Good afternoon NEASO,

The ballots have been counted and the results are as follows:

NEA HQ Results – 164 Total Ballots were cast

NEASO Vice President (HQ):

• Jessica Brinkley – 152 votes

NEASO Secretary:

• Christine Guevara – 148 votes (173 total votes HQ + MB)

NEASO Director (HQ):

• Jenny Yang – 130 votes
• Nzinga Damali-Cathie – 126 votes
• Jay Hunter – 125 votes
• Erika Taylor – 114 votes
• Lisa Connor – 103 votes**
• Darrius Green – 95 votes

NEASO MB Results – 32 Total Ballots were cast

NEASO Vice President (MB):

• Guy Kendall Freas – 31 votes

NEASO Secretary

• Christine Guevara – 25 votes (173 total votes MB + HQ)

NEASO Director (MB):

• Marian Solomon – 27 votes

Candidates who have been elected to their respective offices are noted in blue.

**There were five NEASO Director (HQ) seats available, (4) two-year terms and (1) one-year partial term.  Per Article XIII. Section 4-b of our Constitution.

“Nominees for the Board of Directors and NSO Representative Assembly delegates who receive a plurality of votes cast shall be declared elected. If one or more of the positions for the Board of Directors are for one-year vacancies, the candidate or candidates elected with the smallest plurality will fill those vacancies.”

Therefore in accordance with this provision and per the results of this election, Lisa Connor will fill the one-year partial term as NEASO Director (HQ).  Jenny Yang, Nzinga Damali-Cathie, Jay Hunter and Erika Taylor have each been elected to two-year terms as NEASO Directors (HQ).

On behalf of the Elections Committee, I would like to than each candidate who ran in this election and congratulate all the winners.  Additionally, I would like to thank each of the members who voted. Lastly, I would like to thank each of the members of the Elections Committee both at HQ and MB for your contributions in facilitating our election.  This would not have been possible without you.  If you did not cast a ballot in today’s election, please endeavor to participate in the next election.

In Solidarity!

Christopher Thomas
Chair, NEASO Elections Committee

 October 28, 2019

Dear NEASO Sisters and Brothers:

               The NEASO Elections will be held at NEA Headquarters and NEA Member Benefits on November 5^th, 2019.

                Enclosed are Candidate Statements from all candidates for NEASO office who timely submitted their statements. The balloted candidates for NEASO office are as follows:

            For NEASO HQ Vice-President and NSO Delegate

-     Jessica Brinkley  (No Candidate Statement)

For NEASO MB Vice-President and NSO Delegate

-      Guy Kendall-Freas (No Candidate Statement)

For NEASO Secretary and NSO Delegate

-     Christine Guevara (Candidate Statement Attached)

 NEASO Director for NEA Headquarters

-     Lisa Connor (Candidate Statement Attached)

             -     Nzinga Damali-Cathie (Candidate Statement Attached)z

             -     Darrius Green (No Candidate Statement)

             -     Jay Hunter (No Candidate Statement)

             -      Erika Taylor (Candidate Statement Attached)

             -      Jenny Yang (Candidate Statement Attached)

            NEASO Director for NEA Member Benefits

             -      Marian Solomon (Candidate Statement Attached)
 

It is important to note that NEASO neither endorses, opposes, favors, disfavors, nor takes any position whatsoever regarding the election of any candidate(s) for any NEASO office. The inclusion or absence of a statement from a particular candidate, the inclusion or absence of a photograph or other visual in any particular Candidate Statement, and/or the order in which the Candidate Statements appear in this posting should not be understood as an implicit endorsement of or opposition to the election of a particular candidate by NEASO. As earlier indicated, NEASO included in this posting statements from all candidates who timely submitted their statements. In this regard, please note that each candidate prepared and is solely responsible for the content and the visual presentation of his/her Candidate Statement (i.e. the inclusion or absence of any artwork, photography, emphasis, or other visual stimuli), and that NEASO did not draft, create, prepare, proof, review, revise, supplement, or edit any Candidate Statement, or otherwise assist any candidate(s) in the preparation of his/her statement. The Candidate Statements enclosed are arranged and presented in alphabetical order, by the candidates’ last names, and any deviation from such arrangement and presentation in any packet(s) of Candidate Statements is completely unintentional (and, most likely, the result of a copying/collating error).

