Dear CT,

On behalf of the 2024 CTU Elections Committee (Crissy Hodges-Chakrani, Judy Redding, Tiffany Westendorf and myself), please note that Tuesday, September 3, begins the 2024 Self-Nominations period for the CTU Officer Elections to be held on October 22, 2024, if needed. The Self-Nominations period conclude at 5pm on Tuesday, September 10. There will also be an in-person nominations meeting held at CTU on Sept 10, 5:30pm-6:30pm.

The following positions are up for election:

Vice President (two-year term), Secretary (two-year term), 4 Directors (two-year terms), and 1 Audit Committee member (three-year term). See details regarding each position below.

To nominate yourself for a position, please send your intent via email to our organizational coordinator, Tiffany Westendorf (Tiffany@ctumsu.org). Make sure you state what position you are seeking.

In solidarity,

Deb

Deb Bittner, President

CTU of MSU

All Board Members

• Expect to serve the Union during some days, evenings, and weekends
• Make decisions, create policies
• Use input/data from membership, experts, and staff when time permits
• Serve on committees, both CTU and MSU-appointed
• Represent the CTU at all times
• Attend some labor functions as CTU representative
• Attend Board meetings, UR meetings, regular and special membership meetings
• When possible, work in conjunction with UR(s) in the district on membership issues
• Keep URs informed and in the loop
• Be able to work as part of a group of people
• Honor issues of confidentiality
• Control of rumors/misperceptions
• Support unionism
• Uphold the Mission and Constitution of the Union, as well as the duties of one’s office
• Carry out the oath of one’s office

Secretary

• Oversight responsibility for maintenance of current membership list
• Stay informed of new members, including information they receive from the Union
• Conduct New Member Orientation sessions
• Take minutes at Board and membership meetings
• Perform all functions of Executive Board member

Vice President

• Serve as liaison to the Union Representative and URCC
• Substitute for the President, as necessary
• Chair Grievance, Appeals and Trial Committee
• 25% released time
• Serve as authorized signatory of the Union
• Perform all functions of Executive Board member

Audit Committee

• The Audit Committee shall make or cause to be made at least a yearly audit of the Union’s finances and shall report to the membership the result of such audit.
• The Audit Committee shall monitor normal operating expenses and shall serve as an independent communications channel between the members of the Union and the custodians of the Contingency Fund for verification of withdrawals from that fund.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of one of our longtime union activist, LaRene Smith. Here is the link to her obituary:

LaRene Smith Obituary

Thank you to everyone who joined us at CTU’s 50^th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at Eagle Eye Banquet Center, East Lansing. It was a wonderful event with dinner, dancing, historical displays, a photobooth, with special gifts for members and their guests.

If you were unable to attend any of the anniversary events or had scheduling conflicts, you still get a CTU gift for being a member. Contact the CTU office to schedule a time to pick up your gift.

And for CT members on other campuses, if you aren’t able to get to Lansing or East Lansing for the events, we will be bringing the goodies to you later this fall.

We haven’t forgotten you! 😊

For questions, please contact the CTU Office (517-355-1903) or email.

To view photos from the event, please click HERE.

Hope the summer was good for you and you got some time away from work for rest and recreational activities!

After many months, we have worked out the problems that closed down the CTU website after a malware attack last year. We hired someone to correct and monitor the situation, and we are moving forward to clean up the site. Thank you for your continuing patience.

Ignoring the calls, letters and emails of union members, anti-worker Michigan politicians passed right-to-work laws during a lame-duck session in 2012 as thousands of us protested outside the capitol building. We vowed at that time to win back government and make it work for Michigan citizens. We won.

Michigan’s right-to-work laws have been repealed. But what does that mean for CTs? Well, because we are public sector workers, the repeal of right-to-work laws will have little impact on us. That is because in the intervening period since 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that all workers in the public sector are subject to right to work. We applaud the repeal and will continue the struggle for civil rights, including our rights on the job.

Michelle Kaminski, MSU Associate Professor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, has posted a YouTube video on right to work. In her 13-minute video, she unpacks a lot of the myths about how unions operate and about the impact of right to work. It’s worth watching.