MEA-MFT 2009 Representative Assembly

April 3-4, 2009, Helena

The annual MEA-MFT Representative Assembly met in Helena. Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, 2009.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, addressed RA delegates in a rousing keynote.

Some 250 local affiliate delegates from bargaining units across Montana met in Helena April 3-4, 2009 for the 10th annual MEA-MFT Representative Assembly. During a very productive meeting delegates accomplished the following:

• Elected Karin Stanford, Lone Rock School teacher, to serve a three-year term as Montana’s only representative on the NEA Board of Directors;

• Elected and re-elected board of director members from six odd-numbered multi-local affiliate districts;

• Amended the MEA-MFT constitution to provide membership to substitute teachers not eligible for active membership;

• Established dues and a budget for the next membership year;

• Adopted two new resolutions supporting a “standard of accreditation of one registered professional school nurse for every 750 students” and supporting the “preparation, recruitment, mentoring, and professional development of employees who are from multicultural backgrounds;

• Amended various existing resolutions; 

• Adopted the following New Business Items:

New Business Item #1: Amend Policies 120 and 203 to read: 120 - Standards of Affiliation and Trusteeship. (Read the full text at www.mea-mft.org/09ra.htm).

New Business Item #2: MEA-MFT reaffirms commitment to a single-payer health care plan for all U.S residents and calls upon Montana U.S. Senator Max Baucus to put discussion of same “on-the-table.”

New Business Item #3: Absent single payer health care reform, MEA-MFT opposes the taxation of employer-provided health care benefits and calls upon Montana U.S. Senator Max Baucus to sweep consideration of such taxation “off-the-table” until such time as he places single payer or Medicare for All “on the table.”

New Business Item #4: MEA-MFT supports the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) now before the U.S. Congress and calls upon our Congressional Delegation to do the same with their voice and their vote. (Read more about the act at www.mea-mft.efca.htm

New Business Items #5: MEA-MFT shall use electronic mailings to distribute as much information to local affiliates as possible.

New Business Item #6: Name tags at the MEA-MFT Representative Assembly shall have both the local affiliate name and number printed for each respective delegate.

Speakers: In addition, Governor Brian Schweitzer, Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, and AFT President Randi Weingarten all addressed the delegates during the two day meeting.

Finally, delegates celebrated Sheri Postma, Missoula paraprofessional and now library media technician, as the 2009 Education Support Professional of the Year

Dues proposal: Click here to see the MEA-MFT board's 2009-10 dues proposal.

Constitutional amendment: Click here to see the MEA-MFT Board's proposed constitutional amendment.

Committee reports: Delegates also considered committee reports from MEA-MFT's 2008 Committee Weekend, held in December in Helena.

MEA-MFT committees include the following:

• Resolutions Committee
  

• Minority Affairs Committee
  

• Membership & Organizing Committee
  

• Legislative Committee
  

• Benefits & Retirement Committee
  

• Professional Issues & Development Committee