Union Link | Winter 2015

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2 Our Path Forward People get ready, there’s a change a-comin’. 5 Thank You

IFT activists make a difference in Election 2014. 9 Be Part of Something Big

Help build the next generation of labor leaders. 10 Labor Leader Honored

IFT dedicates conference room to Dick Manley, Local 604.

Connecting you to your union, because together we are stronger.

WINTER 2015

Major Pension Victory, But the Fight Continues in Supreme Court

“ It’s a great day for working families in Illinois, and the IFT is proud to have played a leading role in this outcome as part of the We Are One Illinois coalition.”

In a huge victory for IFT members and all public employees, a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge in November granted motions brought by the We Are One Illinois union coalition and other plaintiffs. The ruling confirmed what we have said all along: the pension clause of the Illinois Constitution is absolute in its protection of public pensions and that legislation (SB 1) reducing the pensions of active and retired teachers, state employees, and university employees is “unconsti-tutional and void in its entirety.” “It is a great day for working families in Illinois, and the IFT is proud to have played

a leading role in this outcome as part of the We Are One Illinois coalition,” said IFT President Dan Montgomery after the decision. As expected, the state appealed the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, and then filed a motion asking that the proceedings be expedited. We Are One and other plaintiffs objected and filed a motion requesting that the court adhere to its normal schedule for hearing appeals or approve an acceptable schedule that would allow all parties adequate time to respond, which they did. The fight continues in 2015. Oral arguments begin in March.

As Curtis Mayfield sang to us in 1967—“People get ready, there’s a change a-comin’.” In our current situation, however, it’s change we might not welcome. As Bruce Rauner takes the reins as the first Illinois GOP governor in a decade, he poses real challenges to us. He has said that he opposes public sector unions and our right to collectively bargain, that he wants to reduce public workers’ salaries, and that he wants to expand charter schools and school vouch-ers. I’m sure he’s got quite a few more ideas up his sleeve that we haven’t heard of yet. So, we’ve got to make like Curtis Mayfield and get ready.

How do we do that? We have to stand strong for what we believe in—great

schools, colleges, and universities; strong and healthy public services that enable government to help all citizens pursue happiness; a vibrant economy that allows for growth and advancement for each of us, not just the wealthy. And, we need to act together collectively in our unions to press for and achieve those goals.

If Governor Rauner interferes with our abilities to be a union that acts together

achievement, of working to improve our schools and institutions of higher learning, of building stronger departments in state government, and of creating a more secure economic future for all of us. It works best when it’s personal.

Yes, Governor Rauner poses challenges to us, but we must face them with the confidence that comes from acting together for the greater common good. To do that, we must have strong local unions in which we each know why we came together as a union in the first place and that we are still willing to shoulder some work for the good of all. It’s the only way we have ever achieved anything worthwhile. So, in the coming weeks the IFT will be working with all of our local unions to strengthen our structures and reconnect us to each other and our greater purpose. I need you to get ready and do your part. There is change a-comin’, indeed, and if we get ready, we’ll be able to face it together.

In solidarity,

Dan

Union Link is published four times a year by the Illinois Federation of Teachers. 500 Oakmont Lane, Westmont, IL 60559.

Phone: 630/468-4080www.ift-aft.org

Daniel J. MontgomeryPresidentChief Operating Officer

Karen GJ LewisExecutive Vice President

Marcia K. CampbellSecretary-Treasurer

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Union Link, 500 Oakmont Lane, Westmont, IL 60559.

MEMBERS: To change your address, notify your local union treasurer.

Aviva BowenDirector of Communications

Beth CamplainMedia Director

Amy ExcellMedia Director Kenzo Shibata Media Director

Jennifer ViskProfessional Support Staff Communications

GOING GREEN:Union Link is printed on recycled paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and printed with environmentally- friendly soy-based inks.

© 2015 ILLINOIS FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AFT, AFL-CIO

for the common good—as he seems to want to do—then we cannot use our collective voices to improve schools and public services. If we can’t raise our voices together, then we cannot forcefully work for the middle class values that labor has helped create and that we strive for each day.

