Recertification is November 7 – 27, 2023.
The state agency that administers labor law in Wisconsin requires local associations that seek to remain legally recognized bargaining representatives in a school district to go through an annual recertification vote.
What: Bargaining unit members must vote every year to “recertify” their association. To win the vote, 51% of all eligible voters must vote “yes” that they want their local association to be their representative. This is a very challenging requirement because a non-vote is considered a “no” vote.
Who: Every person in the bargaining unit is an eligible voter, whether they are union members or not.
When: The vote will take place during a twenty-day voting window, beginning on Tuesday, November 7 at Noon and ending Monday, November 27 at Noon.
Where and How: People can vote either by phone toll free at 1-866-458-9862 or online www.aaaelections.org/WERC . They will be required to give the first four letters of their last name and the last four digits of their social security number in order to vote.
Why: The recertification requirement is part of a larger plan to undermine public employee unions and our ability to continue to bargain for pay increases for employees. For local unions that conduct recertification votes, this an opportunity to send a powerful message to districts and state level decision makers that educators are looking out for each other and standing together on important issues that affect our profession, schools and students – such as career salary advancement, workload, proper school discipline and safety, retirement benefits and host of other issues.
Our Recertification Message:
Vote YES to Support Your Colleagues and RECERTIFY so we continue to have a representative voice on cost-of-living pay increases and other matters of concern.
Voting begins: Noon on Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Voting ends: Noon on Monday, November 27, 2023
The recertification vote is conducted via telephone or online voting. Please follow these steps to cast your anonymous ballot to show your support:
Directions:
- Voters who choose to vote online do so by logging onto http://www.aaaelections.org/WERC and following the on-screen instructions for online voting. Make sure you VOTE YES for recertification and submit your vote anytime. Then CONFIRM your vote by selecting “yes” Wait until you are informed that your vote has been successfully processed before leaving the site. Otherwise your vote is simply not counted and therefore you will need to go back and vote again.
Voters choosing to call the recertification voting line dial: 1-866-458-9862 (toll free) anytime.- When prompted, confirm your identity by entering the first 4 letters of your LAST NAME, then the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. The image to the right shows which letters are associated with the telephone keypad numbers.
- You will then be asked “Do you want to continue to be represented by (the name of your current union) for the purpose of collective bargaining?”
- When prompted, VOTE YES to recertify your union; after voting, STAY ON THE LINE. Do not HANG UP until you receive a “thank you” Otherwise your vote is simply not counted and therefore you will need to go back and vote again. The same is true for interrupted calls – you must repeat your call and vote again to be counted.
Additional Information:
- Your vote is secret;
- All employees in a bargaining unit vote, not just union members;
- The union needs to win 51% of all unit employees to recertify, which means that not voting is the same as voting no. Your colleagues need your support, so please vote YES.
- Employees experiencing trouble using the telephonic or online voting system, can call 1-800-529-5218 during the hours of 9 am to 5 pm Monday-Friday.
Recertification Voting Materials:
The following materials contain step-by-step voting instructions and tell colleagues what is at stake. They are PDFs suitable for printing, sharing with colleagues, and posting in common areas during recertification elections:
Recertification Half-Page Flier
Recertification Full-Page Flier (printer-friendly)
Recertification 24 X 18 Poster
Recertification 17 x 11 Poster (printer-friendly)
Recertification Business Cards
Recertification Business Cards (printer-friendly full sheet)