Good Evening Members,

As we enter the final stretch of 2019 and move towards winter break, Thanksgiving is a time for us to rest, recharge, and prepare for these final weeks. For a number of our members, that was not the case this weekend.

As stated, on November 29, a letter was sent to members with their step and lane in regards to potential salary adjustments due to graduate credit hours and how many credit hours the district had on file for the member. For too many of our members the letter contained incomplete information, unapplied credit hours, or a review that had yet to take place, with no expectation of a timeline for completion.

I was assured repeatedly that on November 29, all members who had requested a transcript review would be receiving an accurate and complete letter. I was assured that this process would be completed except in a select few with situations where complex transcripts would require more time. Upon hearing from members, this appears not to be the case and there were many more than I was led to believe.

Therefore, the Association will be taking the appropriate steps on behalf of the membership. No matter the reason for these errors and the incomplete work, we must protect the contract and ensure that language we agree to is followed.

In the meantime, members should also be taking the following steps to ensure that they have all information before sending emails to humanresources@u-46.org.

1) Go to the district document website to review all of your prior documents. Review where you were with the salary letter that was sent for 2019-2020 school year and then review the salary credit letter that was sent on the 29th. Make sure this information is accurate.

2) Go to Munis and review your paycheck stub. If your letter says you should receive retro pay for this check, ensure that it is there. Remember the numbers may look different due to TRS, hold back pay, and taxes.

3) Review the salary table on page 124 of the Elgin Agreement (page 137 of the pdf) and make sure the numbers you see in the salary letter match where you are in the salary schedule for the 2019-2020 school year.

I will be working diligently this week with HR to ensure that a process and timeline are defined to correct this immediately. As I have updates for you, I will share them.

Barbara Bettis

ETA President