So, strengthening our local unions at our individual workplaces must be our top priority right now. Let me say that again: Our first task in 2015 must be for each one of us to take a personal hand in making our unions stronger in our places of work. The first step is to look around and take stock. Ask yourself: Is your local union or council as active as it can be? How can you help make it stronger? Does your school,

college, or office have a building rep? Do you meet regularly? Do you know what are the most urgent issues to address in your workplace? Do your colleagues? What issue – big or small – fires people up in your community or school?

Identifying and organizing around the issues that are meaningful to your local union is the way we build power. Our unions have long histories of action and

People Get ReadyDaniel J. MontgomeryPresident

OUR PATH FORWARD

E-mailDanI’d love to hear from you!Please write to me at [email protected] and tell me how you and your local are getting ready.

Yes, Governor Rauner poses challenges to us, but we must face them with the confidence that comes from acting together for the greater common good.

UNION LINK | WINTER 2015 3

students by driving away high-quality, veteran teachers. Support from the Lake County Federation of Teachers, IFT, AFT, and other unions helped to keep the members energized during the strike, and tremendous community support

Parents, students, and the community rallied behind the members of the Waukegan Teachers’ Council of Local 504 in October, helping to end a 20-day strike and secure a three- year contract that benefits students and educators. The 1,200 teachers and certified staff who serve 17 schools in District 60 were forced to the picket lines in the fall after working without a contract since June. Several negotiating sessions had not resulted in an agreement. As with previous contract negotiations, school board members demonstrated an unwillingness to take negotiations seriously or follow bargaining rules. Council members were concerned that this contract instability was harming

MoreInformationTo find out more visit Waukegan Teachers Council on Facebook at Facebook.com/WaukeganTeachersCouncil.

was key to pressuring the school board to bargain seriously until an agreement was reached. “We are grateful to the entire Waukegan community that struggled with us through these difficult times,” said Kathy Schwarz, Council president. “After years of instability, we are hopeful that this agreement will be the first step in giving our students the schools they deserve.”

COMMUNITY SUPPORT HELPS END

WAUKEGAN STRIKE

Waukegan students stood beside their teachers throughout the strike.

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UNION LINK | WINTER 20154

Lessons learned from a successful initiative to expand learning time at schools in Meriden, Conn., can help other unions work with districts to significantly increase opportunities for at-risk students, according to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. The AFT has released a handbook, “It’s About Time: Lessons from Expanded Learning Time in Meriden, Conn.,” that explains how three elementary schools’ use of time was redesigned. The manual provides suggestions and advice for educators and school officials interested in both expanded learning time for students and more collaboration time for teachers. The Meriden initiative has been supported over the past three years with grants from the AFT Innovation Fund, as well as federal and state fund-ing. The work is part of a larger effort to expand learning time in Connecticut, with assistance from the National Center on Time & Learning, a Boston-based nonprofit organization.

Weingarten noted that people tend to associate expanded learning time with charter schools, but the Meriden model shows it can be done in traditional public schools. In Meriden, teachers’ schedules are staggered, and community partners play a key role in providing a rich array of activities for students. In these schools, 100 minutes were added each day for enrichment programs such as fitness, multicultural arts, multicul-tural literacy, woodworking, technology

more opportunities to work together to plan lessons.

The handbook discusses key consider-ations for planning an effective expand-ed learning time program, strategies for effective scheduling, how to work with community partners, and more. One of the important lessons noted in the hand-book is the need for regular evaluations and midcourse corrections as warranted.

“It’s really a soup-to-nuts account of how we did what we did,” said Erin Benham, president of the Meriden Federation of Teachers. “Meriden teach-ers wanted more time to collaborate to help their students. By re-engineering the school day at three schools, they have created a strong sense of collabo-ration and community.”

Mark Benigni, the superintendent of Meriden Public Schools, has been a champion of the work from the start. “Our students are excited to come to school and experience all of the offer-ings that the longer and more flexible day offers. It’s really a strong example of the power of a district, a teachers union, and outside support coming together to take a bold idea and make it a reality for students and teachers,” Benigni said.

AFT Releases

‘How-To’ Manual on Expanding Learning Time

MoreInformationTo download “It’s About Time: Lessons from Expanded Learning Time in Meriden, Conn.,” visit http://bit.ly/1rVhEGx.

and engineering, science and math, as well as academic intervention.

