February 12, 2021
The Seattle Education Association is the voice for educators and our students, standing united to address the needs of our community during this pandemic and to transform our district into an anti-racist school system where every student thrives.
Don't Forget! Take the 2nd SEA Bargaining Survey
The SEA Bargaining Team relies on members like you to help drive the work they do in negotiations. The more member input we have, the stronger our proposals are. On Tuesday, we sent this second survey but only 1000 members have taken it so far. Please take this follow-up survey from SEA (click here) by Tuesday, Feb. 16.
From the Bargaining Table
 
We know that increasing the number of students and staff in our buildings will increase the number of potential carriers of COVID-19 in our schools given the prevalence of the virus in our community. In order to minimize the spread and risk to our school community, we must implement layered mitigation strategies that can be followed with fidelity. Based on thousands of members’ input, SEA’s bargaining team thoughtfully proposed clear protocols for monitoring indoor air quality, contact tracing, distribution of PPE, cleaning and disinfecting, as well as much more. In contrast, the District’s proposals lack important detail. The District wants us to accept their resource and planning documents (linked on their website here) which are merely guidance and not enforceable. For us to trust that the District is committed to implementing layered mitigation strategies to minimize spread, we need the District to include it in an MOU. 
 
Compare the SPS Proposal (click here) to the detailed proposals submitted by SEA:
·        SEA Health & Safety Part One Proposal, click here.
·        SEA Health & Safety Part Two Proposal, click here.
·        SEA Leaves & Accommodations Proposal, click here.
 
There are many additional proposals SEA continues to work on including workload and expectations, evaluation, and a phased-in system to bring back students for in-person services.
 
The SEA bargaining team will be working through the mid-winter break, calling in members to help review revised language. Be on the lookout for emails requesting your bargaining support!
ACT NOW: Show your SEA Solidarity!
 
Calling on every SEA educator and ally to post one of these images (three original graphics by SEA educator Glynn Rosenberg) to your social media account with the hashtag #SEAStrong. We want the school community to understand March 1 was the district’s goal - not created in collaboration with SEA. The district needs to be more transparent with families, students, and educators and stop adding to the stress we all feel during this difficult time. If you do not have a social media account, please forward this email to your friends and family who do. We want to flood social media with our message.
 
Follow up this action by searching Facebook and Twitter for the hashtag #SEAStrong to like, share/retweet, and comment on your colleagues’ messages and photos.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
 
If you have any additional questions or concerns related to the information below, please contact us at [email protected].
 
Question: If I am asked to be on site, but I feel unsafe or unable to do my work in that workspace, what protections do I have? Can I refuse to go in to work?
 
  • Answer: In our remote model, all work that can be done remotely will be done remotely. If you are informed you have essential duties on-site, all health and safety requirements in the August 2020 MOU must be met.
 
  • Action Steps: (1) Ask your administrator/COVID site supervisor for a written copy of the Health and Safety plan for your school/program that addresses all the protocols outlined in the August 2020 MOU. (2) You also have the right to request an HVAC assessment of your workspace from SPS prior to any on-site work. Ask your administrator/COVID site supervisor whether this assessment has been done for your planned workspace. If so, request that they forward it to you. If it has not been done, then SPS must do an assessment prior to any work on-site. Employees have the right to refuse unsafe work. See the L&I guidance here.
 
Question: How do I apply for accommodations or leave if I am in a high-risk category?
 
  • Answer: WEA has provided template letter for employees who may need accommodations or a 504 due to the COVID pandemic. Access the accommodation template here. Also see pp.35-40 of MOU to read about Accommodations, Leaves, & Benefits and Alternative Work Assignments in more detail.
How to Stay Connected:
The 2019-2022 Contracts are posted on the SEA Website!