Finally, thank you for your participation in this important process. Your continued engagement in and support of NEASO’s activities, programs, and democratic processes keeps our Union strong.

In Solidarity,

The NEASO Elections Committee

Combined Statements.pdf

Greetings NEASO!

Today marks my 100th day as President of NEASO, a milestone worthy of reflection. If these few months have taught me anything, it’s that no matter how difficult the challenges, I am honored to be part of the NEASO union. And that is largely thanks to our NEASO brothers and sisters. 

Making connections, outreach, and seeking input from our members will remain important hallmarks of my administration. Since my first day, one of my most important goals has been to connect with our members in new and different ways. During our “Meet the Officers Brown Bags”, “Snack & Groove Committee Sign-Up” and “NEASO Committee Chairs Roundtable (NCCR)”, I could feel the excitement of veteran and new members. And I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for how deeply our members care about their union and the opportunities that exist to be engaged and advance the vision and mission of NEASO. 

I am excited that we are strengthening the relationship between headquarters and our brothers and sisters at Member Benefits. I can’t count the number of visits I have made to Gaithersburg to reconnect and reestablish a sense of community and unity. We need our family at Member Benefits just as much as they need us.

There were many other accomplishments we should also be proud of: the ASTO MOU signing (HQ); the first General Membership vote to hire a NEASO Executive Director; NEA New Employee Orientation, where we were at the table to inform our members about NEASO, and the Stewards Training (HQ) that will happen in May of this year (MB, your training is on the way). 

My key take-aways during my first 100 days is that NEASO needs to enhance our communication so that everyone understands our goals and ultimate decisions, as well as how those decisions were made. I am committed to being forthcoming (as much as I can), and being accountable, as well as improve communication and dialogue for everyone.

We must never forget that we are here to serve the best interests of our members and we must prioritize their interests above our own at every turn. We must handle conflict the right way and do our jobs with diligence and integrity. 

And make no mistake, we are not in this to be an ordinary union–we are in it to be extraordinary. “One Voice, One Sound” is so much more than a motto. It is an expectation – one for me, our members, and the leaders of this great union. While none of us are perfect, excellence should always be our goal. But to reach it, everyone must be pulling in the same direction. 

I look forward to the next 100 days of working with you and for you so that NEASO can realize its fullest potential. It will take all of us, together, to get to where we need to go.  And we will, if we speak with “One Voice, One Sound.”

Thank you... 

Sincerely,

Robin L. Jones

President, NEASO

To:                   NEASO Members

From:               NEASO Elections Committee

Date:               April 8, 2019

                                       NOMINATION and ELECTION NOTICE:
                                      2019 NSO Representative Assembly Delegates

NEASO is calling for nominations for delegates to the 2019 National Staff Organization (NSO) Representative Assembly (RA).  The NSO RA will meet on June 7 and 8, 2019 in Austin, TX.

The NSO RA is an annual gathering of voting representatives from NSO’s state affiliates to elect officers, share information and set priorities for the coming year.  As a delegate, you will have the opportunity to meet other NSO members from across the country, weigh in on pressing union issues, and learn more about the NSO.

All NEASO members in good standing are eligible to be nominated for and elected to the RA delegation.

The RA delegation will also include NEASO President Robin L Jones, HQ-Vice President Jay Hunter, MB-Vice President Zachary Reid, Secretary Lauren Mayeaux, and Treasurer Timothy Reed, each of whom was elected to serve as both NEASO Officer and NSO delegate.  NEASO members will elect the remainder of the delegates by a secret ballot election on Thursday, May 9, 2019. 

To nominate a NEASO member for the NSO RA delegate election, complete and return the enclosed/attached nomination form by midnight on Monday, April 15, 2019.  Forms may be returned by U.S. Mail to NEASO, PO Box 66806, Washington DC 20036; by Fax to (202) 822-7802; by hand to Jean Mondejar in the NEASO Office.  Both nominator and nominee must be members in good standing of NEASO.  Signatures of both the nominator and nominee are required for the nomination to be considered valid. 