“The Meriden experience shows that innovation and flexibility stem from true labor-management-community col-laboration,” Weingarten said. “It takes support, resources, respect and time.”

While the initiative is still new—two schools expanded their learning day in the 2012-13 school year, followed by a third in fall 2014—the district points to several signs of success. In addition to significant math and reading growth, average daily attendance has improved to 98 percent, and virtually all students think their teachers motivate them to learn and are fair and caring. Teach-ers, meanwhile, feel a stronger sense of community as professionals and enjoy


Federal CandidatesU.S. SenateRichard (Dick) Durbin (D)

U.S. House of Representatives1 Bobby Rush (D)2 Robin Kelly (D)4 Luis Gutierrez (D)5 Mike Quigley (D)6 Michael Mason (D)7 Danny Davis (D)8 Tammy Duckworth (D)9 Jan Schakowsky (D)10 Brad Schneider (D)11 Bill Foster (D)12 William Enyart (D)13 Ann Callis (D)14 Dennis Anderson (D)17 Cheri Bustos (D)

State CandidatesGovernor/Lt. GovernorPat Quinn/Paul Vallas (D)

Attorney GeneralLisa Madigan (D)

Secretary of StateJesse White (D)

ComptrollerJudy Baar Topinka (R)

TreasurerMichael Frerichs (D)

lllinois Senate3 Mattie Hunter (D)6 John Cullerton (D)12 Steve Landek (D)18 Bill Cunningham (D)24 Suzanne Glowiak (D)30 Terry Link (D)36 Mike Jacobs (D)39 Don Harmon (D)42 Linda Holmes (D)45 Tim Bivins (R)48 Andy Manar (D)51 Chapin Rose (R)57 James Clayborne (D)

IL House of Representatives4 Cynthia Soto (D)5 Ken Dunkin (D)6 Esther Golar (D)7 Emanuel (Chris) Welch (D)8 La Shawn Ford (D)

9 Art Turner (D)10 Pamela Reaves-Harris (D)11 Ann Williams (D)12 Sara Feigenholtz (D)13 Greg Harris (D)14 Kelly Cassidy (D)15 John D’Amico (D)16 Lou Lang (D)17 Laura Fine (D)18 Robyn Gabel (D)19 Robert Martwick (D)20 Michael McAuliffe (R)22 Michael Madigan (D)24 Lisa Hernandez (D)25 Barbara Currie (D)27 Monique Davis (D)28 Robert Rita (D)30 Will Davis (D) 31 Mary Flowers (D)32 Andre Thapedi (D)33 Marcus Evans (D)34 Elgie Sims (D)35 Frances Hurley (D)36 Kelly Burke (D)37 Nichole (Nicki) Serbin (D)38 Al Riley (D)39 Will Guzzardi (D)40 Jaime Andrade (D)41 Ed Agustin (D)

43 Anna Moeller (D)44 Fred Crespo (D)45 Jenny Burke (D)46 Deborah Conroy (D)50 Valerie Burd (D)53 David Harris (R)55 Martin Moylan (D)58 Scott Drury (D)59 Carol Sente (D)60 Rita Mayfield (D)61 Loren Karner (D)62 Sam Yingling (D)64 Joel Mains (D)66 Michael Tryon (R)68 John Cabello (R)70 Robert Pritchard (R)71 Mike Smiddy (D)72 Patrick Verschoore (D)74 Don Moffitt (R)75 Martha Shugart (D)76 Frank Mautino (D)78 Camille Lilly (D)79 Katherine (Kate) Cloonen (D)80 Anthony Deluca (D)83 Linda Chapa LaVia (D)84 Stephanie Kifowit (D)86 Larry Walsh (D)87 Rich Brauer (R)91 Michael Unes (R)

92 Jehan Gordon-Booth (D)93 Norine Hammond (R)95 Wayne Rosenthal (R)96 Sue Scherer (D)97 Moira Dunn (D)98 Natalie Manley (D)99 Raymond Poe (R)100 C.D. Davidsmeyer (R)101 Bill Mitchell (R)102 Adam Brown (R)103 Carol Ammons (D)104 Chad Hays (R)105 Dan Brady (R)107 John Cavaletto (R)108 Charles Meier (R)111 Daniel Beiser (D)112 Cullen Cullen (D)113 Jay Hoffman (D)114 Eddie Jackson (D)115 William Kilquist (D)116 Jerry Costello (D)118 Brandon Phelps (D)

