FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q. What is the job of the MEA Representatives?
A. The MEA Representative is a vital part of the MEA Executive Committee. All Executive Committee Members’ jobs are defined in the MEA Constitution — Article V– and Bylaws – Article III.
Q. Where do my dues dollars go?
A. Full-Time Dues of $736.00 for 2015-16 are divided as follows:
OEA 432.00
NEA 185.00
Uniserv 77.00
SWOEA 17.00
MEA 25.00
Half-Time Dues of $418.50 for 2015-16 are divided as follows:
OEA 216.00
NEA 104.00
Uniserv 77.00
SWOEA 9.00
MEA 12.50
Q. What are Affiliated Organizations?
A. Affiliated Organizations have an agreement with OEA to collect and pass on your dues. If you include any of these organizations on your enrollment form, their dues will be included in your payroll deduction and automatically adjusted as dues mounts adjust. If you are currently a CONTINUOUS member and do not have an enrollment form, please contact your treasurer for an enrollment form to add (or delete) the association. The current list is as follows:
AFFILIATED ASSOCIATION and DUES AMOUNT
Ohio Assn. of Education Support Professionals (OAESP) $5.00
Ohio Assn. of DD Professionals for the MRDD (OAPDD) $9.00
Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) $45.00
Ohio Schools Counselors Association (OSCA) $50.00
Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA) $40.00
Ohio Assoc. Health, Phys. Ed., Rec. and Dance (OAHPERD) $50.00
Ohio Technology English Education Association K-12 STEM (OTEEA) $35.00
Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) $25.00
Doris L. Allen Minority Caucus (DLAMC) $15.00
Ohio Foreign Language Association (OFLA) $45.00
Science Education Council of Ohio (SECO) $25.00
Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS) $30.00
OEA Women’s Caucus (OEAWC) $15.00
Ohio Middle Level Association (OMLA) $30.00
OEA Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender Caucus (GLBTC) $10.00
Ohio Association for Superviion and Curriculum Developement (OASCD) $30.00
Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) $95.00
** indicates association’s dues changed for this school year (none for 2014-15)
Q. How do I change my personal information?
A.At the beginning of the school year, please take a couple minutes to check out your new OEA Access Membership card. If the information is incorrect (or incomplete—especially email addresses), please use the boxes on the post card attached to your new Access card to indicate the correct information. Once you have corrected the information, please detach the post card and either send it to your MEA treasurer (currently Roxann Schneder at the Junior High) via interoffice mail OR give it to your Association Representative who will give it to the treasurer by the membership drive deadline (usually our first Executive Committee meeting in eptember.) If your information changes after our membership drive, send an email including the information to be changed to your MEA treasurer.
Q. How do I change my payroll deduction election?
A. Before November 1st of the school year,send a revised Payroll Authorization Form to your MEA treasurer. A copy of the Payroll Authorization Form can be found on the Forms page of this website.
Q. How do replace my lost/misplaced OEA membership card?
A. The OEA membership cards are not replaced on an annual basis. The card is permanent until the individual is no longer a member or OEA issues a new card. New enrollees will have their cards delivered to the home address, once membership for MEA has been processed (after 10/15). Fair Share Fee Payers are not members and do not receive membership cards. Members may update contact information, NBCT, and Master Teacher designations at www.ohea.org or by e-mail at membership@ohea.org Members may request a new card by e-mail at membership@ohea.org
Q. What is the total amount of my dues that I can deduct from my 2013 taxes?
A. For the 2014 tax reporting year, your association dues are deductible from your federal income taxes on Form 1040, Schedule A if you itemize your deductions. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), if you take the standard deduction, then you cannot deduct your dues. It is important to note that you may only deduct the portion of our dues that exceeds 2% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) on Form 1040. If this applies, you may include the total of your association dues minus $36.53 (this is the non-deductible portion) if you are a full-time OEA educator. You will need to subtract $21.05 if you are a half-time OEA educator. You will need to subtract $13.29 if you are a quarter-time OEA educator.What does this mean to you? If you paid the full amount of your dues by check during our membership drive at the beginning of this school year subtract $36.53 from the amount of your check if you are a full-time employee; $21.05 if you are a half-time employee, and $13.29 if you are a quarter-time employee. If you pay your association dues by payroll deduction you will need to look at the YTD Amount column of the DUES item line on your pay summary that was emailed 12/31 then subtract $36.53 (for full-time) or $21.05 (for half-time) or $13.29 (for quarter-time). Because of affiliate associations that some members choose to join (and a few other factors), not everyone has the same YTD Amount. A set tax deductible amount for everyone cannot be established. Box #14 on your W2 will show this YTD dues amount. If you need a summary of the dues you paid during 2012, please email Heidi Baechle baechle_h@milfordschools.org for a summary statement.
Q. What is a grievance?
A. A grievance is defined as an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of the written provisions of the MEA Contract. See Article 4-Grievance Procedure.
Q. How do I file a grievance?
A. The Grievance Procedure is a negotiated item and explained, step-by-step, in Article 4–Grievance Procedure of our MEA Contract..