Strength in Numbers
How a Growing MSTA Membership Makes It All Happen for You
MSTA and its local affiliates serve a variety of functions for members, but perhaps none is more important than our role as a union. Unionism has been described as a self-help program: By contributing their time, energy, leadership and money to their union, members are in a much stronger position to defend their collective interests.
But membership in unions is falling nationwide. In 1945, 35.5 percent of the American workforce was unionized; now just 12 percent of workers are union members. Last year, Andrew Stern, controversial president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), led the defection of SEIU and six other unions from the AFL-CIO. Stern charged that the legendary federation had become lazy in its recruitment of new members and lacked the vision to sustain a viable union culture in a world economy.
Yet as the representative of teachers, administrators and education support professionals throughout Maryland, MSTA and its locals have bucked this dismal trend. At 63,000 members and growing every year, the Association has been a pleasant exception. We have become one the most influential voices in the state, steadily increasing the volume on issues once considered the sole propriety of superintendents and school boards far removed from the schoolhouse.
The group that staged a rally of 12,000 members to ensure full funding of the Thornton recommendations and won bargaining rights for support personnel on the Eastern Shore is the same group offering new teacher retention programs and fighting for a decent pension and a professional salary. As times have changed, so have the interests and focuses of the Association, but it remains steadfastly dedicated to the success of Maryland public school employees and their students.
Clearly, organizing busy, overworked and underpaid professionals is no easy task. How does MSTA continue to grow and serve as a strong advocate for members in a challenging environment of employees working paycheck to paycheck, top-down mandates, restrictive labor laws, and conservative anti-union politics?
The fact is that school employees have more reasons than ever to belong to MSTA and their Local Association. These range from crucial bread-and-butter issues such as salaries, benefits, and of course, pensions, to issues that affect their jobs such as workload, professional development opportunities, the No Child Left Behind law, privatization threats and outside attempts to meddle with the curriculum.
Many lessons can be learned from MSTA locals about how they have organized and mobilized members and increased the Association’s power and influence in the process. Here are several:
Lesson #1
Use outside threats as a mobilization and recruitment tool
In Charles County, the union is actively protecting employees and students from a difficult board of education. In 2004, members of the board were talking very seriously about banning books (Zora Neale Hurston’s autobiography was one), removing science texts that they perceived as biased toward evolution, teaching sex education geared strictly to abstinence, and inviting Gideons International to distribute Bibles to students.
The Education Association of Charles County (EACC) stepped up to defend the profession, academic rigor, and the U.S. Constitution. “Separation of church and state is basic,” said Bill Fisher, EACC president. “We found that not only our membership was invigorated by our very clear opposition to the board’s proposals, but the public as well.
“New activists emerged,” Fisher continued, “and the media began calling us for comment and information. In turn, the heightened exposure illustrated to non-members that we are dynamic, effective, and politically relevant.”
The result? A front-page story in the Washington Post, and more importantly, a major increase in EACC’s “market share” (the number of members relative to the total number of eligible employees in the county).
Lesson #2
Build a strong and effective member organization
In Western Maryland’s beautiful Allegany County, membership in the local Association surpasses 90 percent for teacher, ESP and administrator units. The remarkable success of these locals means that every action taken on behalf of members is fully supported by virtually all of the school system’s employees.
The leaders in Allegany, Valerie Arch (ACTA*), Bill Payne (APASAC*) and Stewart Monroe (ACESC*), maintain a close relationship with their members. Calls to action travel quickly through the schools and worksites, keeping members focused and involved in the issues that affect their professional lives. To recruit new members to active Association roles, the locals make sure political action and professional development are both expected and
appreciated.
This wasn’t always the case in Allegany County, where 20 years ago a bare bones organization struggled for relevance. “The most important thing we had to do was set up an attractive organization for employees to join,” said Steve Benson, UniServ director for Allegany County’s teachers unit. “As members joined, we were in turn able to increase our advocacy and effectiveness.” Such increased capacity has meant more credibility with the county board of education, parents and other stakeholders in the school system. In numbers, there is power, and with that power comes respect.
“We use every opportunity we can to tap into MSTA’s training resources. When we enhance the professional status of our membership, we can do that better and more efficiently as a united front,” adds Arch, “we set ourselves up as players in the community. Our success using MSTA’s school reform program, Building Educational Success Together (BEST), has only added to our reputation as the voice for educators and students.”
Lesson #3
Make membership recruitment a part of every activity year-round
Four years into her tenure as chair of the Harford County Education Association’s (HCEA) membership committee, Rhonda Shaak’s efforts to make membership recruitment a part of every activity are paying off.
The success of HCEA’s 2004-2005 membership plan, which won MSTA’s overall membership award this year, and strong support from leaders and members shows how even a local with a “revolving door of employees” can be a success story.
“One of the things that causes us problems,” said Shaak, “is that our new hires come not planning to stay. They come here to train, and as soon as they can get hired in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New York, where the pay and pension is better—or where their families live—they leave. They aren’t likely to see why paying dues for a short stay will do them good.”
To combat such thinking, Shaak uses a constant stream of communication—all with a condensed, easy-to-complete membership application attached. The local stepped up its newsletter schedule so members are always aware of what the Association is doing on their behalf and features, that’s right, an application on the back. The same goes for flyers announcing workshops, calls to action, and social events.
Shaak also finds prime opportunities for recruitment at smaller targeted events for members and non-members. “Membership is our main focus and a smaller group means there’s more time to make friends. One-to-one contact with a colleague is still the very best way to recruit new members. We’ve been able to gain veteran teachers—some longtime non-members—just by talking with them and sharing our success stories.”
Lesson #4
Emphasize member solidarity as a benefit to all
Chuck Hunter, president of the Caroline County Teachers Association (CCTA), called every member in his local to
mobilize at a school board meeting on behalf of elementary teachers desperate for more planning time. When more than half (160) showed up, the board took notice and agreed to their request.
Hunter and other members of the Eastern Shore local witnessed in that one event the essence of employee
organizing—solidarity. The strong show of solidarity by women and men from middle and high schools, supporting their colleagues in elementary schools, impressed non-members, the board members and CCTA members themselves. “I really feel like the Association is working for me,” one member told Hunter gratefully.
The experience galvanized the membership who saw themselves reflected in the success. Hunter rode the wave and organized a picnic at a local high school to coincide with the signing of the contract featuring the planning time and other gains in negotiations. “I asked them to change the location of the contract signing to the high school,” Hunter explained. “We made it a
community event and invited members and non-members.
“After the picnic, our spouses, children, and dogs filed into the auditorium to witness the signing of the contract!” Hunter added. “It really illustrated to everyone what a positive force the Association had become.”
The victory boosted CCTA’s member numbers dramatically. “People are calling me now, asking about membership,” said Hunter. “Our presence has become important to the community.”
By continuing to grow, MSTA and its local affiliates give themselves more and more leverage to have a direct say over issues that impact members’ personal and professional lives.
“We believe in our hearts that our members deserve what we work for on their behalf,” said David Helfman, MSTA’s executive director at a recent gathering. "With a fast-growing membership, we increase our leverage which allows us to do so much more for our members, and for the academic achievement of every student in Maryland."
At MSTA headquarters, in the state’s 41 locals and in every school building, creating and nurturing a culture of membership must become second nature. To sustain and increase our effectiveness, we must never rest on our laurels or stand idle where membership is concerned.
