PFTCE Local 111
Portland Federation of Teachers and Classified Employees, PFTCE Local 111 represents nearly 1,400 Portland Public School District No. 1 classified employees. Join your union!
News
March 1st, 2010
Important Member Meeting this week - please plan to attend!
Please join us for the bi-monthly PFTCE Membership Meeting on Wednesday, March 3rd, from 5:30-7:30, at MARYSVILLE SCHOOL (at Rose City Park School). The address is 2334 NE 57th (97213), just two blocks south of Sandy Blvd. (Please note: PFTCE members should use the staff parking lot at the north end of the school. The entrance to Marysville @ Rose City Park is off of the parking lot. The front door on NE 57th is locked.)
The evening’s agenda will include:
- The nomination of candidates for PFTCE Executive Board. The following positions are open for nominations:
- Executive Vice President
- Secretary
- Political Education Vice President
- Vice President at Large
- Vice President at Large
- A visit from Susan Miller, of AFT-Oregon.
- Two proposed alterations to the PFTCE Constitution and By Laws will be presented and read at this meeting.
We look forward to seeing you there!
March 1st, 2010
Happy Classified Employees Week!!
On behalf of the PFTCE Executive Board, and the staff of PFTCE, we would like to wish you a “Happy Classified Employees Week” !
We send a heartfelt thanks to each of you for your remarkable dedication to our schools and the children for whom you provide a positive educational experience. We appreciate you for all you do! Portland Public Schools is fortunate to have such wonderful, devoted workers in their employ, and we salute you.
February 22nd, 2010
The 2010 PFTCE “Alice Fay” Scholarship
The PFTCE “Alice Fay” Scholarship is named after now-retired paraeducator, Alice Fay, who served on the PFTCE Board for several years, and acted as the Scholarship Chairperson prior to her retirement in 2008. The scholarship is awarded each year to the child, or grandchild, of a PPS Classified Employee, who must be a FULL member of PFTCE. To access the forms please go the the scholarship page linked above.
January 14th, 2010
Haitian Disaster Relief
Please view and share the following flyer on ways you can help Haiti.
December 16th, 2009
Important Meeting Reminder…
Our next membership meeting is January 6, 2010 at 5:30pm. We’ll be meeting at Benson High School in the Library - please join us at this important meeting! We’ll be accepting nominations for the AFT-OR Convention, and for the AFT National Convention. We hope to see you there on Wednesday, January 6th!
December 16th, 2009
Vote YES on 66 & 67!!
Ballots will begin arriving in less than a month, but most voters still don’t know there’s an important election in January that will decide the fate of Oregon’s schools and critical services. On January 26th vote will decide whether or not to make corporations and the wealthiest Oregonians pay their fair share.
Measures 66 and 67 protect nearly $775 million in education funding for pr K-12 and community colleges. Don’t Let Corporations Get Away with Paying just $10 in Taxes.
Did you know…
- 2/3rds of corporations doing business in Oregon pay just $10 a year in income taxes?
- The $10 corporate minimum tax hasn’t changed since 1931?
- Last year the average family of four paid $6,100 in taxes? That is more then Prudential, Sprint, MasterCard, and 297 other corporations combined!
- 93% of the state budget foes to vital services like education, health care, public safety and human services
It’s time for a change! That’s why Oregon Legislative passed two targeted tax increases on large corporations and income above $250,000 for couples.
If you’re not in a household making more then $250,000, or running a large corperation, you won’t be paying anymore under these measures.
January’s special election will affect our Classified Employees! A YES vote is a vote for Classified Employee’s jobs! For more information, visit: http://voteyesfororegon.org/
December 16th, 2009
It’s Open Enrollment Time!
If you plan to make changes to your health care coverage, open enrollment documents must be returned by January 15th. (No changes? No need to send anything in!)
November 5th, 2009
Please support our PAT friends!!
Please view the following PAT rally flyer and attend the rally if you can.
November 3rd, 2009
Member meeting tomorrow night!!
Please plan on joining us tomorrow Wednesday, November 4th at 5:30pm, for the November PFTCE Member Meeting at (Pioneer) Holladay School, located at 2600 SE 71st (between Division and Powell), in the cafeteria.
We will be addressing several issues of concern to our members, including:
- The insurance benefits Open Enrollment period
- This coming Friday’s Classified Connections
- PFTCE’s support of PAT’s (the teacher’s Union) upcoming rally at the November 9th School Board meeting
- January’s important election
Solidarity is the key to keeping us strong. Do the Right Thing! Be a participant in your Union and join us at this week’s meeting!
October 20th, 2009
Ballot Measures 66 & 67 - Sign the Pledge TODAY to Vote YES!
AFT-Oregon is hoping that you will pledge to support Ballot Measures 66 & 67 this January.
October 15th, 2009
“PERS Bubble” MOU signed by PPS and PFTCE
Each year, PFTCE and PPS sign a Memorandum of Understanding (a copy of the MOU is located here) that allows employees to retire mid-year, and work through the end of the school/work year. This is commonly referred to as working in the “PERS Bubble.” For the 2009-10 school year, eligible PFTCE employees may retire at the end of any month (starting November 30, 2009), and continue to work until the end of their school/work year. This agreement was signed by both PFTCE and the District on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.
