Teams from local school districts prepared to advocate for teachers as part of the 2022 UEA Bargaining Summit. The event was held at the Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building in West Jordan. More than 100 educators representing school districts across the state volunteered their time Saturday, Nov. 5, to attend.

“The Summit is an opportunity for teacher leaders from across the state to share best practices for working effectively with district administrators and school boards,” said UEA Director of Policy and Research Jay Blain. The UEA has been holding Bargaining Summit Training since 2011.

The Summit began with a presentation explaining “How Everyone and Everything Impacts Bargaining.” UEA President Renee Pinkney and Executive Director Jennifer Boehme expressed the need for educators to be recognized as professionals who deserve to be included in decisions affecting their students and schools.

Breakout sessions at the Summit included the following:

• Preparation for Negotiations –  Bargaining is a year-round activity, so what does preparation to negotiate mean?  Are surveys an outdated idea? How do we know what are our members’ priorities? Presented by Emilee Liddiard, Tooele Education Association, and Elinda Nedreberg, Tintic Education Association.
• Ensuring Good Insurance Benefits – HSA, QHDP, COB, EOB, ACA, etc.  The insurance world is full of acronyms and more things that can be confusing. Are you getting the best bang for your buck? Are there better ways to handle salary and insurance tradeoffs or just different ways to do it? Presented by Derek Smith, Alpine Education Association, and Cynthia Blankenship, NEA.
• How to Grow Membership Through Bargaining – If bargaining impacts everything, how does it impact the ability to grow membership?  How can you leverage your bargaining activities to grow membership? Presented by Ginger Nielson, Logan Education Association, and Julie Beane, Canyons Education Association.
• Putting the ‘Fun’ in District ‘Fun’ancials – Dive into district budgets, including the different funds, revenues sources and property taxes. Presented by UEA UniServ Coordinator and Research Director Jay Blain.

“Participants left energized, engaged and educated about the bargaining process,” said Blain. “Our hope is that this event will give negotiations teams the tools they need to successfully advocate for their profession, for their students and for the collective good of public education in Utah.”