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Growth. Leadership. Union Engagement.

Growth. Leadership. Union Engagement.

Feb 10, 2022

Join the G.L.U.E. Year Round Organizing Program!

The Growth, Leadership, & Union Engagement (G.L.U.E.) program is a year-round, three phase program that teaches foundational organizing skills to members and emerging leaders.

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Employing top-notch organizing skills allows us to win better public schools, solve education problems and create a stronger CEA.

G.L.U.E. features focused trainings, practice opportunities, coaching and check-in’s with CEA’s organizing team. Participants must be part of a local team consisting of at least two members and one local staff person and/or local president. Members will engage fellow members and potential members in 1:1 conversations about issues that affect their school, students and districts in their local union.

During each phase, G.L.U.E. members will set numerical goals for their 1:1 conversations and identify leaders and new members, all with the help of their zone organizer. Participants will also participate in two solidarity actions in each phase of the program (six in total) to build solidarity with workers in other unions and community organizations. Each phase will run for eight weeks:

  • Phase 1: Beating Apathy
    This phase will focus on organizing basics to build a base of power and strength for their local union: solidifying one-on-one conversational skills, how to identify leaders, how to identify and test issues, new member recruitment, and house meetings. You will focus heavily on welcoming new employees to your district and inviting them to join your union. This is the only paid phase of the program – a one-time $3,000 stipend – and should be considered a part-time job.
  • Phase 2: Building Your Team
    This phase will focus on taking the issues members have identified in one-on-one conversations in Phase 1 and performing structure tests to see if these issues are deeply and widely felt to move membership into action. Participants will identify potential leaders and build up the base of our union.
  • Phase 3: Running Campaigns
    This phase will focus on building a campaign plan to win on the issues that were identified and tested in Phase 2. The campaigns will include a variety of strategies to win: bargaining, legislative, elections, school boards, etc. – and includes building member and community relationships. Participants will work to recruit new member leaders into the program for next year, expanding the base of our union and creating a year round cycle of growing new leaders.

Applications are currently closed and typically open in late spring. Check back later for future application information.

For more information, please contact CEA’s Organizing Team or your local leadership or UniServ office.

Other Education Employees

Other Education Employees

Feb 10, 2022

Are you an educator in your community but not sure if you are eligible to become a CEA member?

If you fall into any of the following categories, you may still be eligible:

  • Substitute teacher
  • Principal or assistant principal

Why Join:
A CEA membership empowers educators of all backgrounds to come together and have a say in our classrooms, schools, and workplaces. Joining together in a strong union gives us the power in numbers to advocate for our professions with elected officials and other decision makers.

In addition, whether it’s access to legal services or discounts on shopping and travel or savings on home and car insurance, membership in the union provides a range of tangible benefits.

How to Join:

Fill out a membership form here

Close to retirement?

If you are not retired, but at least 45 years old, you are eligible to join as a Pre-Retired Life member. This is the best, easiest and most affordable way to begin your membership as a retired educator.

Join Today!

Remember, if you have any NEA member benefits, you must maintain a membership when you retire.

Questions about joining?
You can contact our CEA Membership team to determine your eligibility and for any other questions you have.

We hope you will join the thousands of Colorado educators who work together through our local, state and national association to help every student thrive.

Education Support Professionals

Education Support Professionals

Feb 10, 2022

Join Now

Education Support Professionals (ESP) are the classified staff in our districts and schools (full-time or part-time) who make sure students have the tools and support they need to succeed. This includes paraeducators, food service workers, bus drivers and mechanics, custodians and facility managers, school secretaries and clerical staff, health aides, maintenance employees, security personnel, landscapers and groundskeepers, technicians, and more.

Why Join:
By joining together in a strong union, CEA membership gives us as education support professionals the power in numbers to negotiate with our employers about our pay and working conditions and to advocate for our professions with elected officials and other decision makers.

In addition, whether it’s access to legal services or discounts on shopping and travel or savings on home and car insurance, membership in the union provides a range of tangible benefits.

How to Join:
Most support staff can join through one of CEA’s 200 local associations or a BOCES Unit at any time of the year. Your membership will include your local association, the Colorado Education Association (CEA), and the National Education Association (NEA). Dues are about half of what teachers pay and are based on the number of hours you work in a year.

Your school’s Association Representative (AR) can tell you more about membership benefits, dues and how to fill out the forms, either a local form or the CEA-NEA Membership Form.

Find a local office near you >>

We hope you will join the thousands of Colorado education support professionals who work together through our local, state and national association to help every student thrive.

Additional Resources:

Close to retirement?

