2016 SURVEY: IEA LOCAL MEMBERSHIP CONTACTS

SUMMARY OF “BEST PRACTICES”

In early 2016, an email survey was sent to all of the IEA’s 900+ local membership contacts, except for a small handful who did not have an email address on file. There were 215 responses (23% participation rate) to the survey, which covered these areas:

Page(s)

  1. Identifying new members3-9
  2. Identifying members to be “dropped”10-15
  3. Determining the reasons for member “drops”16-19
  4. Leaves of absence20-22
  5. Keeping the IEA roster up to date23-27
  6. Identifying and processing “demographic changes”28-30
  7. Making sure that all IEA-NEA dues are collected and transmitted31-36
  8. Relationship with local IEA office37
  9. Relationship with employer38-40
  10. Identifying /processing members who belong to more than one IEA local 41

The survey responses filled over 80 pages with valuable insights. In an attempt to sort this information, remove redundant responses, and add some contextual information, we are providing this “summary” which itself is more than 40 pages long. The summary is intended to be more of a selection of “short stories” that can be digested on their own, as opposed to a “novel” that has to be read in its entirety in order to make sense. So you can pick and choose the topics that you want to visit, instead of just starting at the beginning.

Nothing is complete these days without a “Top 10 List,” so here is our list of ten “best of the best” practices for processing your local association’s membership data. The order is not relevant- these are all important ideas to consider.

  1. Unless you have a “foolproof” way of accomplishing a given task, e.g. identifying new members, employ several different tactics in order to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks.
  2. Know what information is available from IEA, and, more importantly, from your employer.
  3. Create and nurture a good working relationship with your employer’s staff members who have the ability to help you to do your job better and easier.
  4. Know the available options for members on leave of absence (other than “drop-and-reinstate”).
  5. Get a detailed payroll deduction list for your members’ dues withholding every pay period and make sure that it is correct. Use any discrepancies that you discover to help you keep your IEA roster up to date throughout the year.
  6. Find out why members leave your local, and communicate this to IEA. Don’t just cross them off your roster.
  7. Have a system that allows you to monitor your employer’s payments for dues throughout the year, to make sure that the proper amount of dues is being collected and sent to you. Don’t try to do this at the end of the year. (1)
  8. Process your “drops” as soon as you can. This saves the IEA a lot of wasted expenses in terms of printing membership cards, postage, etc.
  9. Consider adding language to your contract that codifies the procedures, timelines and paperwork that help you to identify membership changes, collect dues efficiently, etc. If there are good relationships in place and everything is working well, it might be wise to formalize the current practices.
  10. Periodically remind your members to keep their IEA demographic information up-to-date: phone number, addresses, name, etc. They can do all of this online, through the IEA website, except for changing their name (the local must do this). Or, they can give you the information and you can forward it to IEA.

We are very grateful to the local membership contacts who took the time to complete this survey. They have provided a wealth of “best practices” that can be used by their peers to make their lives easier!

(1)This may not be officially part of your job, but you need to understand how your local’s system works, and your role in the process

Question 1

“Many local associations have trouble identifying new members in a timely manner. What procedures have you put into place to make sure that you find out about new members as soon as possible after they are hired?”

There were 175 responses to this question. Grouped into broad categories, the feedback can be summarized as follows. Note: A large number of responders listed more than one method.

New member information received directly from the employer (114). Responses were subdivided into “HR Department” (40), Accounting/Business Office (36) and Principal/Administration/All Other (38).

New staff meetings/Orientations (44).

Governing board- Minutes (20); Attended meetings (6).

Building Rep/AR (20)

Many locals responded that they were so small that identifying new members was simply not an issue.

The first two categories require cooperation from the employer. This can be voluntary, when a good relationship exists between your local association and the employer, or else specific requirements can be built into your contract. Even when there is a great relationship, it may be advisable to incorporate the current system into your contract. Not all relationships last forever… this is a possible topic for discussion with your UniServ Director.

