Bow, NH – June 2, 2017 

Thursday, June 1, was a gorgeous day, easily the best weather we have had here in NH for some time.  Clear skies by afternoon, warming temperatures, and no rain!  In Representatives Hall in the NH State House, however, it proved to be a much drearier and depressing day, although not terribly surprising.  On the final day to act on Senate bills, the Republican majority flexed their muscle and demonstrated anew that elections matter.  Remember this, when your friends and co-workers tell you next year they are not bothering to vote because “it just doesn’t matter.”  It does, and yesterday’s votes in the House prove it.

This will be a very brief bulletin since neither the Senate or House were in session this past week.  Having said that, there was activity.

The Senate has now crafted and released its proposed State budget for the 2017-19 biennium.  In an effort to win over some of the extreme right-wing Republicans whose votes scuttled the House version of the budget, Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee adopted very conservative revenue estimates as a means of justifying leaving many programs and initiatives unfunded or underfunded.  Full funding of all-day kindergarten has been removed from the budget, and funding for battling the opioid crisis remains inadequate.  Yet despite the supposed financial stringencies, the majority in the Senate have found monies to pay for a spokesperson for the Dept. of Education at an annual $83,500 salary (to speak at the behest of Commissioner Edelblut) and also to increase the funding for charter schools (as opposed to the traditional public schools which the vast majority of NH students attend). 

Council of Baptist Pastors President Rev. Dee Dee Coleman and DFT President Ivy Bailey celebrated Teachers Appreciation Day during a special service held at Russell Street Baptist Church on May 30. 

Here are our income/expenses for 2016:

Expenses: http://cccft.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/cccft_2016_tax_info1.pdf

Income:http://cccft.wa.aft.org/sites/default/files/cccft_2016_tax_info2.pdf

They said it couldn't be done! Well, we did it!

If changes are made, we will provide additional information.

One of the nation’s largest for-profit addiction treatment chains, American Addiction Centers (AAC),has illegally locked out workers after failing to reach an agreement for a first contract with nurses and health professionals at Sunrise House in Lafayette, NJ.   Frontline caregivers who had been planning a 3-day Unfair Labor Practice strike (May 24-May 26, 2017) were informed on Tuesday evening that AAC was illegally locking out workers beginning around 8:30 on the evening of May 23. Labor leaders and supporters joined workers at a rally at Noon on the 24th.

Christie wants to replace three State Board of Education members with teacher hating scum as punishment for supporting our teaching certificates. If you're as sick of it as I am, call the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee TODAY and tell their aides to tell them to vote NO...here are their phone numbers. Bury them!

http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2017/05/dont-like-chris-christie-blame-democrats.html?m=1

Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) trained a new group of stewards in the union’s office on Tuesday May 23, 2017. The stewards learned a lot about their union and its function. Many of them told stories of workplace bullying and harassment from superiors while also noting the difference in the behavior of management when a union official was present and when one was not.

Click HERE for a survey for which non-economic article in the current contract you would like the bargaining team to reopen with management for next year. This survey is open to both OSEA and non-member employees in the classified bargaining unit.

We're also asking for some input on when is the best day of the week or day of the month to meet as a chapter next year.

Thanks.