CHSSA General
Membership Meeting
August 28, 2013
CHHS Band Room
Welcome: Seventy five members signed in for this
meeting. Tim Eitner introduced himself as our new President and welcomed
everyone and thanked them for their support and attendance. He introduced the rest of the board; Lisa
Thorp, Vice President, Sharon Sherwood, Treasurer. He let all know that we need a secretary,
anyone willing or able to donate and hour a month please consider supporting
your local this way. He thanked all
past board members for their time and dedication to the support staff. Tim advised that he can be reached at tim.eitner@cape.k12.de.us He
also explained he hopes to establish contact with all members not only through
their Cape email addresses but their personal email addresses. He also has plans for a monthly newsletter.
DSEA
Representative: Tim introduced Joe Kirk to everyone and
explained that at anytime members were to feel welcome to contact Joe with
questions they might have. Joe advised
that there were three issues that the members need to discuss before we leave
today concerning our contract. Joe.kirk@dsea.org
Membership: Lisa Ingram,
membership chair, advised everyone that membership packets went out to each
building rep, and that if they need more to please contact her. She also advised that we have approximately
132 - 135 members to date.lisa.ingram@cape.k12.de.us
Building
Reps: Tim Eitner asked all building reps to stand
and introduce themselves. They are;
Kathy Law Rehoboth Elementary Big Building, Susan Krause, RE little building,
Tarra Kennedy Beacon Middle School, Donna Schirmer Mariner Middle School,
Jeannie Morris Shields Elementary, Debbie Gaudlip Milton Elementary School,
Joan Williamson H.O. Brittingham, Molly Siple SEC, and Tim Eitner and Roger
Boyd, CHHS. Lisa Thorp explained that we
have a need for someone to volunteer to be the SEC rep at the High School.
Treasurers
Report: Mary Beth D’Amico advised that CHSSA is in
good shape with $23,000.00 in our accounts.
She explained that our biggest expense is our annual ESP dinner - and
depending upon members children graduating, our scholarship fund. She also advised that because negotiations
are not finished more
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money needed to be shifted because of
evening meeting expenses. Mary Beth
presented a proposed budget for next year for everyone. A majority voted to pass
the budget. She welcomed Sharon Sherwood
as the new treasurer for CHSSA - ……
Thank you Sharon! We welcome and will
support you. Tim advised Mary Beth that he did not have a
key to the Post Office Box.
New
Member Shirts: Lisa Ingram will take all orders for new member’s
shirts.
All new members to the union are gifted
with a shirt by the CHSSA. Please email
her at lisa.ingram@cape.k12.de.us
if you have any questions about any new members.
Negotiations: Joe Kirk
advised that the District Office wanted to take away our dental benefits, flex
account decrease, and winter break.
Negotiations have not only kept those but all benefits in place. He then
advised that we have three issues to decide on before we go back to the
bargaining table. They are:
1. The DO has
offered us the same rate of increase on our local pay as the teachers got, but
they want us on a 4 year contract - not 3 as the teachers have. The increase will be 0%, 1%. 1%, 2%. CHEA got 0%, 1%, 1% - again, just on local
dollars. The DO explained in their last
meeting that to rotate both CHEA and CHSSA the same years for contract
negotiations is too much. Joe Kirk
agreed. He explained that since we have
been without a contract for the past year that it will be like a 3 year
contract in the end.
2. CHSSA asked for
the 12 month employees to be given spring break. The DO is not willing to give 12 month
employees spring break.
3. CHSSA asked for
the Senior Secretaries in each building to be promoted to financial secretaries
- but the DO won’t agree - they
explained that the only financial secretaries are in the DO. They did agree to give each Senior Secretary
a substitute secretary for one day per month so that they could do their
financial reports.
All members present discussed all issues
and voted to accept the contract as it is now.
Both Tim Eitner and Joe agreed that they want to form a negotiation team
to start reviewing all language in our contract as soon as the new contract is
ratified. Our new contract IF ratified will expire
in 2016.
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Mary Beth D’Amico advised that we have
accomplished many things through negotiations - one being that Para’s no longer
are required to attend staff meetings
- Joe Kirk advised that support staff no
longer are required to send a resume when they are applying for a new job
within the district.
Next meeting is Thursday, September 5th,
4pm at CHHS Library.
Please use the CHSSA web site www.capehenlopenssa.org.
to stay informed
Minutes respectfully submitted by Joan
Williamson.
