CAT Tracks for March 13, 2004 IEA VOTES DUES INCREASE

The IEA Representative Assembly voted on Saturday morning to increase dues for next school year...

As you are well aware, a multitude of organizations are experiencing financial difficulty in the wake of an historic downturn in the stock market. For example, the State of Illinois experienced a financial deficit of $5 billion. Unfortunately, the IEA has not escaped this financial crisis.

Actually, there have been rumors of relatively large increases in membership dues for the past couple of years…increases that did not materialize. Yielding to membership concerns, the IEA tried to "buy time" - hoping for a stock market turnaround. IEA chose to "spend down" reserves to fund deficits in its operating budget. Unfortunately, those reserves have been exhausted and dues delayed must now be paid.

This year began with a rumor of a $150 IEA dues increase. That rumor became a "$100 REALITY" when the IEA unveiled its initial 2004-2005 Budget - a proposal that sent shockwaves throughout all regions in the organization. During Budget Hearings conducted throughout the state during the month of January, members stressed that a $100 increase in dues was unacceptable - that it would have a devastating impact on current membership and recruitment. (One of the ways that the IEA has avoided "normal" increases in dues during the past decade has been its success in recruiting new members - especially among the ranks of Educational Support Professionals and Higher Education. These additional membership dues allowed the organization to defer increases that would have been expected in light of increased costs and inflation. Unfortunately, recruitment has leveled out.)

In response to negative feedback, the IEA Budget Committee took a second, closer look at the budget and engaged in some creative financing, spreading some of the costs over a two year period. (In fact, if projections hold, IEA dues will actually DECREASE in two years.) This "second look" cut the proposed increase in half - adjusted to $49 - for consideration by the Representative Assembly.

That $49 increase was considered by the delegates on Friday afternoon - and voted down. The IEA Board of Directors then convened to come up with a new proposal. Their charge was to try to further reduce the budget WITHOUT reducing services to membership - a daunting charge indeed. Following a meeting that lasted until 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Board was able to come up with an additional $10 in cuts - cuts that primarily come from "freezing" the hiring of personnel to fill vacated positions. (This is in line with the CAT philosophy of reducing staff through attrition - NOT filling positions when people retire or voluntarily leave the District. Unfortunately, the Cairo BOE seems to prefer firing people - e.g. over half the District last Wednesday night!)

Many delegates were still not satisfied - making proposals from the floor of the convention to eliminate programs and fire personnel. That is when the majority of delegates - in excess of the two-thirds necessary to adopt the budget - decided to draw the line. It was the consensus of the delegates that an emergency, short-term increase in membership dues was preferable to drastically cutting membership services.

So…the IEA Representative Assembly voted Saturday morning to increase IEA dues for the 2004-2005 School Year by $39. Since CSD #1 deducts membership dues in 18 equal installments, the increase in IEA membership dues would be $2.17 per check from September through May. Hey, it's only slightly more than one adult meal in your local CSD #1 cafeteria!

Seriously, I would remind you that the CAT has received more than its share of attention and services from the IEA during the past decade. They have been there for us in our MANY times of need. Since our problems with the BOE and administration of CSD #1, ISBE, and NCLB show no sign of going away - we need a strong organization with full resources to combat these continual attacks.

As they say…because it's true…"you get what you pay for".