1) CONTACT your Site Rep immediately. Tell her/him that you received the packet.

2) ASK your Site Rep for a "Power of Representation and Conflict of Interest Waiver" and a "RIF QUESTIONNAIRE".

3) SIGN the Waiver form received from Site Rep and the "REQUEST FOR HEARING" document enclosed in the packet you received from the district.

4) FAX 3 THINGS: the Waiver, Request for Hearing, and the 2-page Notice of Recommendation Not to Reemploy Certificated Employee to N-MFT at (714) 754-1514. (Please do NOT FAX the Sch Bd resolutions, exhibits, and Ed code.)

ONCE YOU SIGN THE WAIVER, N-MFT AND OUR ATTORNEY CAN REQUEST A HEARING FOR YOU - AND WE WILL!!

5) MAKE copies of all faxed documents (Waiver, Request for Hearing, and Notice) - keep one for your records, and send the originals to the N-MFT office. (You may send them through district mail, US mail, or you can hand carry them to our office - address below.) The REQUEST FOR HEARING MUST BE RECEIVED AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE BY THE DATE INDICATED ON THE LETTER YOU RECEIVE FROM THE DISTRICT (7 calendar days from receipt) SO BE SURE TO GIVE NMFT AND OUR ATTORNEY PERMISSION TO REPRESENT YOU BY SIGNING THE WAIVER SO WE CAN REQUEST THE HEARING FOR YOU.

6) CALL the N-MFT office to set up an appointment with our attorney. (714) 754-6638. Margaret or Blanca will set up the appointment for you.

Please forgive me if this message does not sound compassionate. Though this is a VERY difficult time for many of our members and I want to express my deep sympathies, my primary focus for this message is to be sure each and every unit member receiving a notice protects their rights.

Given the difficult times we are faced with, I am calling on each of us to support the other in this struggle. This is the time for us to come together and clearly understand our roles. It may mean that we must step into roles that we've never done before. Things will get better if we work together to make them so! That is not to say we won't go through difficult times, but we can make those difficult times better and easier to get through if we stick together.

We shall keep you posted as we receive new information. Additionally, please know that we are doing every thing we can at the negotiations table and in Sacramento to save jobs. (Please come to the NMFT office on March 9th for COPE and March 11th for our Contract Committee work.)


Working Together Matters!

Kimberly Claytor
President, Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers AFT local 1794
Vice President, California Federation of Teachers
Vice President, Orange County Labor Federation