The other two approaches can be used regardless of your relationship with your employer. If you are unable to get information about new members in other ways, these may be the only methods available to you. Or you may use them just to make sure that an occasional member does not fall through the cracks. Also, there are other good reasons to attend Board meetings, read Board minutes, and have a good Building Rep/AR system, over and above the identification of new members.

Listed below are the responses that included specific details as to how the tactic is employed. The size of the local is also listed in parentheses.

Human Resources

We have an open communication with our HR, who notifies the treasurer of new hires so forms can be completed. Since most new hires for us happen at the start of the school year this is very easy. We give a deadline for member response to forms and updates. (130 members)

I go into the HR department and sit down with them and go over where the new hires are as well as any one that has retired or been let go. (108 members)

We have worked with our personnel/HR department to notify us by email with updated rosters. We are to be notified within 2 weeks of hiring or resignation, according to our contract. We often have to send reminders and be persistent. (66 members)

This is also a struggle for us. I email the HR secretary at the beginning of each month to ask if there are any new hires; however she will often remember to email me more frequently with new hires. (1,257 members)

I have asked our district's Human Resources dept to add me to the e-mail list when schools are made aware of a new hire's start date. That way I know the name, the school, the start date (for dues calculation) and I will e-mail our union building rep with some of that information so they are aware to contact the new hire for membership. (109 members)

Accounting/Business Office

We have a good relationship with the district payroll specialist who helps inform us of new hires. (485 members)

Principal/Administration/All Other

It has been a work in progress but between myself and our organization, we have developed a good process when new individuals are hired. We have a Board of Control meeting the 2nd Friday of every month. By the end of the meeting day, our office manager will email me new hires information that are union eligible (we currently have fair share). I then pass the information on to the local IEA office. If we have individuals that would like to fully join the union as a member, they contact me directly, I fill out the appropriate paperwork with them and mail immediately to Membership Processing at IEA. (142 members)

I receive a notice from the school board secretary the day after the board meeting who has been hired. Then at that time I send out all union documents at that time. We did have alot of trouble in the past. Now, since this has been in place, it runs really smooth. (69 members)

As a support staff union, in my district, the Admin. Secretary that hires all staff sends me a copy of the Board of Ed. list with the names, date hired/resigned/ or retired, positions and school about 2-3 days after the board meeting each month. So I know right away most of the time. There is a big turnover of parapros & some custodians in my district. (169 members)

I get a list of all employees from the district office and use that to start a spreadsheet. I then cross-check that list against the IEA roster and highlight anyone who's not on the roster. (297 members)

Our President meets with the HR department and other administrators on a weekly basis, so she has become the major link between membership and the new employees. (419 members)

Before the start of school year, check with all building principals for names of new hires. (71 members)

My local presidents requested the district to add my name to the daily email updates which they receive regarding new hires. These updates give us the person's name, address, phone, hire date, job title, and building location. It has been a tremendous help in identifying new hires quickly. (1,398 members)

I was able to have my name added to the list of people who receive daily updates (SmartNotifications) on new hires through a program used by the district. These notifications give me the person's full name, district ID number, address, phone, hire date, and position title. This has really been invaluable to helping me keep current. I would encourage anyone who processes membership to look into what procedures their district has in place for tracking new hires, and if there is any type of internal notification process, perhaps you can be added to the e-list of people being notified of new hires. (377 members)

The district office has shared with me a Google doc where they keep track of all new hires from spring through fall. I check this list regularly to find any new hires. During the school year, the district office informs me if there have been any new certified hires. (452 members)

I look at the school board personnel report every month that is posted on our district website. (86 members)

New Staff Meetings/Orientations

We have a local meeting at the beginning of the year discussion anything new and the new amount of dues for the year. I address new hires then, also I email them. (56 members)

It is my job to personally contact all new hires the first week of school. We try to have a meeting open to all teachers the second day of school. As a union we give school t shirts or some other gift that says welcome to our team, from our association. We let everyone know about the association and hand out applications for membership them. (28 members)

Our district has a new teacher meeting before school starts and they set aside time for me to talk to them and hand out paperwork. (100 members)

We have a luncheon for our new teachers where we try to get them signed up that day. If they don't we follow up with them afterward. We are a fair share district, so everyone contributes in one way or another. (362 members)