Appellate Court 1st District(Murphy vacancy) David Ellis (D)(Steele vacancy ) John Simon (D)

GENERAL ELECTION | RESULTS OF IFT ENDORSED CANDIDATESBLUE = WIN GRAY = LOSS

As you know, the results of Election 2014 were not all working people and IFT members had hoped. While it was disappointing that many Illinoisans took the wrong path by voting for Bruce Rauner for Governor, you worked harder than ever before to spread the truth about the candidates and the issues – and it mattered. Your efforts on behalf of public education and workers during the months leading up to Election Day were unprecedented. Members and your families around the state volunteered more than 17,000 hours to register voters, knock on doors, and make phone calls for IFT-endorsed candidates. As part of labor’s 2014 statewide political program, IFT members made up more than

40 percent of the phone banks and more than 20 percent of the volunteers for neigh-borhood canvassing. You understood what was at stake, and you gave it everything you had to help others understand too. Thanks to you, there was plenty of good news down the ballot on Election Day. Across the state, voters elected IFT-endorsed candidates who will be strong advocates in Springfield and Washington, D.C., for public education and workers. Dick Durbin was reelected to the Senate, many legislative candidates triumphed to maintain Democratic super-majorities in the State House and Senate, and Sen. Mike Frerichs will be our next State Treasurer, after fighting through one of the closest races in Illinois history.

Your efforts also led to the approval of important ballot questions that sent strong messages to state lawmakers. Voters over-whelmingly called for a higher minimum wage and demanded that millionaires pay their fair share to help fund education. While we are disappointed in the guberna-torial outcome, this campaign strengthened our resolve and united working families in our fight for fairness like never before.

Along with our brothers and sisters in labor, you spoke with hundreds of thousands of voters and created a powerful network to harness in the future. We are sure to face some very serious challenges ahead, but thanks to you we are stronger than ever to take them on — together.

YOUTHANK H

This list only reflects results in districts where the IFT endorsed a candidate.


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in Election 2014DIFFERENCEmake

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RegisterTodayRegister at ift-aft.org to recieve important legislative updates from IFT.

Often I’m asked, “What’s going to happen under Governor Rauner?” It’s a fair question, but difficult to answer. Never before has Illinois elected a Governor who campaigned on no more than a generic promise to simply “Shake Up Springfield.”

But we know this: it’s not likely that Governor Rauner will make your job easier. We hope he will be successful as Governor – we all need him to be – but so far, he hasn’t shown any interest in becoming a friend of workers and our unions. It’s more likely that his administration will find ways to use the bully pulpit of state government to threaten the collective bargaining rights, wages, and benefits that hundreds of thousands of Illinois families like yours rely on.

Rauner’s biggest challenge, of course, is the state budget. Governor Quinn struggled to make cuts, but did so by

union leadership and one another. And, after investing millions of his own money into charter schools, we expect the Governor to push for tax dollars that support charter expansion and vouchers.

All of this is plausible - and possible.

That’s why the IFT and our locals are preparing. We’ve seen the failed ex-periments and hardship in other states, some not far from here. In Springfield, our Department of Political Activities is working with legislative partners and others who value the services IFT members provide and the citizens we serve. Across the state, locals are working to strengthen their unions and engage their communities.

But it will take more than IFT staff and leaders to win this fight. Every member must raise his or her voice like never before. The election is over, but the work has just begun.

eliminating $5 billion in operating expenses during his term in office. Now, Rauner faces a massive revenue drop as the state’s 2011 temporary income tax increase is set to expire this month. Despite that, our new self-proclaimed anti-tax Governor will have to find a way to either fully pay the state’s annual obligation toward retirement system debts (as Governor Quinn did) or find a way to avoid the payments.

He’ll also have to figure out how to keep his campaign pledge to increase education spending. To accomplish that, he’ll have to be true to his some-times-contradictory promises about closing corporate tax loopholes and reducing business obligations, which he claims are killing job creation.

