Forfeiting The Final Paycheck For Union Dues

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, folks! Going into the holidays (including hosting family Thanksgiving at my home) has left me with a little less time to go through teachers union contracts. Every time I go to comb through the files something else comes up. Anyway, enough about me and my excuses!

One of the more ridiculous portions of the Vermillion teachers union contract is a provision that states that if a teacher leaves Vermilion Parish, retires in the middle of the year, or resigns, their annual dues will be deducted from their final paycheck. If you think this is done to protect and meet the needs of Vermilion teachers, then I have beach-front property in Nebraska I want to sell you. Why should teachers be compelled to pay six months worth of Union dues they won't use if they are retiring? And largely forfeit their final paycheck in the process? It's done purely to benefit the union. 

VAE President's Special Privileges

Part of the contract that VAE has made with the Vermilion Parish School Board concerns special privileges for the VAE President. It's the second part that's more concerning. I'll let you read it from the contract yourself.

5.19 VAE PRESIDENT RELEASE TIME Any member of the Unit who is elected President of the VAE will, upon proper applications, be granted a one (1) year leave of absence without pay for the purpose of accepting the position. Such leave shall be renewed from year to year during the life of this contract upon written request. Upon return from such leave of absence, members of the Unit shall be placed on the step of the salary schedule they would have attained had they remained in service and shall be returned to their former position or if such leave exceeds one (1) year, its equivalent. 

VAE Serves Itself, Not Teachers

The Vermilion Association of Educators' contract is a mess of legalese and is intended to be that way. It's confusing to read for the average teacher and I'm guessing some teachers approve of it largely because they think it was designed to benefit them. However, there are two important points worth considering in relation to that.

The first is that the VAE only allows individuals to opt-out of the union before August 1st (which means that it must be done prior to the school year, making it even more difficult). The second, and worse, issue is that if a teacher leaves the parish for some reason, retires mid-year, or resigns--the annual union dues come out of their final paycheck. So, if Jenny retires mid-year, her final paycheck will be deducted several months worth of dues. That is not only not fair, it is clearly designed to benefit the union, not the teachers the union is supposed to serve.

Yes, I Do Have the Vermillion Association of Educators Contract

People have been making comments and sending me email suggesting I'm making this up or that I haven't really seen the contract. Not only have I seen it, I have it in my possession and will even show it to readers. If anyone wants it, the contract between the Vermilion Association of Educators and the Vermilion Parish School Board can be obtained by just emailing me--my contact info is found on this page.

I will continue posting about these issues in order to bring them into public spotlight. I hope it will encourage my fellow teachers to at least talk about these issues, if not change the contract to something that benefits all of us, instead of just a select few.

Vermilion Teachers Union Officials Get Twenty-Five Days Off!

One of the hallmark signs of an agreement or contract being unfair is that it gives special treatment to those who created the agreement. That's exactly what I've found in the union contract for the Vermilion Association of Educators.

In the contract, it stipulates that the VAE is able to send representatives of the union to attend conferences, conventions, workshops, or committee meetings that are conducted by the local, state, or national Associations. Nothing wrong with that right? Except that the contract stipulates that the School Board of Vermilion Parish is to provide professional leave for these activities, without loss of salary, for a total of twenty-five aggregate days per fiscal year.

When the union officials get their 25 days off, that means we have to pay for substitutes. And when we can’t find substitutes, we have to watch their classes and their kids. This simply isn’t fair to the rest of us! 

LAE Cozies Up to Pro-Abortion Groups

I've received a few emails wanting me to expound further on the connections between the National Education Association (NEA) and various abortion groups. At first I thought this might not be worth my time--I don't have a great deal of time this week for research and digging through to find the needle in the haystack. But, as it turns out, you don't have to look very hard to see evidence of NEA's connections to abortion groups.

For example, in 2008 the NEA hosted a conference at their headquarters at which Dr. George Tiller was invited to speak. Dr. George Tiller was a late-term abortionist who has made many inflammatory statements about his pro-abortion beliefs.

Randall Moody was formerly the Chief Lobbyist of the NEA, he was also on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Board of that organization's political wing, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. So the NEA's personnel were inescapably intertwined with the largest abortion provider in America. Did I mention Randall Moody was previously Co-Chairman of "Republicans for Choice" as well? He was.

