Educators Organizing for Power
This is How we get it done!
“Power building requires methodical work. MSEA is positioned to do just that. We are building stronger relationships with each other, with policymakers, with union partners, congregations, and other community organizations in every one of our locals. With new friends and new muscle, we’ll identify our common interests. Everything depends on power—how we build it and how we use it. We can stop bad policies, and promote good ones. We can meet with administrators in our buildings with confidence. We can speak at board of ed and county council meetings with our colleagues behind us. We can negotiate better contracts. We can stop bad politicians and elect good ones. Power allows our expertise to shine. It makes people listen. It lets educators drive what makes public education indispensable. “It’s time we owned our power.”
— MSEA President Paul Lemle
Allegany County Education Association Members organized for power and elected one of their endorsed board of education candidates, ousting an eight-year incumbent. The winning candidate worked closely with ACEA, collaborating on strategy and voter outreach.
Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel literacy teachers were asked to take on significant increased workload by leading several professional development sessions without increased compensation or adjustments to their assignment. Members developed a collective grievance plan where over 100 members began tracking their hours and were prepared to submit individual grievances for hourly stipend pay, which would have forced the school system to hold 100 individual hearings. When human resources learned of the mobilization, they came to the table and reached an agreement to proactively provide additional compensation in recognition of the increased workload.
Election Success: Six of seven board of education candidates recommended by TAAAC and the Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County won their races, including in several contentious races in purple districts. Members organized canvasses every weekend leading up to November 5, and volunteered for Apple Ballot shifts and GOTV canvassing. Union-driven tactical advice and campaign planning helped the candidates to victory, along with additional support from Congresswoman-elect Sarah Elfreth and the local Democratic Central Committee.
Teachers Association of Baltimore County Union members successfully used their negotiated “Educator Council” contract language that allows staff to meet with administration monthly to discuss issues that impact the school environment. The Educator Council in one school has been so successful that the administration is respecting teachers’ right to remove a disruptive student and not returning them to the classroom until the teacher has been conferred with and notified of action by administrators prior to the student’s return to the classroom.
Cecil County Classroom Teachers Association and Cecil Education Support Personnel Association CCCTA and CESPA played a long game organizing with other community groups to beat the anti-public education, budget slashing incumbent county executive in the primary election. With a strong coalition gaining strength through the summer and fall, voters were ready to right the ship and shepherded all five of the educator-recommended candidates to victory, including the county executive, two county council members, and two board of ed members. A big win that demonstrates what can happen when union members get behind goodcandidates and community groups build alliances for the common good.
Frederick Association of School Support Employees Using the ESP Bill of Rights to guide negotiations, the FASSE negotiating committee won a 4% COLA, additional personal days for roll-over, the ability to form a salary study committee, and full-time release for the union president.
Harford County Education Association HCEA is building partnerships with the district’s unions and creating a union family budget team to fight ongoing and systemic underfunding from Bob Cassilly, the county executive. Schools in the county have been underfunded by more than $265 million over the past 13 years; $65 million under Cassilly’s leadership over the last two years. He has promised to flat fund the school system again, creating a $60 million deficit just to keep the district afloat.
Unions participating to date: AFSCME, the Association of Public School Administrators and Supervisors of Harford County, the Union of Harford Community College Faculty, the Harford County Deputy Sheriff’s Union, and the public library employees union, HCPL United, which is currently organizing.
Howard County Education Association Educators and community members came together to elect HCEA’s two recommended candidates to the board of education, along the way defeating a far-right Moms for Liberty aligned candidate. Howard County officials and Congresswoman-elect Elfreth joined HCEA’s efforts, which included 90 Apple Ballot volunteers.
Montgomery County Education Association In Montgomery County all three recommended candidates won board of education seats, including educator Natalie Zimmerman. More than 100 Apple Ballot volunteers were at the polls to back the successful effort to defeat two incumbents and one extremist candidate who had appeared at events with Moms for Liberty.
Wicomico County Education Association At Pemberton Elementary, the administration was not following the non-teaching duty contract provision: “every effort will be made to ensure that teachers are assigned to no more than one duty per day.” When the union building rep spoke with the principal, it was discovered that the principal was unaware of the contract violation as the dean of students prepares the duty schedule. The principal directed the dean of students to make the required changes. Now nearly all teachers have only one duty per day as defined in their contract.
ESP Bill of Rights Bargaining Guide MSEA’s ESP Organizing Committee developed a new bargaining guide to inform local bargaining proposals and improve the working lives of union members. The guide aligns the power of the MSEA ESP Bill of Rights with strategic contract campaigns to support better contracts for support staff across the state.
MSDE Literacy Policy MSEA organized member voices to respond to MSDE’s new literacy policy and issues of equity, workload, implementation, and educator preparation. Member advocacy on behalf of students and educators has resulted in MSDE making several significant revisions, including shifting retention from a first to last resort and allowing more time for implementation. Look for more from MSEA on this in the coming weeks.
Organizing Community College Faculty MSEA is organizing community college faculty at several campuses across the state for their first-ever bargaining units. The Wor-Wic Community College Faculty Association is in its seventh month of contract negotiations with the college. A final session is scheduled for December 17. The Union of Harford Community College Faculty is gearing up to begin bargaining in January. The Riverhawk Educators Union at Anne Arundel Community College is organizing for union support.
ORGANIZING AGAINST RIFS IN QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY This summer, the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education threatened to lay off nearly 30 support staff employees—from clerical and classroom aides to food service and custodians—to close a purported $3.1 million budget gap. In a small school system those layoffs would mean a huge impact on student services, health and safety, teaching, and learning.
Queen Anne’s County Education Association (QACEA) members and President Cece Mitchell took swift action. “Initially QACPS offered a retirement incentive or furloughs.
