What are the jobs of the RVF Officers?
The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the RVF and carries out all resolutions passed by the Executive Committee. The President is responsible for all other positions and departments within the RVF.
The 1st VP is responsible for organization, negotiations report outs, and the secretary unit.
The 2nd VP is responsible for all educational issues (APPR, CTLE, Vote Cope, etc.) and the teachers unit.
The 3rd VP is responsible for member benefits and the paraprofessional unit.
The Treasurer is responsible for the RVF budget, LAP, and all financial expenditures.
The Secretary is part of the LAP team and is also responsible for all official RVF mailings and communications, as well as recording meeting minutes.
What are the jobs of the Unit and Building Reps?
Unit and Building reps represent their respective units and buildings. Building Reps can represent anybody from any of the three units within their building. Unit reps can represent anyone from their unit. Unit and building reps work together to run the monthly RVF Building Meetings. Their main job is to represent members and police the contracts. They are the members’ direct representatives and work for the Executive Committee.
What is Benefit Trust?
Benefit Trust is a self-funded RVF benefit in our contract that provides our members with Davis Vision, Delta Dental, will writing, legal advice, financial advice, and life insurance.
Who do I go see if I need help with something or have a question?
All RVF members should seek out their Building or Unit Rep first. If they can’t solve the issue or answer the question, the help of one of the three Vice Presidents should be solicited (1st VP for secretary unit, 2nd VP for teachers unit, and 3rd VP for the paraprofessional unit).
What is the Executive Committee?
The Executive Committee is the governing body of the RVF. There are 22 voting members, along with several non-voting members. The President is the chairperson of this committee but only gets a vote in the case of a tie. The RVF Officers and Building/Unit Reps carry out the resolutions of the Executive Committee. Roberts Rules of Order are used at all Executive Committee Meetings.
What kinds of community and public relations is the RVF involved in?
The RVF has several community initiatives. We have partnered with the local food pantry to provide food to hungry students during the school day. We have adopted a one mile stretch of Rt 209 in our commitment to keeping our community clean. We buy books for our K-3 students at the start of every year, donate money to local children-centered organizations, and provide RVF scholarships to high school seniors.
How do the negotiations teams get chosen?
The RVF Constitution states that all negotiations teams within each unit must be elected by the members of that unit. The RVF President is the Chairperson of all negotiations committees unless he/she appoints a chair, that must then be approved by the Executive Committee.
Who should I contact if I have a potential contract violation?
A gripe is a point of frustration that may or may not be able to be resolved. A grievance is an official contract violation, with a legal procedure outlined in our contract. The job of the Building and Unit Reps is to police the contract, so they should be your first point of contact. If your Representative thinks that a violation exists, a grievance form should be filled out and sent to the RVF Grievance Chair for them to investigate further. It is important that if you think a grievance has occurred that you report this immediately. All grievances must be filed within 30 working days of the “injury”.
Who should I contact with a health and safety concern?
The RVF President appoints the Officer of Safety and Health, called “COSH”. This is the person who should be contacted, as well as your Building Rep. You can obtain the contact info by visiting the “Committees” and “Building and Unit Reps” pages.
Who should I contact for general questions on the organization, negotiations questions, District calendar, Sick Bank questions, or general secretary issues?
The RVF 1st VP.
Who should I contact for APPR questions, educational issues, or general teacher issues?
The RVF 2nd VP.
Who should I contact for general membership questions, member benefits, Vote Cope questions, Share My Lesson, or general paraprofessional issues?
The RVF 3rd VP.
Who do I contact for the latest news on political action?
Our website has live Twitter feeds of both the AFT and NYSUT. The RVF President also appoints the Political Action Chairperson, who you can contact for information.
Where can I get general information?
All RVF documents, information, upcoming events, and news can be found on our website.
What are my rights?
Unfortunately, without tenure, you have few rights. As a tenured employee, you have many rights. Please visit the ‘Your Rights’ page for more information.
How do I find out more about my union benefits?
You can visit the ‘Benefits’ page on this website for more information. For specific questions on benefits, please contact the RVF 3rd VP.
What is LAP?
LAP stands for Local Action Plan. This is how we have our community and member outreach initiatives. Anything that benefits our community, students, and members is part of LAP.
What is The Union Sound?
The Union Sound is the Newsletter of the RVF and has a President’s message, news, articles, a calendar of upcoming events, as well as opinion pieces. The Union Sound will be archived on this website under ‘Newsletter’.
What is VOTE COPE?
NYSUT has a political fund-raising arm called VOTE-COPE. VOTE-COPE is NYSUT’s non-partisan action fund that coordinates the voluntary contributions of members and supports NYSUT-endorsed candidates and campaign committees that are pro-public-education and pro-labor. For more information on VOTE-COPE visit NYSUT.
What is a TRS Delegate?
This is your Teachers Retirement System Delegate.
What is an RA Delegate?
This is your representative for NYSUT’s Representative Assembly. Your NYSUT officers are elected at this assembly.
What is the Taylor Law?
What-is-the-Taylor-Law.pdf
What are our contractual work hours?
In grades 4-12 we are required to be in the building by 7:25 AM and our contractual workday ends at 2:35 PM.
In grades Pre K- 3 we are required to be in the building by 8:30 AM and our contractual workday ends at 3:40 PM.
How many days after my announced observation (1st) can my unannounced observation (2nd) be?
The unannounced observation (2nd) can be as early as 15 working days after the announced observation (1st).
Who should I contact for retirement advice?
In general, the RVF does not give retirement advice because of the enormous liability of potentially giving wrong information and thus adversely affecting a member’s permanent pension. For ALL retirement questions, please contact TRS or ERS and set up a meeting in Albany to best address all your retirement needs.
However, because the RVF realizes the stress retirement puts on our members, we have developed this guide and an annual workshop to help you through the process.
How can I find out more info on Sick Bank?
Information can be found on both our documents page as well as our member benefits page.
For tax purposes, how do I find out what my union dues were for the year?
You can find your yearly union dues on your second pay stub in December.