If you are not retired, but at least 45 years old, you are eligible to join as a Pre-Retired Life member. This is the best, easiest and most affordable way to begin your membership as a retired educator.

Join Today!

Remember, if you have any NEA member benefits, you must maintain a membership when you retire.

Questions?
If you work in a school district or BOCES without an active CEA local association, or cannot locate your AR for any reason, use this map to locate an office near you and ask the local staff about belonging.

You can also contact our CEA Membership team.

Center for Legal Services

Center for Legal Services

Oct 5, 2021

Comprehensive Legal Services for CEA Members 

CEA is the only public education employee organization in Colorado that provides comprehensive legal services for members in matters that involve their educational employment activities.

Our Association provides legal representation for our members for matters that arise out of the scope and course of their employment. Our lawyers are experienced in the representation of civil rights violations, Federal Medical Leave Act violations, Americans with Disabilities Act claims, breach of contract and other state law violations, dismissal actions, licensing actions, unemployment hearing and criminal defense against criminal charges that arose out of the performance of duties that fall within the course and scope of educational employment activities. As part of their NEA dues, members receive Educators’ Employment Liability insurance.

Legal Assistance

If you need help with a job-related problem, it’s not insurance you need. It’s people.

Our Association provides comprehensive legal assistance for a wide range of employment matters such as performance evaluations; discipline; non-renewals, lay-offs, and dismissals. Our attorneys are trained and experienced in public education law, employment law, and labor law; some specialize in criminal law as well. CEA is the only public education employee organization in Colorado that provides this comprehensive legal services program.

We have people there for you, such as:

  • Association Representatives in schools and work sites;
  • Local Association Presidents;
  • Full-time UniServ Directors; and
  • Experienced Association staff.

These people can help you resolve employment related problems quickly, informally or formally. They are your first call when an issue arises. And if you need legal representation or assistance, CEA’s staff attorneys are highly experienced in labor, employment, and education law. Your wisest protection is not job-related insurance. It’s your Association membership.

 

Personal Liability

Protection and assistance are absolutely critical in an education career – and we have the people to go with the insurance.

Educators are exposed to situations that may give rise to legal actions involving your personal liability.
All Active unified (CEA-NEA-local) members are eligible to participate in the Educators Employment Liability Insurance (EEL) program.

The EEL insurance policy provides coverage for employment-related civil suits brought against a member for negligence and conduct. The EEL insurance policy also provides coverage for a member when they’re charged with violating a criminal statute in the course of their employment as an educator.

CEA has attorneys on staff to help members with employment related matters. Such protection and assistance are absolutely critical, and the CEA staff attorneys are experts in the applicable areas of Colorado law involving educator rights and protections.

CEA has attorneys to provide representation in sensitive matters, such as sexual harassment or discrimination. Other professional organizations that offer membership to public school employees, your employer, or insurance companies with business liability riders on homeowner insurance do not offer the same level of coverage that CEA offers their members.

 

Attorney Referral

Receive two free consultations on personal legal issues annually.

Educators rely on our Association for legal support in the workplace, but we can also assist when you need legal advice in your personal affairs.

One very popular program is the CEA-NEA Attorney Referral Program, providing you and your family with affordable access to legal help for personal matters.

CEA-NEA members get two free 30-minute consultations on personal legal issues during each membership year (Sep 1 – Aug 31). If you need help beyond this, the program gives you legal assistance at rates well below participating attorneys’ usual fees. Active Members (teachers and education support professionals) and Retired Members and the member’s spouse and dependent children are eligible.

CEA and NEA have secured attorneys in Colorado and throughout the U.S. to participate in the program at substantially reduced rates. During the two free consultations, you can get legal assistance in five core areas at a 30 percent discount off the normal fee at any time in nearly 40 states.

  • Wills and Estates – Wills, estate planning, help for estate executors or administrators, guardianship proceeding
    Real Estate – Purchase or sale of residential property, landlord disputes, property line controversies, zoning laws and land use regulation
  • Domestic Relations – Annulment, divorce, separation; alimony, custody, child support, guardianship, adoption, and paternity; name changes
  • Consumer Protection – Disputes with creditors or finance agencies; proceedings with retailers about defective merchandise
  • Traffic Violations – Charges of operating under the influence, reckless driving, or offenses involving potential loss of license, jail sentence, and financial liability in excess of $50

Our Association is committed to having only qualified, competent attorneys in our Attorney Referral Program. Before attorneys can help our members, they are approved by both NEA and CEA. They must agree to provide service at convenient times outside education employees’ normal work days, discuss fees before they provide services, and accept payment by installment payment plans.

Learn more about the CEA-NEA Attorney Referral Program.