Not all of the connections are just by people, the Fund for Children and Public Education, a PAC run by the NEA, has given money to a number of organizations dedicated to supporting only pro-abortion women running for office, including both the Democratic "Emily's List" and the Republican "The Wish List". This is money being contributed directly from the NEA to pro-abortion election groups.

This should be an important issue to teachers here in Vermilion Parish because dues for the union are being divvied up between the Vermilion Association of Educators, the Louisiana Association of Educators, and the NEA. I have not met many teachers in Vermilion who would want their dues going toward supporting abortionist organizations.

Vermilion Teachers Are Unwittingly Supporting and Funding Abortion

The teacher's union that has a monopoly agreement with the Vermilion Parish School Board is the Vermilion Association of Educators (VAE), as I've discussed previously. They're a local chapter of the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), which is a state chapter of the National Education Association (NEA). The VAE and LAE, local and state chapters respectively, like to pretend that they only focus on education issues. However, their parent organization doesn't even pretend. I'd like to bring some attention to the NEA's platform, where they state:

i.      “The National Education Association supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom [abortion]. The association urges the government to give high priority to making available all methods of family planning to women and men unable to take advantage of private facilities. The association also urges the implementation of community-operated, school based family planning clinics that will provide intensive counseling by trained personnel.

It's not the only evidence of their pro-abortion policies, but it is the most clear, written right there in black and white. That is not in line with what teachers, parents, or students in Vermilion Parish believe. I don't know very many teachers in Abbeville, Kaplan, Gueydan, Erath, or anywhere between who would say they support abortion with no exceptions.

The NEA, and many of its state affiliates, also donates to many pro-abortion organizations. That includes giving money directly to pro-abortion political action committees, supporting pro-abortion candidates all over the country, and even inviting Dr. George Tiller, an infamous late-term abortionist, to speak at their headquarters. That means that every time a VAE member pays their dues in Vermilion Parish, part of that money is going to organizations who support abortion. Some might like that, others might not--but I thought everyone should know.

Health Insurance for Vermilion Parish Teachers

This link is worrying--it's about the financial distress that the Vermilion Parish School Board is in because of high health insurance claims. That means that every employee of the VPSB is in danger of losing health insurance or getting much more expensive health insurance due to the financial problems that exist. 

It is easy to connect the dots here--the teacher's union contract is massive. I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons why the VPSB is in dire financial straits, but the teacher's union contract is definitely contributing. It includes all sorts of perks for union officers and officials. If the teacher's union contract in Vermilion Parish were to be looked at critically, I'm sure there are reasonable cuts that could be made in order to ensure the VPSB has the money to pay health insurance. 

If health insurance costs rise, is anyone under the impression that the union is going to lower their dues to compensate for the expense? To make it easier on their teachers? I sincerely doubt it. 

If They Knew

I am already receiving a lot of support from teachers in Vermilion Parish who want to know more about the teacher's union contracts. I am pleasantly surprised that people actually care about this issue--especially teachers, who want to know where their money is going.

In the coming weeks, I'll be exploring other parts of the union contract. One thing I can tell you is that I know very few teachers in Vermilion Parish who would support this contract if they knew what was in it.

This Is Why I Am Anonymous

I wanted to try to push information to teachers in Vermilion Parish about their union and the contract that was negotiated on their behalf. I did so anonymously because I feared that there might be repercussions if local union officials and other teachers knew I wasn't 100% behind the union.

Today, I saw one of those repercussions. Someone reported my Facebook account and I have now been locked out of it because it did not use my "real name". I am going to work with Facebook to see it restored--but in the meantime, please like my new page.

This fight isn't over. I'm committed to seeing teachers in Vermilion Parish get the support they deserve, instead of seeing a contract that only benefits the union officials and their bosses. They think they can shut us up, but they can't. We're going to keep speaking out!

So God Made A Teacher

Thank you to whoever made this video. It is a brilliant illustration of how much work a teacher does and what sort of impact we can have.

