AM Brew - May 23, 2022

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, May 23

DC Primary Ballots Have Arrived -- Support WTU Endorsed Candidates!

We encourage WTU members to #VOTE and to get involved in supporting WTU Endorsed Candidates in the upcoming June Primary Elections.

For a list of WTU Endorsed Candidates, click here.

FMLA - PFL

We have heard from many teachers that their FMLA application is not being processing in a timely manner. We have been advocating for you and working with the LOA office to resolve this matter. We are proud to announce that there has been some progress on this issue. The following guidelines are only for those who applied for PFL. Timekeepers have been asked to substitute Administrative Leave w/Pay (ADL) so that those affected teachers who have filed for Paid Family Leave (PFL) can remain in paid status. From the Memorandum:

“To qualify for the use of ADL in these circumstances, the below requirements MUST be followed. These qualifications will be checked by the LOA team.

The employee must have submitted a completed LOA application 2 or more weeks ago, has not received a response from the LOA team, and has not had their PFL time loaded.

The employee does not have any annual or sick leave to use. In other words, their own leave must be exhausted.

Principals, timekeepers or employees should inform Employee Services and an Employee Services representative will enter the time. Once the leave has been loaded, the timekeeper should send updated timesheets to the school payroll technician so that adjustments can be made in PeopleSoft.”

Timekeepers should contact the Time and Labor team at [email protected] for any further information.”

We sincerely hope that these efforts will help alleviate the stress that you have been experiencing because of this serious backlog. Please reach out to your Field Representative if you have any questions.

Sick Leave Buy Back

Teachers who have perfect attendance (no absences and no use of sick leave during a given school year) shall have the right to return to DCPS all of the sick leave they accrued during the year. A teacher may elect to return to DCPS one half (1/2) of the sick leave days accrued but not taken during the current year at the current daily rate of pay. Unreturned sick leave shall be credited each year to the Teacher’s sick leave balance and shall not be subject to the Sick Leave Buy-Back Plan.” If you have questions about this benefit, please contact your Field Representative.

Sick & Maternity Leave Banks Enrollment Open SOON

Open enrollment will occur from June 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 and from August 1, 2022 through August 31, 2022. Contact Charmaine Wilks at 202 517-1475 or at [email protected] to enroll or with any questions.

If you miss the Open Enrollment dates, you will not be able to enroll in "the Banks" until the next Open Seasons in June 2023 and August 2023. This is strictly for the use of the Sick Leave and Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks and not the Dental/Vision enrollment.

Click here to submit your information to enroll

WTU ELECTION NEWS

WTU OFFICERS ELECTIONS UPDATE!!!!

Due to a controversy between the WTU Elections Committee and the WTU Executive Board, the Special Elections Edition of the Washington Teacher and the ballots have not been mailed. At the request of the WTU Elections Committee, the American Federation of Teachers will provide directions.

The Elections Committee will notify the membership once this status changes.

In case you missed it, you can watch the Presidential Candidates Forum here. Click here to provide feedback about the forum in an effort to assist the Elections Committee with planning future events. We thank you for your time and input!

If you have any questions for the Elections Committee, please email us at [email protected] or leave a message at 202-505-3309.

Building Elections

The building election packet were sent to Building Representatives, who are responsible for conducting building level elections, last week. Its contents can be found here. A full list of WTU local school leadership positions and their duties is available here.

COVID CORNER

We want to remind everyone that the CDC states, face masks help prevent the spread of Covid.

Please continue to report COVID related issues to the situation room - http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings
And any testing or reporting issues to OSSE (OSSE Online Complaint Form (dc.gov).

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

Professional Development

WTU Summer Institute

Watch for an email in the coming days with information on WTU’s 2022 Summer Institute along with links to register for courses. All WTU courses are peer-instructed and you can earn continuing education credits towards recertification.

Wellness Series with Aetna (all sessions are virtual @ 7:00pm-8:00pm)

Each session in this series has been a one-hour “gift of self care” with unique perspectives and tools. Participants will find value in attend in our final session to support yourself in creating a robust practice of Self Care.

Use this link to register for all or some of the last remaining session: https://artofliving.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkf-mgrD0qEtfZQOKQy_UwiRpBfShnBeLC

Upcoming Events

DCPS Hiring Fairs

The DCPS virtual hiring fairs aim to provide a one-stop shop for candidates to connect with schools around openings for next school while also learning more about other important processes and opportunities, such as joining the WTU.

Wednesday, June 1 (4-7pm)
Thursday, July 14 (4-7pm)

WTU Website Walkthroughs

Tuesday, May 24 at 6pm
Thursday, May 26 at 6pm
Tuesday, May 31 at 6pm
Thursday, June 2 at 6pm

Via Zoom. Meeting ID: 810 8576 9556; Passcode: 395523

Partner events and other upcoming events of interest are also posted to the AMBrew Blog.

Reminders:

Report unsafe conditions at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings

As part of the MOA, the WTU and DCPS teams will meet weekly to review and find solutions to any violations of the #ReopenStrong: School Building Readiness Checklist. If you see something out of compliance, please report it at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings. As you click on an area of the form, a drop-down box will appear to allow you to enter comments. Or simply complete the text box at the end of the form. All reports will remain confidential and no identifying information will be provided to DCPS.

WTU Memorandums of Agreement with DCPS.

ICYMI: DC Educator Wellness Center

In partnership with EVERFI, a social impact educational technology company, the WTU is pleased to share with you the DC Educator Wellness Center. The funding for the DC Educator Wellness Center is provided by Johnson & Johnson. In the DC Educator Wellness Center you will find access to a prevention-forward, self-guided, digital microlearning experience designed to provide you with on-demand content related to mental health. The growing list of topics includes Mental Health Basics, Managing Mental Health Challenges, Developing Resilience, Supporting Loved Ones With Mental Health Challenges, and Mindful Living. You can read more here.

We’re continuing to update our database

Please help us ensure we have your current personal contact information on file. Email [email protected] to provide us with updated information.

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

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