For a while, Governor Rauner will enjoy a honeymoon, as the media and folks at the Statehouse cut him a little slack while he tries to wrap his arms around the job. Will he use that time to finally put all of his plans on the table and recognize that governing is harder than campaigning? We’ll see soon enough.

In the meantime, the IFT is not sitting idly by. While we are hoping for the best, we’re readying for a Rauner administration that could aim to make union affiliation an absurdly arduous process. From what he said on the campaign trail, we anticipate a push to significantly reduce collective bargain-ing rights or enact unfair merit pay schemes. We expect to see efforts to pit rank-and-file members against their

by Toby Trimmer IFT Director of Political Activities

Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst


Founded in 1948 by a group of forward thinking labor leaders and progressive academics, DePaul University’s Labor Center serves as a resource center for students, labor activists, academics, and community leaders seeking a deeper understanding of labor issues and economic justice.

To help build the next generation of labor leaders, the DePaul Labor Center develops the skills of emerging leaders and helps some of the most seasoned labor professionals to identify opportunities and craft strategic approaches to overcoming adversity.

The DePaul Labor Center builds the capacity of unions and worker organizations to address a challenging political and economic environment through high school and college union training, continued education programs, and the facilitation of transformative conversations about the labor movement.

PROGRAM OFFERINGSThe DePaul Labor Center’s Regina V. Polk High School Program provides organized labor education curriculum to more than 3,000 Illinois high school students annually.

• Union Summer School Prepare for college level coursework and learn what it takes to be part of the labor movement. Union Summer School students learn about labor history, collective bargaining, and how organized labor is critical to achieving economic justice.

Session 1: June 22-26 in Ottawa Session 2: July 6-10 in Chicago To apply, visit bit.ly/UnionSummerSchool

• Summer Internship Program Gain professional experience and build your skillset for the future. The DePaul Labor Center coordinates internship placements, provides a program orientation, and facilitates weekly cohort meetings for all interns.

Program runs June 29 - July 31 To apply, visit bit.ly/LaborInternship

• Scholarships Call (312) 362-5823 to learn about scholarships available throught the DePaul Labor Center.

Be Part of

Something

LearnMoreTo learn about these programs and other opportunities with the DePaul Labor Education Center, email Nora Kelley at [email protected].

BIG


IFT Honors Longtime Labor Leader Richard “Dick” Manley adds energy and experience to any room he walks into, so it’s only appropriate that a room at IFT headquarters now bears his name.

For more than 40 years, Manley has tirelessly served the IFT and his local union, AFT Local 604. In recognition of his success, dedication, and com-mitment, the IFT Executive Board in October named the “Richard Manley Executive Conference Room” in his honor at the union’s Westmont headquarters. A physics teacher for 34 years at Lock-port Township High School, Manley first served as the president of AFT Local 1291 before being elected president of AFT Local 604 at the local’s inception in 1976. He hasn’t looked back since.

Instead, he has spent his life advancing the cause of public education, unions,

and his members. Through his organizing efforts over the last 35 years, AFT Local 604 has grown to be the second largest union in the IFT with more than 12,000 members in 75 councils in 10 Illinois counties, including Will and Kane. Along the way, Manley has improved the lives and livelihoods of workers and their families. He has negotiated hundreds of collective bargaining agreements, defended members’ rights, influenced public policy through political action, built strong, powerful alliances with other labor unions, developed and supported effective professional development programs for Local 604 members, and mentored future union leaders to ensure his local will stay strong. But the impact of Manley’s efforts goes far beyond his own local. After 39 years, he continues to work in the best interests of all IFT members as an elected Vice President on the union’s Executive Board, a member of the Executive Committee, and chair of the IFT Defense Committee, a role he has held since 1975. In our national union, Manley was an AFT Vice

LearnMoreTo learn more about the history of IFT visit ift-aft.org/your-union/labor-101.

IFT President Dan Montgomery, Dick Manley, President of AFT Local 604, and IFT Secretary-Treasurer Marcia Campbell, in front of the newly named Richard Manley Executive Conference Room during the dedication.

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Read “I am IFT” in every issue of Union Link to learn how your fellow members are Powering Forward.

