Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for August 21, 2006 AIN'T TOO PROUD TO BEG

REMINDER: Voting will be conducted Tuesday on whether to allow an increase in local dues...from the current $20 to $25...the first increase since at least 1978!

PLEASE consider voting YES!

In case you missed the "justification" last week, it is reprinted below for your convenience...

The combined dues for CAT-IEA-NEA LAST YEAR were $557. This amount included significant increases in IEA dues for the past two years. The good news is that member unrest with these increases reached the "powers that be" and IEA dues were "frozen" by the IEA Representative Assembly in March 2006 at last year's level. NEA dues are determined each year by "formula"...this year resulting in a $5 increase.

CAT dues have been $20 a year since 1978...back when we had over 100 members...and gasoline was 2 cents a gallon. Okay...I lied about the price of gas...and it has nothing to due with CAT expenses...we don't do mileage.

However, as you have probably already guessed...this is leading somewhere...somewhere ominous!

CAT has been VERY active the past few years...participating at the regional, state, and national level. CAT representatives have received funding to attend the regional and national events...costing CAT members nothing (except for those members who actually attended the events, who regularly supplemented the regional and state funding out of their own pockets).

As I indicated above, CAT's membership has declined significantly since 1978...cutting our only source of revenue. CAT's expenses have gradually increased...with the cost of substitute teachers to "cover" Association leave, payment of the CAT President's dues, and expenses of elected CAT delegates to the IEA Representative Assembly. The CAT is still solvent, but getting very "lean".

After considering a proposed increase in CAT dues for the past couple of years...and discarding such thoughts when the IEA bailed itself out of financial difficulties by levying two BIG increases in dues...I feel that the time has come to ask the membership to raise local dues. It would be nice to simply "bump" the dues by a dollar or two, but that would only generate $60 or $120 due to our current membership. So...I would propose an increase of $5...to match the NEA increase and take advantage of the IEA freeze. That would result in a total dues increase of $10 for the 2006-07 School Year...the smallest increase in my memory...an increase of only 55 cents per pay period.

Any increase in dues must be approved by a majority vote of the membership. Ballots will be distributed at all attendance centers on Tuesday of next week. I would encourage you to vote "YES". Hopefully, we can then go another 28 years without an increase in dues! THANK YOU in advance for your understanding and support!!!