing what we are doing and generate interest. While we aren't technically "marching" in Sacramento, we are rallying-- and that's close enough!

I encourage you to post on the Facebook page comments in response to this. If you don't have Facebook, email me with the subject "Why I Am Marching" and I will post them. I have quite a few bloggers asking me for California participants in this to post on their blogs, and I'd like to send your responses to them (with your permission, of course).

6) FLASH MOB!: While it won't technically be a flash mob, it will be a lot of fun and a great way to make an impact. The day of the event, our organizers will be there to teach you (if you wish to participate) our SOS California Unity Presentation choreography. Just head over to the SOS Tables to get your number and meet up with your instructor. I promise you, it is very simple choreography-- no prior dance experience required! Even I was able to pick it up quickly. Hopefully we will have hundreds of people ready and willing to participate! That will be performed at 2:00.

7) PARKING: Parking is widely available in this part of town. There are parking garages galore and street parking can also probably be found with the right amount of determination and positive thinking (FYI: Also, there are coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants all within short walking distance as well.)

8) WEATHER: It is expected to be hot the day of the event, so just be prepared. Don't let that be a deterrent because we need people like you to brave the heat and come out any way! There are large trees in the rally area that provide excellent shade. Some ideas for optimum comfort the day of-- hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, extra water if you want it, umbrellas for shade, light cotton clothing --and with that you should be rally ready!

9) LAST THING-- PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! Bring your friends, kids, colleagues, family members, neighbors, etc. Make signs and show up ready to rally. These issues within our education system are ones that affect everyone and this is a cause that everyone can get involved in-- whether you area parent, educator, student, or concerned citizen. We welcome all!

So finally, I want to thank you for all your support, participation, and activism! This is a vital cause and we've worked hard to bring the SOS movement to California with this event. Grassroots is growing up and it is all because of people like you taking interest and committing themselves to speaking out and spreading the word. We hope to see you at the rally!

Please feel free to contact Molly Servatius at sosmarchcalifornia@gmail.c om with any questions/concerns/information requests/volunteer offers/etc. In solidarity!


Contact Us
phone: 510-763-4020

6/7/11 Speak out against cuts to Counselors and Adult Ed!

Speak out against cuts to

Counselors and Adult Ed!

Tuesday, June 7, 2010, 3:00 pm

In front of Skyline High School (on the steps in front of Counselors office/ music room)

Click on the flyer below to enlarge and print

Wednesday, May 25, 2011


Press conference Wednesday, May 25
at 4:30pm 1025 2nd Avenue
Attend the School Board meeting afterward at 5:00pm to speak out against
ALL cuts to our programs!

What's Happening?
Oakland Unified School District plans to reorganize the entire department for school counselors, turning over most counseling functions to administrators and overworked teachers, and centralizing transcript audits. Our counselors, already stretched thin in ratios of over 700:1, serve a vital need for middle and high school students. Using staff without counseling credentials to fill the gap may violate California Ed Code, and certainly shortchanges students. Next year Skyline High School, Westlake and Frick Middle Schools will be without site counselors.

Some concerns that remain unaddressed by OUSD are: 1) how will school counselors be able to provide quality assistance to students with such complicated processes as the UC/CSUS A-G requirements when they are no longer housed on the school site? 2) How will school counselors be able to form trusting bonds and relationships with middle and high school students when they are potentially traveling to multiple school sites? OUSD has no concrete answers to these questions.

The Oakland Education Association is also opposed to the almost complete elimination of the Adult Education program in Oakland. With high unemployment rates and a high student drop-out rate, for many adults the Adult Education program offers a second opportunity to earn a GED certificate, or to learn basic English skills so they can improve their livelihoods.

Come let the our elected School Board representatives know that in the interests of our students and their families, we need to preserve counseling services and Adult Ed!

Betty Olson-Jones
President
Oakland Education Association

6/22/11 : Know Your Rights!

Know Your Rights!

OEA Wants to Keep You Informed

This Summer

Special Informational Meeting


Wednesday, June 22 @ 11 a.m.

OEA Center

272 East 12th Street

(upstairs at 3rd Ave.)

5/31/11 Alliance Academy informational

May 31^st, 2011

The faculty at Alliance, led by site rep Jeffrey Hilliard, are conducting an informational picket on Tuesday morning, May 31 from 7am to 8am in front of the Alliance campus on 98^th Avenue to call attention to the unsafe campus climate all year about which OUSD has been dragging its feet.

“The OUSD Alliance Academy Administration has created an

UNSAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

on The Elmhurst Campus, and in The Elmhurst Community!”

THE FACTS:

After the exit of the beloved original Alliance Academy Principal Yvette Renteria, OUSD assigned an inexperienced Principal, and an inexperienced Assistant Principal who have done the following since September 2010:

· Multiple violations of the OEA/OUSD Teacher Contract Terms, violated multiple OUSD District Safety Policies, and have violated the California State Education Code regarding safety and school climate.

· This School-Year, The New Alliance Academy Administration made The Elmhurst Campus unsafe by allowing Gang Activity (colors, posturing, & recruiting), Sexual Harassment/Hate Language, and Habitual Harassment/Bullying & Violence of students & staff with few consequences, and undermining teachers’ authority.

