Colleagues,


Greetings, I hope this note finds you well.  As you may be aware, the New York State legislature has modified the law governing paid time off to vote in elections.  The law states “A registered voter may, without loss of pay for up to three hours, take off so much working time as will enable him or her to vote at any election.”  Please note that the law also states:


1.     If the employee requires working time off to vote the employee shall notify his or her employer not less than two working days before the day of the election.  (Forms to request the time off can be found in the main office.)
 2.     The employee shall be allowed time off for voting only at the beginning or end of his or her working shift, as the employer may designate, unless otherwise mutually agreed
Polls in New York are open from 6 am – 9 pm on Election Day.  New York now has several days of early voting in Nassau and Suffolk counties as well as throughout New York City.  The intent of the law, I believe, is to give those who might otherwise be disenfranchised because of work obligations the opportunity to vote.  If needed, you are certainly entitled to the time, I only ask that you use this right judiciously.  It is my understanding that any missed mandated training will need to be made up at a future date.  Attached is a copy of the law.  The district has a posting on the main office bulletin board in every building.
 
In Solidarity,
Rob

Greetings!

I hope this email finds you well and that you have had a wonderful start to the school year.  Thanks to Pete Brideson for putting together the great packet summarizing the 403-B and 457-B savings plans offered by the district.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, I encourage you to do so before the visits by the representatives from AXA and Voya . See attached.

Keep your eyes open for our annual retirement session with Hank Sessa.  Hank is a retired teacher and an expert on all things having to do with the New York State Teacher Retirement System (NYSTRS) and retirement planning.  Please know that this session is informative for, and beneficial to, ALL teachers, not just those close to retirement.   

Finally, I have fielded a couple of questions concerning healthcare benefits in retirement.  As fate would have it, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) is hosting a workshop to discuss healthcare coverage in retirement entitled “What Every Retiree Should Know About Health Insurance”.  The workshop will be held on October 7 at Newbridge Road School in North Bellmore.  Please find the details below.

Should you have any questions or concerns about this or anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out by emailing president@bmust.net or calling 516-992-1068.  

In solidarity,
Rob 

“What Every Retiree Should Know About Health Insurance” 

NYSUT will present a workshop on health insurance in retirement entitled What Every Retiree Should Know About Health Insurance.  This workshop will briefly present the various structures and components of health insurance plans.  We will then be able to more deeply examine health insurance issues faced by NYSUT retirees in Long Island. Particular emphasis will be placed on the interaction between NYSHIP and Medicare, as well as Medicare Advantage Plans.

The workshop will be held on October 7 at 4:00 in the auditorium of Newbridge Road School (1601 Newbrige Road, North Bellmore, NY 11710).
Registration is not necessary.

--
Rob Walsh
President
 ​

BMUST Members are invited to participate in Veteran’s Day (Monday, November 11th) this year by showing their support for our Veterans by making a donation to The United Way, entitling you to a short sleeved “Mission United” t-shirt or bandanna.

All of the funds raised through the sale of Mission United items will directly benefit United Way of Long Island’s Veteran assistance programs, which supports Long Island military veterans and their families as they transition to civilian life by addressing issues from financial needs to healthcare resources and educational programs.
We encourage members to participate in this valuable public expression of our support for our Veterans.  Additionally, those who participate help to showcase teachers in a positive light.
·       PURCHASE A SHIRT OR BANDANNA BY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10th
·       RECEIVE YOUR “MISSION UNITED” ITEM
·       WEAR THE T-SHIRT OR BANDANNA (or both!) ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8th
 
Thank you,
Rob Walsh, BMUST President
Bruce Reed, BMUST Public Relations
 
TWO WAYS TO ORDER BY OCTOBER 10th:

• Return the attached form to Meg Hirsch at the BMUST Office (Brookside) along with your check made payable to BMUST 
• Pay via VENMO – Username: BMUST – Include your SIZE and/or COLOR choice and SCHOOL in the notes

Voting just got easier in New York. This year, as part of a package of electoral reforms, New York adopted early voting across the state. Please see attachment for early voting dates, times, and locations in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. You can also click https://my.lwv.org/new-york-state/new-york-state-early-voting for more information.

Dennis Urban
BMUST Political Action & VOTE-COPE Committee

Did you know that about 70% of both NYSUT and BMUST members are women? Did you know that some of the nation’s first labor unions were organized by women in the Latham, Massachusetts, textile mills of the 1800s? Since this time, women have helped to lead the charge on essential social issues in and around The Labor Movement. Undoubtedly, women are still leading this charge in many of the key social justice battles of our time. Women are still fighting for pay equity and have stood up strongly against the still too prevalent issues of sexual harassment and assault, to name a few. Your Union is proud of the accomplishments of our women and want to encourage and support the women of our local to organize and to continue to share ideas to better Our Union, for all of us. Over the last several years, women in BMUST have strongly advocated for maternity rights, staff and student wellness, health and safety concerns, and much more. Considering this, BMUST would like to encourage each school to organize a Women’s Committee, which will create an agenda to move forward on key issues. The idea is for each committee to form as a grassroots effort, in each of our school buildings. Please consider helping your school to establish a committee. Also, please check out NYSUT V.P. Jolene DiBrango’s page for resources, ideas, and inspiration here: 

​https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/womens-committee.  Finally, please speak to your Head Building Rep to get started. Thank you! 

In Solidarity,
Bill Morris
2nd Vice-President
​

The Community Cupboard is need of volunteers for their packing days!
Please use the attached spreadsheet to sign up. The complete list of dates is below.
If you have any questions, please contact Catrina Christensen: cchristensen@bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us or call/text (631-793-5915).

·         September 11
·         September 25
·         October 8 (Tuesday)
·         October 23
·         November 6
·         November 20
·         December 4
·         December 18
·         January 8
·         January 22 (Regents testing)
·         February 5
·         February 26
·         March 11
·         March 25
·         April 7 (Tuesday)
·         April 22
·         May 6 (AP testing)
·         May 20
·         June 3
·         June 17 (Regents testing)
​