TEAM UP! for Students Washington County Educator Community 5K Fun Run & Walk Saturday, May 16 from 9am-noon Register online: www.teamupforstudents.org

The 5K is a meaningful & concrete action BY our members FOR our members! The 5K is a stepping stone towards larger, more urgent actions, such as protecting our salaries and bargaining rights against the Right to Work movement. The 2016 Revenue Campaign (A Better Oregon) is also a MUST WIN for our schools. No matter what school you are in or what district you are employed by, OEA is your family. We’re on the same TEAM across the state. Lean on me- Identify those most in need across our education community, reach out our hand. Let’s raise some money for Cornelius Elementary! Give teachers something REAL to do. Empower all of us to take action, however great or small.

Why a 5K? Our teachers’union must move beyond being just being a SERVICE model…. Wisconsin teachers lost collective bargaining in 2011 because, “Members were asleep at the wheel.” They immediately lost the ability to take dues out of payroll, and then lost up to 20 % of salary and benefits. The math is easy- what costs more? 1. Annual union dues + a little action……….$600. /annually = Strong teacher voice in decision process + real protections from admin 2. Losing 20% of salary & benefits?........ $8,000. + /annually= NO input in decisions that impact our classes + NO admin accountability Our power lies in the action of all our members collectively, not just reliance on our leaders. We must change the mindset from “what are they doing for me?” to “what will we accomplish together?”

Why a 5K? Let’s end the ‘blame game’! Polls show that communities trust teachers more than any other profession except nurses, yet we are too often the target for WHY students and schools are struggling. We need to get parents and the community in on how our contract is a direct link to quality education (class size, services, etc). When we fight for a stronger contract, we are fighting for our classes, students, & communities. We must keep our bargaining rights! We need more people on our team, well-versed in education issues and how to resolve them. 5K is a great start to those conversations in our community.

Our first step is to ORGANIZE our members. We are POWERFUL. We have INFLUENCE. But we are only as powerful as our Organizing Structure- If we don’t use it, we will lose it. How quickly and effectively can the important information get out to all your teachers and be reported back? In the style of a phone tree- no teacher left behind! Get communication organization in place. One-to- one is best, but personal phone numbers and emails are indispensable. There may be a point all too soon when we are not allowed to use district email to communicate union issues.

What now? 5K website is a GO…get registered for the 5K! Get your 1:10 organization structure in place. Know who your building contacts are and who your building lead is. Check to make sure personal emails and phone numbers work. A TEST of the system will be a request for a pix in support of the 5K, with everyone wearing their honorary running bibs at school buildings the week leading up to the 5K. Please post your pix to our facebook page: Washington County UniServ Council https://www.facebook.com/WaCoEducators?fref=ts

HEA Organizing Coordinators High Schools: Sarah Coyle sarahjcoyle@outlook.com Middle Schools: Bonnie Wakeman bonnie.wakeman@gmail.com Elementary Schools: Jill Golay jillgolay@gmail.com