If you are eligible to retire, congratulations!! Please complete an Employee Resignation Form located on the “Inside PPS Employee Benefits and Compensation” site. Other “PERS Bubble” information is available at this link, as well as a link to PERS. If you wish to contact PERS by phone, you may call 503-603-7777 to order a PERS retirement packet or ask questions.
We hope this announcement will assist employees when making important decisions about retirement. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Camilla Monagon, Benefits Analyst, at 503-916-3373 or e-mail her at cmonagon@pps.k12.or.us.
October 14th, 2009
Political Action Update!
On Monday, October 5th, I received a call asking me to head off to Washington DC the next morning to participate in the Wednesday, October 7th “Health Care Fly-In“. I had the opportunity to visit legislators, relating classified employees’ need for fair health care reform. Even though I was sent by AFT National, I represented PFTCE foremost, and also the rest of the members of AFT in Oregon.
Please take the opportunity to let your legislators know your story.
~Louise Currin
September 28th, 2009
HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY, PFTCE!
Did you know that PFTCE is the oldest Union west of the Mississippi to be chartered by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)? At the time of our charter, we were named the “Portland Teacher’s Union #111″. Our original charter document, which still hangs in our office, is signed and dated September 17th, 1919! Congratulations on nine decades of great education-based Unionism, Local 111!
September 28th, 2009
The Sate of the Union
Executive VP Becky Wright addresses the “State of the Union“, and looks ahead to this year’s goals.
September 16th, 2009
First member meeting of the new school year -TONIGHT!!
We will hold our first PFTCE Membership meeting of the new school year tonight, and we certainly hope to see many of you there. We will be gathering at Cleveland High School (SE 26th at Powell) in the library, from 5:30 to 7:30.
Please join us as we:
- Hear our annual “State of the Union” address by Executive VP Becky Wright.
- Visit with Marcus Swift and Rob Wagner of AFT-OR, as they present a Legislative Update.
- Hear an update about the status of layoffs/placements.
- Talk about our Health & Welfare medical benefits, and what to plan for in the months ahead, including Open Enrollment and the 2010 premium changes.
Please plan to spend this informative evening with us… and take this opportunity to get together with your fellow PFTCE Classified employees!
See you then!
August 18th, 2009
Welcome Back!
We hope everyone had an enjoyable summer!
The PFTCE Executive Board and Staff wanted to let all of you know that PFTCE President Tom Smith will be on a Leave of Absence from the Union until November 1st. The office will remain open and ready for business as usual, with both Field Rep Belinda Reagan and Administrative Assistant Allison Houghton available to answer your questions and concerns.
In addition, the E-Board will be making certain that our members are fully represented during this time. Please rest assured that Tom’s absence will not affect your Union’s presence in District operations. As of our last Bargaining session in late June, no real progress has occurred in our negotiations with the District. As soon as we have new bargaining updates, we will let you know.
Executive VP Becky Wright will be chairing member meetings, and we look forward to seeing many of you at the first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, September 16th, 5:30pm, at Cleveland High School, in the library!
With the first day of school fast approaching, we wish each of you a wonderful year, and hope to see you on September 16th.
June 11th, 2009
Important Layoff and Assignment Information
Please visit Belinda’s Blurbs for layoff and assignment information and resources.
June 9th, 2009
Bargaining and Furlough days
See what President, Tom Smith has to say about Bargaining and Furlough days in his most recent update of “Thinking Out Loud”.
June 2nd, 2009
Last member meeting of the year tomorrow - please join us!
Tomorrow we’ll be meeting in the Dixon Diner @ BESC, on the 2nd floor, at 5:30pm.
Please join us at this important meeting as we:
- Perform the “swearing in” of newly elected Executive Board Members
- Congratulate Austin Graves, the PFTCE “Alice Fay” Scholarship winner
- Discuss layoffs & layoff meetings - June 9th 3:30 - 5pm and June 19th 10 - 11:30am @ BESC
We hope to see you there!
May 26th, 2009
Welcome to the new PFTCE.org!!
We’re thrilled with our new look, and hope you are, as well! One of the greatest advantages of this new website is that we can now provide regular updates, when they happen, and keep YOU, our membership, abreast of the activities taking place in YOUR union!
May 26th, 2009
Election Update
Michelle Batten, incumbent PFTCE Treasurer, has been re-elected to the PFTCE Board! Congratulations, Michelle!
May 20th, 2009
Tom Smith is Thinking Out Loud
For the latest bargaining updates, and other important news, read what President Tom Smith has on his mind when he’s “Thinking Out Loud!”
May 20th, 2009
Congratulations, Scholarship Winners!
Two scholarships have been recently awarded to PFTCE members and their families! PFTCE member, Eva Gonzales (ESL-EA), was awarded the “Shirley Gold” Scholarship by AFT-Oregon in April at the AFT-Oregon annual convention! On May 8th, the son of member, Annie Graves (Paraeducator), was selected as the recipient of the PFTCE “Alice Fay” Scholarship! Best wishes, to both of you, in your educational endeavors!
May 20th, 2009
No Increase to AFT-OR Per Caps!
At the annual AFT-Oregon convention, PFTCE delegates stood strong to oppose an increase of the amount we pay to AFT-Oregon (aka: per caps). With the support of other locals, we were able to maintain our dues as they currently stand.
May 20th, 2009
Please Join Us!
Don’t forget to join us at our final member meeting of the year on June 3rd, at BESC. We’ll be meeting in the Dixon Diner, on the 2nd floor, at 5:30pm! We hope to see you there!