President for 18 years, and served as chairperson of the union’s defense com-mittee during that time. At the IFT Convention in 2010, Manley received a lifetime achievement award for his activism and the positive impact he has had on the lives of many thousands of union members. But his years as a teacher have had the greatest impact of all. A former student who became a teacher recently wrote in a letter to Manley:

We couldn’t say it any better ourselves. Thanks, Dick. Here’s to 40 more years!

“Those of us in your class always knew that you were a good teacher, but in trying to present the same material myself, I’ve gained a new appreciation for that fact... If one day my kids can carry away half as many memories of my class as I’ve kept of yours, I’d consider myself lucky. Thank you again for the job you did.”


LearnMoreFor more information about the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards, visit http://bit.ly/1wSvx3F.

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IFT

IFT Member Named Teacher of the YearSteve Elza, a member of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1211, was named Illinois Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) during an awards banquet in October. Elza is an automotive technol-ogy teacher at William Fremd High School in Palatine. “Steve is an important role model both for his students, colleagues and for those individuals thinking about a career as a teacher,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. College hadn’t been a part of Elza’s plan until a high school mentor encouraged him. Eventually, he became the first person in his family to attend college and graduate. He quickly discovered teaching was his dream job.

ISBE noted that Elza is known for his extraordinary efforts to support each student in his classroom.

“We have to make sure every student has a place in that high school,” Elza said. “I get to know each student personally and build the trust that’s necessary for learning to happen.”

His automotive technology program has achieved the prestigious National Auto-motive Technician Education Foundation certification and has led students to multiple state and national competitions. Elza was chosen as one of 12 finalists after more than 200 nominees were reviewed and scored by a committee of administrators, teachers, and school board members. Superintendent Koch made the final decision. As Illinois Teacher of the Year, Elza will tour the state to speak at teaching workshops, educational conferences, and community meetings. He will also represent Illinois at the NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, AL, and in the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and ING. Congratulations to Steve for his outstanding achievement!

MoreInfoTo learn about the Illinois Teacher of the Year program, visit isbe.net/those-who-excel.

Downstate IFT Teachers Awarded for ExcellenceThe Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards, sponsored by Emerson Electric Company, annually recognizes more than 100 educators in the St. Louis metropolitan area who are examples of excellence in their field. Fifteen IFT members were among 25 educators who were recognized with the award in November. Congratulations to these IFT members: Rebecca Brombolich, Belle Valley Federation of Teachers, Local 4465 Eric Curry, O’Fallon Federation of Teachers, Local 3939

Karen Fitzgerald, Harmony-Emge-Ellis Federation of Teachers, Local 4131

Teresa Goodhue, O’Fallon Classroom Teachers Association, Local 628

Brad Gotshall, Pontiac-Wm. Holliday Federation of Teachers, Local 1811

Sheri Herbeck, Southwestern Illinois Federation of Teachers, Belleville Grade Council, Local 6600

Hope Heslop, Shiloh Education Association, Local 4755

Bethany Kazmierczak, Wolf Branch Federation of Teachers, Local 6117

Amy Leritz, Whiteside Federation of Teachers, Local 4130

Kelly Maher, High Mount Federation of Teachers, Local 2175

Brian Papa, Madison Federation of Teachers, Local 763

Victoria Saksa, East St. Louis Federation of Teachers, Local 1220

Nancy Schoon, Southwestern Illinois Federation of Teachers, Grant-Illini Council, Local 6600

Lisa Vollmer, Central Teachers Association, Local 4673

Bob Weck, Southwestern Illinois College Faculty, Local 4183

Steve Elza, Northwest Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1211

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IFT PRESIDENTS’ CONFERENCEMARCH 6-8

Crowne Plaza, Springfield

UNION LEADERSHIP INSTITUTEWINTER SESSION

February 7-8RMH Center, Westmont

SPRING SESSIONApril 25-26

RMH Center, Westmont

For complete course descriptions and to register, visit ift-aft.org/ULI

Illinois Federation of TeachersP.O. Box 390Westmont, IL 60559

Non-ProfitU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit no. 40

OAK BROOK, IL

CONNECTING YOU TO YOUR UNION, BECAUSE TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER.

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Union Link | Winter 2015