15-B Insider -- February 2004

The TASC group has been bargaining hard. They have Uniserv at the table, and the chief spokesperson for the district is their attorney from Lansing. They have gotten quite a bit of press lately and shown their solidarity and commitment among their membership. The last bargaining session was very productive, and they hope to reach a fair and equitable agreement soon.

The EA has an opener to discuss salary, benefits and calendar. They are in the preliminary stages of gathering data and organizing their team. Uniserv will be assisting in bargaining.

The ESP contract will expire this summer. They anticipate starting to collect data to start bargaining in April. Uniserv will be assisting in bargaining.

The EA has a tentative agreement and will be going to their membership for ratification soon. Updates will be given when the ratification is complete.

Both of these groups will start bargaining in earnest shortly. SNAP bargainer, Roger Hopkins, will be assisting both groups with their bargaining.

The EA has an opener to discuss salary, benefits and selected language. They are also in the preliminary stages of organizing their team. Uniserv or a Snap bargainer will be assisting with this process.

The EA is still bargaining! They are assisted by SNAP bargainer, Judy Pullen. The District has their attorney from Lansing at the table. Progress, although it is slow, is being made.

The transportation group has been meeting to gather data and write proposals for bargaining. SNAP Bargainer, Tammy Ladd, is working with this group. A date to meet with the district has not been set.

Their contracts will not expire until 2005.

The Uniserv office is working with the EA to gather data and language for bargaining.

The negotiation team is currently working on research and gathering data from the different classifications for bargaining.

Pine River EA & ESP: Both contracts will expire this summer. Collaborative bargaining was used last year by both the EA and ESP. Both groups are gathering data to prepare for bargaining. The Uniserv office will assist as needed.

The ISD group recently ratified their new contract. It is only a one-year contract and will expire August 31, 2004.

The EA has just starting bargaining. The Uniserv staff will be assisting with information and resources as needed.

The support group also has a salary and benefits opener. They

have not set a date for their bargaining.

Dave Bowman, Uniserv Director in Petoskey, led the Crisis Preparation Training held on February 11^th in the Cadillac MEA office. Bowman is the lead trainer and chair for the Crisis Assistance Team (CAT) for MEA.

The training offered preparation and information about how to organize associations for crisis preparation. Both EA and ESP members were present at the training. The excellent turnout shows that 15-B members are committed to being prepared for tough times. For more information or training for your members, contact the 15-B office.

(This could be a good analogy for all of us.)

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house, a mousetrap in the house!"

"The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said: "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him: "There is a mouse trap in the house, a mouse trap in the house!" "I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."

The mouse then turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Mouse. A mousetrap. Like I am in grave danger. Duh...NOT!" ---

So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.

Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well, and a few days later she passed away.---

So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat. So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a mousetrap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.