We have a teacher institute before the school year even starts...we strongly encourage ALL of teachers and aides to join, talk about the positives and make them fill out a local dues sheet even if they don't want to join the union. We also encourage them to take the paperwork for the union...it's easier than searching them out later to try to get all the info! (55 members)

We do it during their new staff orientation days. We do a small presentation stating what we do as their union reps and help them fill out the paperwork for union enrollment and then we have a luncheon to welcome them. (281 members)

The first Day of school is a teacher's institute. This day we give New Hires the paper to fill out and ask that they fill it all and return it us at the end of the day. If they have questions and want to think about the Unions, then we ask the building rep to follow up. (106 members)

The first day of school, we have our first meeting at 8 a.m. We make sure we send a personal invite and small gift for all new teachers and un-union staff. We make sure we give them the facts about IEA/NEA and our local association. We share how the union has been a benefit to our district. (31 members)

We have worked out with central administration to allow us to come to the new teacher meetings that are held in August. We get 30 minutes for a presentation, question/answer session, and to fill out membership forms. After that point it is me working with the person in charge of payroll. We are lucky because everyone does payroll deduction, so they are more willing to notify me to calculate what the dues amount will be. (913 members)

Governing Board

After each board meeting, I check with the district office to see what action was taken in executive sessions regarding hiring/firing. Our association has regular post board meetings with the superintendent to discuss any actions relevant to the association. (108 members)

We had a set group of teachers take School Board notes every month and e-mail them out to everyone so that everyone knows what the school board decides. I usually check the notes to see if there is a new teacher hired and try to contact them during the summer to meet with them. (53 members)

Reviewing Board Notes after each meeting and emailing our District Secretary after each meeting to verify I have all the new hires. (148 members)

Building Rep/AR

We have three buildings and we try to have one person be the liaison at each building. (172 members)

The district sends a list of new employees at the beginning of the school year. The building reps then make personal contact with them regarding union membership. (68 members)

Every month the building reps report out on new members in their buildings. (276 members)

Ask the secretaries in the other buildings to send a current roster from their building. We are in a small local and I have been here a number of years so it isn't too difficult. (177 members)

Combination

I get an email from the Building Reps; I watch the Deduction Report from Payroll every payday; I get a monthly list from HR; All new hires and exits are listed in the BOE notes. (399 members)

Check board meeting minutes. Review/compare your list with district list on a monthly basis. Have a good rapport with your personnel office. Make sure your association reps know who to contact to make changes on their rosters. (433 members)

I get an initial list from our HR department at the beginning of the school year. Also the payroll department calls me for each new hire to determine what amount should be deducted for dues.

(158 members)

Our personnel person contacts us. We are a fair share district so he needs to see if the new employee is fair share or union. Also, at the beginning of the school year our district holds a new teacher meeting. Union officers are in invited to give a brief presentation to new hires. (230 members)

I get the entire list of faculty and staff at the start of each school year. In addition, I speak at the new teacher induction workshop about our local, IEA, and NEA. (198 members)

Our central office has new hires fill out our membership form when they fill out the district's paperwork. This works for a majority of new members. Some still slip through the cracks, so we try to catch that by comparing payroll to our district roster as well as our IEA roster. (2,040 members)

I communicate with HR before school starts to discover the new hires. I submit this list to the building representatives who contact the new teachers within a day or two. We also have our President greet the new teachers at the orientation that happens a day or two before school starts. (407 members)

Our school district has a new teacher orientation before the school year starts. Our local president attends this meeting and is given the opportunity to talk with the new hires. If a teacher is hired midway through the year, the building liaison is usually the contact person for that new hire and will offer the new hire the opportunity to join our local union. (79 members)

A person at our district office emails me a roster of all new hires. I also read the minutes of each School Board meeting which also lists new hires and those that have left the district. (219 members)

I receive a copy of the board docs. I then fill out an excel sheet and send it to our local IEA staff, who sends the head AR a membership packet for the new member. I also send the excel sheet to the IEA Membership contact, who updates that system. (1,897 members)