We’re both. One of the core responsibilities of MSEA and its local affiliates is to bargain collectively on behalf of our members so that Maryland’s educators and school employees have the professional-level salaries and benefits and decent working conditions to be effective in their jobs. We also make sure that local employers abide by the negotiated contract and we represent member-employees in job-related legal matters when necessary.
But the value of association membership comes just as equally from our critical support role as a professional association. This includes lobbying in Annapolis, nationally and locally for improved classroom and school conditions, offering members unique professional development opportunities, and providing them with timely information, tips, and resources through our publications and website.