Dues to LAE Support Democratic Politicians

I am not a terribly political person by nature. I believe in certain tenants of fairness very strongly, though. I started looking at all of this information because I was curious as to why dues for the teacher's union in Vermilion Parish were nearly $500 a year. The chart below details how much money the Louisiana Association of Educators gives to political candidates and committees each year and breaks it down by partisan affiliation. As you can see, LAE gives much more money to Democrats than Republicans.

If you're a teacher in Vermilion Parish who's a member of the union, then you're giving 50% of your dues to an organization that is not only using your money to support politicians, but is doing so in an overwhelmingly partisan way. While I can't seem to find information on the Vermilion Association of Educators' spending habits...I'd be willing to bet that they get involved in politics in a partisan way as well.

Chers Bebes

A great event is happening in Lafayette on October 13th. Make plans if you want to attend.

Questions and Contact

Thanks so much to those who have reached out. Unfortunately, I've already had people trying to figure out who I am, so I'll be keeping my gender and location concealed from now on. I do not want the repercussions that come with exposing teachers union contract details in a small Parish.

I do want to thank all those who have offered help. I will be reaching out to some of you. The best thing you can do is share this blog with other teachers and begin a conversation about why it is that we're paying so much in teachers union dues and why LAE has a monopoly in our Parish.

Why Do Teachers in Vermillion Pay So Much in Union Dues?

My interest in the teacher's union contract began as a way to understand why union membership was $40 a month (almost $500 a year) in Vermilion Parish. Teachers do not make a lot of money to begin with, but pulling $500 out of our salary is tough.

The Louisiana Association of Educators, the only teacher's union in Vermilion Parish because they've been given a monopoly by the Vermilion Parish School Board, is giving significant money to the National Educators Association. This is one of the largest lobbying organizations in the United States.

Recently, LAE officials admitted that some 20% of union dues for each teacher go to the national organization (the NEA). LAE officials were quoted here saying, "Dues typically total about $40 per month, with the proceeds divided among the organization’s national, state and local offices — roughly 20 percent, 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively."

What this means is that at $40 per month, for 12 months, the average teacher in Vermilion Parish is contributing about $480 to the LAE. Roughly $100 of that is being given to the NEA, which they then use to support certain political candidates and groups, which teachers in Vermilion Parish may or may not agree with. For example:

This shows hows skewed the NEA's contributions are by party. If you are a Republican, Independent, or conservative Democrat, it's highly unlikely your views are being represented in this graph. The ~$100 a year that you're contributing to NEA is being used to largely support certain Democratic politicians. Even if you are a Democrat who supports those that the NEA supports, wouldn't you rather be the one making decisions about how to spend your money in politics and who to support? If you're non-political, wouldn't you rather save that money?

Anonymous

I've received a few emails and contacts from people on Facebook (you can find me here) asking me who I am or what school I'm at. I appreciate that people want to connect with me personally, but unfortunately I think I need to remain anonymous. Teachers are unions are known to seek retribution on whistleblowers and besides, I'm not looking to get into the news. I'm not the news, our teacher's union contract is.

I'll be publishing some of what I've found tomorrow. I hope you'll come take a look at what I've found and share it with other teachers in Vermilion Parish.

Stand Tall

This is important to remember, especially in Vermilion Parish.

Digging Deeper

I've had a bit of a break-through in my research into how teacher's are treated in Vermilion Parish. I want to be sure that it is all legitimate and legal before I share it with the world, but it really is incredible. I'll just say this--I can't believe that the teachers and parents of Vermilion Parish will like this very much. Politics is nasty and we should keep it out of our public schools.

I'll post something very soon on this. Still trying to sift through all the information when I'm not on lunch duty, carpool lane, or grading papers.

Preaux Teacher, Pro-Vermilion

Welcome to Preaux Teacher. I should do a short introduction before I delve into why this blog exists. I am a teacher, who prefers to remain anonymous, in Vermilion Parish. I live in Abbeville, Louisiana, and am a lifelong native of the area. I have a passion for education and have long been dissatisfied with how teachers are being treated in our great parish and state.

In this blog, I will delve into issues related to teachers union contracts, costs of services for teachers, and support services for my fellow educators in Vermilion Parish. I hope you'll join me by following me on Facebook or Twitter. If you have any thoughts, feel free to email me.