| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
|
The Kaukauna Education Association and WEAC Negotiations Specialist Dennis Eisenberg are winners of 2007 Paul Bierbrauer Awards for excellence in bargaining. The awards were presented Saturday (March 3, 2007) at the WEAC Winter Conference in Milwaukee.
In presenting the award to the KEA, WEAC Bargaining Goals Committee Co-Chair Tim Vedra said the association negotiated a four-year agreement "with a significant number of contractual improvements by striving to reach the WEAC Bargaining Goals, involving their members, the UniServ, WEAC, and NEA, and by being active in their bargaining caucus."
Vedra said:
"The team, led by Kevin Hansen, spokesperson, created an action team that has stayed in contact with its members and participated in a number of job actions. One of those actions included collecting food products and donating them to a local food pantry and using the action to draw attention to the number of hours members work outside the school day. The KEA has also been very active in school board elections to get recommended candidates elected."
Vedra also said the KEA was successful in bargaining settlements for 2005-09 that included many improvements to their contract, such as:
In presenting the award to Eisenberg, WEAC Bargaining Goals Committee Co-Chair Kay Hansen said his bargaining skills "have been applied to hundreds of contracts and the results have positively impacted the members of WEAC."
She noted that over the last 30 years Eisenberg has been a UniServ director, held a management position with the WEA Trust, and is currently a negotiations specialist for WEAC.
"I would like to share with you just a few of Dennis’s attributes and qualities: leadership, the ability to listen, communication skills, creativity, works well with people and above all integrity," Hansen said. "His tenacity is unwavering. Dennis Eisenberg has never waited for things to come to him. He possesses the internal fire that makes him the aggressive activist that he is.
"Dennis has the innate ability to deal with all types of personalities. His patience is unwavering and is only surpassed by his professionalism. He not only gains the trust and respect of a negotiations team; he also acquires the respect from administration and school board members as well. Dennis’ tireless and principled guidance serves as a model for achieving effective negotiations in the state of Wisconsin," Hansen said.
"When negotiations were at their worst in Medford, his professional attitude set the tone for the negotiations team. He was able to diffuse and redirect emotions in what was an ongoing and contentious situation. Despite continued adversity with the school board, Dennis would 'smile' and adhere to his convictions that 'we are going to get this settled.' Through Dennis’ leadership and innovation, Medford was able to achieve a contract that truly benefits the teachers of the district.
"What Dennis Eisenberg did for Medford is what he does for each and every one of us every day," Hansen said. "We are very fortunate to have this knowledgeable professional working for us and with us. Dennis Eisenberg’s passion and caring for what he does is evident to all who come in contact with him. Dennis is always here for us. One of the reasons we know this comes from a comment Dennis made to a member, 'If you’re up, I’m up. So, call anytime.'
"Paul Bierbrauer was a true activist and worked tirelessly for our members. This award was set up to honor him and that we would not forget what he had done. Dennis Eisenberg is carrying on in the tradition of Paul Bierbrauer and what this award is all about," she said.
Posted March 6, 2007