We accepted the incentive and adamantly refused furloughs. When the incentives didn’t garner the necessary funds, QACPS summoned us to an emergency meeting and told us that our only options were to take five furlough days or to RIF more than 30 support staff to fix their budget crisis, we were appalled,” said Mitchell, who leads the merged local of certificated and support staff members. “When we shared what the board of education was proposing with members, they refused to accept the options blindly.”
The union was committed that member jobs or their paychecks would not be the first option for fixing QACPS’ budgetary shortfall. In August, 200 school support staff and teacher employees rallied in protest of the board’s actions. In September, QACEA’s members held a town hall to inform the public and packed the board’s monthly meeting.
Meanwhile, Mitchell, the QACEA executive board, and members spent countless hours combing through reports and documents looking for other ways to close the gap. These efforts resulted in requesting additional information and, when numbers continued to not add up, the issue sparked interest from the Maryland Inspector General’s office resulting in an investigation into the financials of Queen Anne’s Public Schools.
So far, the wins have been squarely on the side of QACEA: staff is taking four furlough days (down from five) to prevent RIFs for support units; paychecks remained whole from July 1 through November 1, when the furlough deduction started; and the union forced management to come to the table to hold them accountable rather than yielding to their demands.
In the meantime, the union awaits information from the preliminary inquiry opened by the Inspector General’s office and the audit opened by the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners against QACPS.
ORGANIZING FOR FAIRNESS IN HOWARD COUNTY For nearly 20 years, support staff in Howard County had tried to negotiate better contract language around technology and devices for education support professionals (ESP), but the school system refused any improvements. Addressing the problem again in 2023, the Howard County Education Association (HCEA) Rep Council endorsed a statement supporting system-issued devices:
“Every ESP needs an HCPSS-issued device, along with all appropriate technologies, to complete their job duties with fidelity and equity, and provide quality support to the students, families, and stakeholders of HCPSS.”
In late 2023, the HCEA Organizing Committee and the local’s year-round ESP Bill of Rights organizers surveyed school-based paraeducators about their access to a device. Soon after the survey, paras testified at a board of education meeting about not having access to the devices, or to adequate ones. The board immediately charged the superintendent’s office to develop a plan to supply devices to all paraeducators. Despite system upheaval, restructuring, and layoffs, in a huge win, the school system made good on its proposal to provide all paraeducators new devices in the 2024–2025 school year.
The results of the survey and extensive door-to-door canvassing by the year-round organizers showed up not only in hard stats, but at two device distribution events in August where 40 new members signed up in one day, almost all of whom had talked to or received information through the canvassing campaign. Increased membership was the result of recognizing their new device was a union-led effort—a campaign to improve their jobs that started with the union-led survey, followed by a union-led canvass, and supported by the union-led ESP Bill of Rights. Under “Workload and Staffing,” the ESP Bill of Rights clearly states: “ESPs have a right to a workload that allows them to excel in their assigned positions. ESPs deserve a voice in establishing fully staffed shifts, clear work protocols, and resources that support their job.”
ORGANIZING FOR EQUITY IN WASHINGTON COUNTY In late June of 2021, when the Washington County Board of Education approved a policy called “Teaching About Political, Cultural, and Other Controversial Issues,” few took notice until LGBTQ+ pride flags were suddenly called out as violating the new directive. They were no longer able to be displayed by educators or students, clearly undermining a vital visible support that helps make LGBTQ+ students and staff feel more safe.
Carol Mowen, president of the Washington County Teachers Association, attended the NEA Representative Assembly the following year as a delegate and saw “I’m Here” badges at the LGBTQ+ Caucus table and took the idea back home to brainstorm a work-around. WCTA leaders, members, and supportive administrators found one that the board couldn’t argue with as policies firmly in place support a culture of inclusion and diversity and non-discrimination—the “I’m Here” badge is now worn separately from the employee badge as a personal expression of support of students and staff of all marginalized and/or minority communities.
“We’ve been wearing the badges with no issues for several years. It’s voluntary and enables us to show our support not just for our LGBTQ+ students but also for LGBTQ+ parents, teachers, and staff,” Mowen said. “Now when we are challenged by an objecting parent, we let them know we support parents’ rights and encourage them to talk about these issues in age-appropriate ways about their family and religious values.”
ORGANIZING FOR SAFETY IN HARFORD COUNTY In June of 2023, a group of educators at Joppatowne High School (JOHS) developed a petition listing the safety issues they saw in their building—a PA system that didn’t work, lack of walkie-talkies, lack of staff to supervise hallways and bathrooms, no supports for students returning from alternative education placements, and more. The Harford County Education Association (HCEA) organized a meeting between these educators and the executive director of secondary school instruction and performance for Harford County Public Schools (HCPS). No action was taken by HCPS at that time.
On September 6 of this year, tragedy struck JOHS when a student was shot and killed in a school bathroom. In meeting with members in the aftermath, HCEA’s previous organizing efforts came to light. HCEA members organized to file a grievance against HCPS for not acting on the safety issues brought forward in 2023, which contributed to the tragedy.
HCPS refused to hold a grievance hearing. In response, 30 HCEA members from JOHS testified to the Harford County Board of Education at a meeting in November with a wall of supporters behind them wearing Joppatowne purple. HCEA was joined by the United Harford Community College Faculty (MSEA’s new higher education unit in the county) and supportive community groups. Some educators read their own testimony; others, overcome, had colleagues read their prepared remarks.
The organizing strategy worked. The district ultimately worked with the union to ensure that the members felt safer and more supported.
We’re facing challenging times. Building our union power means making more connections with each other and public education allies in our communities. In solidarity, we find not only strength, but comfort. Let’s keep working together—for one another and with one another to preserve and protect our students, schools, jobs, and communities.