You may also nominate a NEASO member for the NSO RA by electronic mail. The following rules apply to electronic mail nominations:

            1) The nomination must be sent from the nominator’s work e-mail address (i.e. from the nominator’s  NEA and NEA Member Benefits Corporation work e-mail) and state the name of the nominee and the position he or she is being nominated for or include the completed official nomination form as an attachment;

            2) The nominee must accept the nomination from his/her work e-mail address;

            3) The nominator and nominee must e-mail Jean Mondejar, NEASO Office Manager, at jmondejar@nea.org with the nomination/acceptance of the nomination; and,

           4)  Nominations, as well as the acceptance thereof, are due by midnight on Monday, April 15, 2019.

Nomination Form.pdf

Here Ye, Here Ye, we now have a signed MOU of the former ASTO!

This Assignment-Based Approved Time (ABAT) MOU memorializes and standardizes the process for utilizing hours during a Temporary Alternative Work Schedule (TAWS). You can go to NEASO.org to review the documents. For a quick synopsis:

If you have been denied the former ASTO, now ABAT, a form has been created to allow you to recapture your lost hours. These hours will be placed in your comp time balance, which means the hours will be available for a year after you earn them instead of the normal two pay periods.

If your manager is unaware of the new ABAT MOU, let us know, so that we can advocate.

There will be an UltiPro joint training in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for the date and time.

Before I close this message, NEASO, please take a moment to thank our team for getting this victory for us:

Andy Jewell, "The Lead Negotiator"
Joel Solomon, "Mr. Dependable"
Jay Hunter, "Mr. Don't Try It"

Striving for One Voice, One Sound...

In Unity,
Robin Jones
President, NEASO

Greetings NEASO! 

Attached is the powerpoint presentation given at our last general membership meeting by Kelley Clouser, our National Staff Organization (NSO) Regional Director. 

Please take a moment to review for a greater understanding of the benefits of NSO for NEASO.

In Unity,

Robin

President, NEASO

Understanding your nso.pdf

Understanding your nso.pptx

Happy New Year NEASO!

It gives me great pleasure to greet you as your new President! I am excited and ready to embark on this new journey with you. I hope that each of you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends, taking the opportunity to rest, reflect and recharge as we move forward in 2019.

There are few things that I would like to bring to your attention:

1. NEASO.org – Register today! Here you will find all NEASO documents including the 2018 minutes.  Please note: until we move to a new membership platform, all NEASO notices and updates will be available here.  We will be limiting the amount of NEASO business on the NEA email system.  It is important that NEASO has your personal email address.

2. NEASO Constitution and Bylaws (C&BL) – please read and familiarize yourself with this document.  It is located here on NEASO.org.

3. NEASO & NEA (HQ) 2018-2021 Contract  - has been distributed to all Centers/Departments. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the negotiated agreement.  If you have not received your copy, please let your Shop Steward or NEASO Officers know ASAP.

4. Center/Department (HQ) and MB Brown Bags – beginning in January let’s get to know one another and have an initial dialogue regarding unit working conditions. The schedules will be sent in the coming days. If there are any concerns prior to your scheduled meeting, do not hesitate to reach out to me.

5. NEASO Committees - there are five standing Committees (see Article XIV. Committees in C&BL) and other ad-hoc/joint committees that NEASO members can be actively involved.  Please review and let us know of your interest. 

6. List of 2019 Shop Stewards - attached is the latest list of approved Shop Stewards.  Take the time to get to know your Stewards, not only in your immediate areas, but all others, as they are NEASO representatives.  Be on alert for a future Shop Stewards/Membership meet and greet.

It is imperative we move toward building a stronger and vibrant union! We will work together with:

* Enthusiasm

* Inclusivity

* Integrity

* Loyalty

* Solidarity

The NEASO Executive Officers, NEASO Board of Directors, and NEASO Shop Stewards are here to serve you and respond to your needs.

Let’s do this! Here’s to January…

In Unity,

Robin L. Jones
President, NEASO
Email: onevoiceonesoundNEASO@gmail.com
Cell: (202) 510-1098

Stewards List As of 01-07-19.xls