A Message from WTU’s President

Good Morning WTU!

This past week, the WTU leadership joined the Metro Washington Labor Council for a Metro Labor Executive Board Retreat. Thank you again, President Epps, for your leadership in organizing this important conference.  We’d also like to thank DC Councilmember Anita Bonds for sending her Deputy Legislative Director to this week’s Contract Bargaining Team meeting with DCPS. We are grateful for her legislative support and for our bargaining team who continues to work hard this summer. To learn more about what transpired, please watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team update here.

If you would like to file a grievance over your final IMPACT score, please review the rules over what constitutes a violation for IMPACT available here. Your field representative is available to help you to file. Please reach out to your WTU Field Representative by Tuesday, September 3, 2024 if you would like to file an IMPACT grievance with the support of the WTU.

Please collect and present the following information to your field representative:

• Copy of the final IMPACT rating
• Narrative of procedural violations, citing page number in IMPACT guideline. Note: Disagreement with the evaluator’s comments does not constitute a procedural violation
• Personal contact information (email, phone number)
• Any evidence to support the procedural violation (i.e. emails or other documents)

Please keep in mind that you cannot file an Office of Employee Appeals (OEA) complaint and a WTU grievance. You may, however, file one or the other, but not both. If you do decide to file both, your complaint/grievance will be decided by OEA or the grievance process based on which was first filed.

WTU strongly recommends the grievance process. It allows you to file both a chancellor’s appeal and a WTU grievance. WTU strongly recommends that you file both. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Field Representative.

If you’d like to earn PLUs or graduate credits this summer, there is still time to enroll in the two remaining Summer Institute courses - S.E.L. for Instructors and Reclaiming Assessments.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

In solidarity,

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

Weekly Update - WTU’s Contract Action Team (CAT)

Watch WTU’s Contract Bargaining Team’s Weekly Update here: https://youtu.be/WF0RmyityDY or click on the image below.

If you have ideas on what contract actions your school should take, please contact your Building Representative and WTU’s organizer, Mike Roland, for support. Together, we must show DCPS we will not tolerate their proposed reduction of our rights!

Enroll in Sick Leave/Maternity/Paternity Banks

Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks is in progress Thursday, June 13, 2024, through Saturday, August 31, 2024! Please use this link to access the change/enroll/cancelation application.

Did DCPS Bring Back Teachers Excessed with DC Council Funding?

All schools had a challenging budget season and had to excess several positions. The WTU is collecting data to see if the excessing process was followed. Now that The Council has restored some funding, we want to make sure those funds are used to rehire teachers who were excessed. Please complete the school budget survey here: https://forms.gle/pcB35vWGn1qsXPRZ8

Have you experienced chronic or recurring problems with HVAC, plumbing, electric, windows, roof, security (door locks), rodents, etc.? We want to know!

The WTU is partnering with the Washington Lawyers' Committee and the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson to produce a report on the State of School Facilities. Although this report is NOT collecting data on laptops or smartboards, we want to collect accurate data on chronic and recurring problems with maintenance and repairs. Please complete the state of your school facility survey here:  https://forms.gle/h7CxG7tMFWnuVaLM7

Upcoming Events, Activities & Meetings

• July 30th - WTU’s Bargaining Team Meeting
• July 28^th – WTU’s Summer Institute: SEL for Adult Instructors Begins!
• July 28^th – WTU’s Summer Institute: Reclaiming Assessments Begins!

In the News

• 07/09/2024 – The Washington Post – D.C. Council passes emergency measure to curb teen truancy
• 07/10/2024 – The Washington Informer – The Collins Council Report: The Legislative Meeting Before Summer Recess
• 07/10/2024 – Channel 7 News – Helping Hands and Easterns Automotive Group Surprise ZCAF

LEA Look Forward – Weekly Updates

LEA Look Forward for July 12, 2024: Multilingual Institute 2024, Special Education Institute and More

AFT Summer 2024 Webinars 

SOL 24 (on24.com)

Membership Update

Make sure you are eligible to vote & receive WTU Communications!

The AM Brew is distributed as a benefit to members of the WTU. In the coming weeks, we’ll be updating our database removing non-members from the distribution for the AM Brew. To ensure that you’re not inadvertently removed from the distribution list, please confirm your personal email address by emailing [email protected].

Your ability to vote in WTU elections and receive WTU Communications depends on our ability to reach you. We must have your personal email address for all communications.

AM Brew News and Notices are archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Be sure to follow the WTU on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the latest from your Union.