· Since September 2010, The OEA Union Site Representative has had to file over 7-Grievances related to safety and school climate concerns, Contract & Ed Code Violations, and to protect the rights of all Teachers, Staff, & Students of Alliance Academy.

· In what the OEA views as ‘Retaliation’ for his Activism & Advocacy, in late March 2011, we believe that The Alliance Academy Administration began directing some parents to write complaints against a well-respected and long-time teacher at Alliance, who is also the OEA Union Site Representative.

· Lastly, in April & May after almost a whole year, Teachers began to feel all the effects from all the stress attributed to verbal profanity, sexual harassment, hate language, open disrespect, defiance, and disruption from some students; lack of disciplinary support from the site Administration; and the Alliance Administration constantly undermining Teachers’ Classroom Authority, despite many attempts by the Alliance teachers to address the issues for the good of the entire school community.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Contact OUSD Superintendent - Tony Smith at (510) 879-8200 or at tony.smith@ousd.k12.ca.us and tell him to resolve the Teacher Safety & School Climate Concerns at Alliance Academy.

Summer 2011 Professional Development for Secondary Math Teachers (PAID!)

Dear Secondary Mathematics Teachers --

There was very positive feedback from the All-City Secondary Mathematics Conversation last week. Huge appreciation to all participants and organizers.

We agreed to next steps:

1. share information (summarized below and attached) with math colleagues
2. initiate sign-ups for summer leadership and professional learning opportunities
   
   • facilitating course / grade-level teams
   • participating in course / grade-level work groups
   • participating in math PD opportunities
     

Below is a listing (thanks, Cass!) of up-coming and summer teacher leadership and professional learning opportunities with contact info. We need widespread participation to make good on the promise of quality instruction and a full-scale transition to Common Core State Standards in the coming years. Please forward widely.

Cheers,

Phil Tucher
Team Manager for Mathematics, Science, and Technology
OUSD Leadership, Curriculum, Instruction
(o) 510.336.7561
(m) 510.381.5287
philip.tucher@ousd.k12.ca.us
Community Schools, Thriving Students



INTERVENTION PEDAGOGY, FOCUSED ON MISCONCEPTIONS
Introductory session. Focus on fractions [Grades 4-9]
Thurs, May 19, 3:45-5:30 @ Tilden
Free- 20 teacher limit
Contact: Robin.Lovell@ousd.k12.ca.us

MEANINGFUL GROUPWORK IN THE MATH CLASSROOM: APPLYING THE COMPLEX INSTRUCTION FRAMEWORK
Tools and strategies to optimize participation, learning and accountability for diverse students working on group-worthy mathematical tasks.
Weds-Thurs, June 29-30, 9-3:30 @ the Urban School in SF
$360 (by May 15), $400 after (funding for district slots pending; please communicate your interest asap!)
http://centerforinnovativeteaching.org/page.cfm?p=365#groupworkmath
Contact: philip.tucher@ousd.k12.ca.us

GRADE/COURSE-LEVEL WORK GROUPS (for Core Curriculum Task Force and Oakland Mathematics Leadership Network)
Work with colleagues and specialists to develop course scope and sequence, performance assessment tasks and other curricular documents.
(Geometry work group is already getting started!)
June 27- July 1 OR Aug 8-12 OR By Arrangement, 8:30-3:30 @Bret Harte
Paid $30/hour
Contact: phillip.grebe@ousd.k12.ca.us or philip.tucher@ousd.k12.ca.us

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING AND INTRO TO COMMON CORE STANDARDS
For Secondary math teachers on using formative assessments and learning about Common Core Standards.
June 27- July 1 OR Aug 15-19, 8:30-3:30 @Bret Harte
Paid $22.99/hour
Contact: Joanna.Sperber@ousd.k12.ca.us

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LITERACY (Similar to QTEL pd from WestEd)
June 27- July 1 OR Aug 15-19, 8:30-3:30 @Bret Harte
Paid $22.99/hour
Contact: Joanna.Sperber@ousd.k12.ca.us

SECONDARY MATHEMATICS 1-DAY INSTITUTE
Grade 6-12 teachers, leaders and coaches to learn about OUSD Math Initiatives, to learn different lesson structures and instructional strategies, and to have paid grade-level planning with other colleagues in the district.
Aug 17, 8:30-3:30, location TBD
Paid $22.99/hour
Contact: Joanna.Sperber@ousd.k12.ca.us

SILICON VALLEY MATH INITIATIVE
- Lesson Study (ongoing throughout year)
- Problem of the Month Performance Tasks (once a month during school year)
- Coaching Institute for a coach and team (Aug 1-5, $500 stipend)
Contact: Erik.Moll@ousd.k12.ca.us or Phillip.Grebe@ousd.k12.ca.us

TEAM-MATH
Mentoring and math-specific new teacher support by teachers. Mentors still needed for next year.
Summer and induction dates TBD.
Stipends provided.
Contact: Philip.Tucher@ousd.k12.ca.us