Get Involved Now

The primary election is just 12 days away! To ensure that friends of public education win on August 3 and move on to November’s general election, we need to ensure MEA members get out and Vote!

Phone Banks

Are you interested in volunteering your time to make calls to members about MEA’s recommended candidates? You can sign now by going to http://www.lsea.org/phonebank/ to schedule a time to make calls or contact your local UniServ office to schedule a time to make calls during their scheduled phone banking time.

If you volunteer to make calls to fellow MEA members, you will be provided with names, phone numbers and a scripted message specific to MEA candidates, with emphasis on the voting for Virg Bernero in the Governor’s race.

If you would like to make calls to voters on behalf of the Bernero Campaign from your own home, please contact Steve Ross, Field Director, at steveross1986@gmail.com, or call the Bernero campaign at 517.999.8696 or contact their Volunteer Coordinator at MichaelBerkowitz@votevirg.com. They will email a list of names and phone numbers to call along with a script and any other directions they may have.

Bernero Field Events for this Week (If you have questions regarding these events and activities, contact Steve Ross or Michael Berkowitz at their contact listed above.)

Wednesday, July 21st
Phone Bank at Lansing Campaign Headquarters
Volunteer Shifts: 10AM – Noon, Noon – 2PM, 4 – 6PM, 6 – 8PM

Thursday, July 22nd
Phone Bank at Lansing Campaign Headquarters
Volunteer Shifts: 10AM – Noon, Noon – 2PM, 4 – 6PM, 6 – 8PM

Battle Creek Canvass
Meet in Parking Lot G near the Soccer Field at Kellogg Community College, 450 North Avenue
Volunteer Shifts begin at 1PM
Carpools leave Lansing Campaign HQ at 11:45AM

Friday, July 23rd
Phone Bank at Lansing Campaign Headquarters
Volunteer Shifts: 10AM – Noon, Noon – 2PM, 4 – 6PM, 6 – 8PM

Ann Arbor Art Fair Canvass
Meet in the Kroger Parking Lot, 400 South Maple Street
Volunteer Shifts: Noon – 3PM, 3PM – 6PM, 6PM – 9PM
Carpools leave Lansing Campaign HQ at 10:30AM

Saturday, July 24th
Ann Arbor Canvass and Art Fair
Meet in the Kroger Parking Lot, 400 South Maple Street
Volunteer Shifts: Noon – 3PM, 3PM – 6PM

Flint Canvass
Meet at the Cherry / Kildee Campaign Headquarters located at 877 East 5th Avenue (5th Avenue and South Saginaw Street)
Volunteer Shifts begin at 10:00 a.m. on Mon/Wed. and 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. other days of the week.
Anthony Panneck is the Flint Organizer and can be reached at apanneck@hotmail.com or 405.812.3417. They have 7 cell phones available for phone banking.

Pontiac Canvass
Meet at Washington Middle School at 710 Menominee
Volunteer shifts begin at noon

Southfield Canvass
Meet at Southfield – Lathrup High School, 19301 West 12 Mile Road
Volunteer Shifts begin at 1PM and 3:30PM

Sunday, July 25th
Muskegon Canvass
Meet in the parking lot of the Muskegon County South Campus Building, Corner of Apple Ave and Pine St
Volunteer shifts begin at 2PM and 4PM
Carpools leave Lansing Campaign HQ at 12:15PM

Monday, July 26th
Grand Rapids Canvass
Meet at Wilcox Park at 100 Youell SE (Robinson at Wilcox Park Drive SE)
Volunteer shifts begin at 1PM and 3:30PM

Kent County PAC Recommendations

The KCPAC has finished its Screening and Recommendation for the Aug. 3, 2010 primary. It recommends the following:

House 73 – no position on any candidates

House 77 – no position

House 86 – we recommend a favorable status for Frank Hammond (D) current board member at Kenowa Hills.

House 76 – Continuing recommendation for Roy Schmidt

House 75 – The GRPAC has not finished its S&R at this time.

Senate 29 – KCPAC no position. GRPAC has not finished its S&R – The meet next week July 21 for the senate and the House 75.

3rd Congressional (US) – the KCPAC/GRPAC is recommending to the MEA president that the NEA support Patrick Miles (D).

Reprint from "MEA VOTES"

What does Virg Bernero think about outsourcing education jobs to private companies?

Gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero opposes the outsourcing of public school employees' jobs to private companies -- and he supports efforts to reform state law that prohibits collective bargaining over the issue.

Bernero, a Democrat who currently serves as mayor of Lansing, faces Rep. Andy Dillon in the Aug. 3 primary. Five Republicans will face off in the Republican primary on the same date.
MEA recommends Bernero for governor because of his strong support for public education and education employees.

MEA Votes recently asked Bernero questions about outsourcing. Here are his answers:

Q: Should public schools outsource the jobs of education employees to private companies?

A: No. As governor, I won't rely on gimmicks like outsourcing of school jobs to solve our budget woes. Support staff are as essential to our education system as teachers. They are part of our school's culture and help nurture a positive learning environment. We also need to be sure the people working with our kids have the proper training and background checks that assure our kids are safe when they are at school.

Q: Do you support legislation that would remove the prohibition against bargaining over privatization/outsourcing (or the impact of privatization/outsourcing) that is contained in PERA?

A: Yes. Privatization and outsourcing should be a subject of collective bargaining.

Q: Should school districts be required to collectively bargain with local unions the decision to outsource education jobs to private companies?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you have any experience with privatization?

A: As part of reorganizing Lansing city government to focus on core services, printing services were contracted to a union print shop because of the cost of maintaining an annex office and replacing aging printing machinery. No city employees lost their job as a result.

Q: Have you ever outsourced the work of public employees to a private company?

A: As described above, we have shifted some non-core services work from public employees to the private sector, but we have never laid off a single worker as a result. To counterbalance, we have also "insourced" work that was being done by private companies and is now being done by city employees.

Q: Should educational support professionals receive fair wages and health care benefits?

A: Absolutely. I support fair wages and health care for all.

Q: What do you think about districts that outsource the work of employees in order to eliminate health care or retirement benefits for those employees?

A: I disagree.

Q: As you know, private company employees perform many non-instructional and administrative jobs in schools around Michigan. Should private companies be permitted to take over regular instructional positions, such as teaching jobs, in all public schools, too?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Often, private companies fail to deliver promised savings. In these instances, who should be held accountable -- and, how?

A: Private companies should be held to account for all contracted deliverables. If they do not deliver on their promises, they should have to pay penalties or lose the contract or both.

Q: Should jobs at public colleges and universities be privatized?

A: No.

Q: Considering the impact that outsourcing has on local and state (un)employment rates, tax collections, and consumer spending, should the state intervene to slow the trend of privatization because of the detrimental impact on communities and Michigan?

A: Yes. While we are all responsible to make our educational system better and improve opportunities for all Michiganders, we should never consider balancing the budgets on the backs of our teachers, aides, and support staff.