Montgomery County Education Association

UniServ Director
Member Representation

Based in Rockville, MD

 

PROGRAM AREA: Field Operations
POSITION TITLE: UniServ Director
BARGAINING UNIT: Professional Staff Organization
REPORTS TO: Manager, Member Representation
STARTING SALARY: $89,288.96

The Montgomery County Education Association is seeking applicants for UniServ Director (UD). A major role of the UD is to embrace the work of organizing to develop strong leaders who advocate for themselves, their students, and for public education. In this role, focused on member representation, the UD is responsible for all areas of collective bargaining and contract administration for the Montgomery County Education Association. This is a highly visible position with extensive contact with union members, MCEA and MSEA officers, Montgomery County Public School Administration, Montgomery County Board of Education.

MCEA represents 14,000+ professional educators in the Montgomery County Public Schools system in suburban Washington D.C. MCEA is one of the 15 largest local educator unions in the nation and is an affiliate of the National Education Association. We are committed to educational excellence and social justice and believe that the future well-being of our members depends on the success of our schools. For more information, go to www.mceanea.org.

Essential Job Duties

• Assist bargaining unit employees in all aspects of employee/employer labor and employment relations, including and not limited to
  • Contract enforcement through the grievance procedure;
  • Representation for unit members at disciplinary meetings and Loudermill hearings;
  • Research, plan, and present cases during grievance procedures, including arbitration hearings;
  • Assist with administrative appeals before the local Board of Education and investigate complaints/unfair labor practices filed pursuant to the State of Maryland Public Employee Relations Board.
• Attend Representative Assembly meetings, labor management and other meetings to provide support, such as and not limited to training, guidance, and coaching on contract interpretation and enforcement.
• Create and present reports as requested.
• Visit work sites frequently to communicate with workers and support members in various capacities, offering training, coaching, guidance, and logistical support related to worksite-level investigatory and disciplinary meetings, as well as member workgroups, committees, and labor management processes.
• Participate and support campaigns conducted by the local and state affiliate, including organizing and political campaigns.
• Serve on internal project teams (intra and inter departmental).

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• A thorough understanding of public sector unionism and labor law;
• Exceptional attention to accuracy and detail is required;
• Strong strategic, problem solving, and critical thinking are necessary;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Representatives operate with general supervision and must be self-motivated and able to prioritize and effectively manage a large volume of complex issues.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize competing tasks and manage work under weekly, monthly and quarterly deadlines;
• Demonstrated positive attitude and effectiveness in working independently and in a team environment;
• Adept interpersonal relationship skills to work harmoniously with MCEA and MSEA staff, management, union leaders, and affiliates;
• Strong work ethic and self-motivation are essential;
• Ability to operate within an office and field setting;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong listening skills, ability to compose simple correspondence and verbally convey information clearly;
• Experience with Zoom and Microsoft Office applications is required.

Responsibilities

• Leadership Development: Develop and maintain effective member committees and workgroups through the recruitment, training, and support of building leaders and other union leaders. Regular one-on-one contact with leaders will be required. Support leaders in various program work as part of MCEA’s commitment to social justice and professional unionism.
• Recruitment: Working with building representatives and recruiting new members to participate in union activities and political campaigns. Regular one-on-one contact with members will be required.
• Communication: Maintain regular and effective communication with workers in assigned buildings through personal visits, flyers, phone calls, emails, bulletin board postings, and meetings. Respond to telephone messages in a timely manner.
• Representation: Interpret negotiated agreements and other relevant laws, codes, regulations, policies, and practices and assist union members in understanding their rights. Provide assertive and prepared advocacy, handle grievances, appeals, requests for hearings, and other formal personnel matters on behalf of union members. Handle preparation of hearings, including investigation and preparation of witnesses and exhibits. Assist union members in achieving informal resolutions of work-related problems.
• Collective Bargaining: Conduct bargaining surveys, salary surveys, and other research activities to strengthen the negotiating position of the bargaining unit.
• Issue Campaigns: Participate in the development and implementation of effective strategies and coordinated activities to elevate educator voice. Identify significant worksite and/or departmental issues and develop strategies and tactics to effectively address them, including petitions, group grievances, work actions, etc.
• Legislative and Electoral Campaigns: Participate in and recruit members to participate in legislative and electoral campaign activities, including lobbying, phone banking, letter-writing, door-to-door canvassing, and other activities.

REQUIREMENTS

• Salaried position
• Work is on site/in person.
• Travel is required, primarily within Montgomery County.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license, must have auto insurance that covers business driving, and must
• possess an automobile for business use.

COMPENSATION
MCEA offers a competitive salary based on the negotiated agreement with the Professional Staff Organization. MCEA also provides a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage, retirement savings plan, and long-term disability insurance.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

• Requires nonstandard work hours including night, weekend, and holidays.
• Work is performed in a variety of settings – in schools, school district offices, a typical office work environment, and outdoors.
• This position requires frequent driving throughout the county to various locations.
• Must be able to occasionally remain in a stationary position up to 50% of the time.
• The person in this position needs to regularly move about inside the office to access materials, office equipment, attend meetings and events, etc.
• The person in this position needs to regularly move about inside other locations to meet with public officials and community members, traverse member worksites to conduct one-on-one conversations and group meetings, support members in collective action, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer, cell phone, and office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and computer printer.
• Frequently moves equipment & supplies weighing up to 25 pounds for various meeting and event needs.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Occasionally works in outdoor weather conditions to support member activities (e.g. rallies, picket lines) and conduct political campaign activities (e.g. precinct/neighborhood canvasses, apple ballot distribution, literature drops)

DISCLAIMER
The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship. MCEA retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
MCEA is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Qualified applicants should send cover letter, résumé, and 3 writing samples to Yasmina Mrabet, c/o Sonya Addison-Dove at: sadove@mceanea.org Subject: UniServ Director - Representation