What is the role of a PSEA UniServ anyway? In this episode, UniServ for the Southern Region Stephanie Cramer joins PSEA President Aaron Chapin and Treasurer Rachael West to break it all down. From contract negotiations to advocating for individual members, find out how UniServs serve members and how you can make the most of this valuable resource.
What is the role of a PSEA UniServ anyway? In this episode, UniServ for the Southern Region Stephanie Cramer joins PSEA President Aaron Chapin and Treasurer Rachael West to break it all down. From contract negotiations to advocating for individual members, find out how UniServs serve members and how you can make the most of this valuable resource.
Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to podcast@psea.org.
Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.
Narrator (00:02):
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you from cutting edge classroom strategies to thought provoking policy discussions. If it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin (00:24):
Hello and welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA President Aaron Chapin, and I'm here with PSEA Treasurer Rachael West. Hello, Rachael.
Rachael West (00:33):
Good morning, Aaron. How are you
Aaron Chapin (00:34):
Doing? I'm doing fantastic. It's another great day here at PSEA. Rachael, I was thinking on my way in today, we were both local leaders. I was president, chief negotiator. What were some of your roles in your local?
Rachael West (00:47):
I was president of my local and for a few years, and then I was grievance chair for about a decade.
Aaron Chapin (00:53):
Excellent. I'm betting it's safe to say that you didn't have all the answers when you were in your leadership capacities.
Rachael West (01:00):
Absolutely not.
Aaron Chapin (01:01):
Well, neither did I, and in fact, it's safe to say I would not be here today as PSEA president if it wasn't for my UniServ, and thankfully we didn't have to have all the answers. PSEA signs a UniServ to each of our more than 1000 locals. Many of our locals work hand in hand with our UniServ staff, and that's where today's guest comes in. Today our guest is PSEA, UniServ, Stephanie Cramer. Hello, Stephanie.
Stephanie Cramer (01:30):
Hello, Aaron. Hello Rachael.
Aaron Chapin (01:33):
Stephanie is one of our UniServ from the southern region. We're excited to talk shop with her and shed some light on the role and responsibilities of UniServ and how they work to make our members' jobs and lives just a little bit easier. So again, welcome Stephanie. It's great to have you here.
Stephanie Cramer (01:49):
It's great to be here, Aaron. Thank you. I
Aaron Chapin (01:51):
Know this is probably one of your greatest honors when you're as a UniServ.
Stephanie Cramer (01:55):
Absolutely, it is. I'm super excited.
Aaron Chapin (01:57):
Well, we were talking beforehand. It was about, I don't know, 10 years ago I was attending the Gettysburg Leadership Conference and Stephanie was the instructor of my leadership B class. And who knew that a decade later here we would be talking about this with our members.
Stephanie Cramer (02:13):
Actually, Aaron, I think I knew you were an outstanding student in that class.
Aaron Chapin (02:17):
Well, thank you. But the contract's already been signed. So let's get started because we've got a number of questions and topics for us to talk about today. First off, for our new members or for those who have yet that have needed your services, what does a UniServ do?
Stephanie Cramer (02:35):
Well, a UniServ is quite a complex job, a complex position, and really the main responsibility that I have as a UniServ is our member to member services, direct services to our membership, providing them support advocacy and negotiating contracts and providing support through grievance process.
Aaron Chapin (02:57):
Well, that's a lot.
Rachael West (02:59):
It is, and actually s and I worked very closely together in southern region when I was the grievance chair for my local Red Lion, and so I relied on Stephanie pretty heavily the last few years.
Aaron Chapin (03:10):
Oh, so about how many members do you then really have responsibility for inside your locals and PSEA?
Stephanie Cramer (03:18):
So I have a cluster that has 14 different locals that oversees about 12 contracts, and I have about 2100 members that I'm responsible for.
Aaron Chapin (03:30):
Wow, that is amazing.
