Executive Director’s Column: We are stronger together

In the pages of this edition of Voice, you’ve read about all kinds of good reasons to belong to PSEA.

And I hope that you value your PSEA membership as much as I value your decision to become a member in the first place.

We are stronger together.

And, because of the strength of PSEA’s membership, we have the leverage to bargain for the salaries, benefits, and working conditions you deserve.

But behind PSEA’s 181,000 members is a talented, hardworking staff –  250 strong – who strive, every day, to help you achieve these goals. Some are pictured above.

We have UniServ staff members who are out in your local associations all the time.

They’re the union representatives who help local leaders bargain contracts, work on grievances, give advice about how to handle problems in school buildings, and engage in thousands of conversations with members about all manner of issues.

We have other staff members, too, who perform all kinds of important work to further your interests.

Our legal team helps our Uni-Servs with grievances and arbitrations – and goes to court for you when you need it. Our government relations staff lobbies the General Assembly on issues that are essential to your schools, your students, and your professions. Our researchers help prepare detailed analyses of contract proposals and fact-findings to make sure you get the best possible agreement.

We have a communications team that works with the media, develops advertising, and tells your stories to the public and to other PSEA members. And we have financial, IT, and member benefits staff who help make our organization run smoothly – and save you money on things you buy every day.

In the next few months, you’ll be hearing more about why it is important to belong to PSEA. As you’ve read in these pages, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Janus case could have lasting implications for this Association.

But I’m confident you see the value in your membership.

I’m proud of each and every member of the PSEA staff team.

And I want you to know that the PSEA staff who work to further your interests every day will be working harder than ever to make sure that your membership translates into the salaries, benefits, working conditions, and respect that you deserve.

That’s what we do. And we look forward to continuing to do it – with you.  

Email Jim Vaughan: jvaughan@psea.org