Rachael West (03:33):
I can't imagine trying to keep track of that many people. We're going to ask you to break down your job responsibilities into some buckets. I imagine you mentioned advocacy, bargaining, contract negotiations and your relationship with your local leaders. Does that sound right? Can you expand on any of that?
Stephanie Cramer (03:50):
I think that summarizes it pretty well. I would say again, our main position that we have is to provide that advocacy and that member to member service. So that is whether we're giving guidance on different types of leave, we're providing support and interpretation of the contract with members, providing them assistance in any way that they would see that they would need that assistance on their job. And then we do contract negotiations. That is one of the main things that we do and one of the things that our members appreciate the most and negotiating those strong contracts with their school districts to improve their wages and working conditions. And my day-to-day contact is typically with the local leader, the local president. We usually have a chain of command, so the local president reaches out to me and I provide guidance and support to that local president who then goes back to the membership or to the administration.
Aaron Chapin (04:52):
So I'm imagining over the last few years, your job probably has gotten a little bit more difficult, challenging just because we have so many of our local presidents that are brand new, about 60%, I think it's a little bit more brand new. Are you finding that down in the southern region as well?
Stephanie Cramer (05:12):
We are. I know just in my tenure, I mean typically their terms run two to three years. The pandemic was extremely difficult for our local presidents, so we have seen a huge turnover and just needing additional guidance and support, but that's what we're here for, offAarong trainings for them and making sure that they have the tools that they need.
Aaron Chapin (05:36):
You were talking about contracts, and I just know I went to college to be an elementary school teacher. I did not take any classes and how to come to a contract with the school district. So I'm guessing a lot of your local leaders outside the experiences that they can get with our trainings, they really come in void of those tools to really come up with a good contract and that's where you kind of slide in there.
Stephanie Cramer (06:04):
Yes, and probably finding that even our enrollment with negotiations has expanded over the last few years. Arguing has become a little bit more challenging, but just the world that they live in has changed and they need that help and support. So I know the servs have been very involved in negotiations at the table in helping them get the best contracts possible.
Aaron Chapin (06:27):
Excellent.
Rachael West (06:28):
So you mentioned that you are working with a lot of different locals, and would you be able to tell us maybe some specific challenges and or wins that you've been involved in lately with one of your locals?
Stephanie Cramer (06:41):
Really, the challenges I guess come around the fact that our members are struggling and they are just looking for someone to listen to them, someone who's going to have their back. And so we're spending a lot of time just making sure that they have those supports in place and just lifting them up, trying to keep them in the profession. Probably one win that I think might be something that our members can relate to as they know they can qualify for a sabbatical, and that's something that's afforded to them by school code. If they've completed 10 years of service within the system and five of those last 10 years have been within the same school district, they can apply for either professional sabbatical or medical sabbatical. Well, in one of my locals, I had a member who had applied for a medical sabbatical because she was having a major surgery, it was coming up and that medical sabbatical was denied. And so she questioned that because the district was telling her that she had to utilize all of her FMLA and her sick days before she could apply for that sabbatical. And she reached out to her local leadership who then reached out to me and we actually ended up filing a grievance because the district was not affording her rights under school code. So at the end, the district did end up withdrawing their position and she was able to get the sabbatical and take care of herself through her major surgery and actually just got back to
Aaron Chapin (08:21):
Work. Well, that's a great win for our members. As you tell that story, I'm still amazed even as I sit here today as PSEA president, I'm just amazed that you have the breadth of knowledge in so many areas. And again, so do your colleagues. For me, it's just mind boggling how you have that much information. Where did it all kind of come together for you? Because you were a teacher as well,
Stephanie Cramer (08:49):
Correct? I was, yes, but when I had decided to get involved, I jumped and was all in. And so just going to every PSEA training that I could, worked directly and closely with my own UniServ, bouncing questions and ideas, spent time as a local president. But we have an amazing staff here at PSEA, so I have a lot of supports around me here at our headquarters and our attorneys are second to none. I'd put them up against anyone. So they provide that help and guidance as well.
Aaron Chapin (09:25):
I assume there's a lot of sharing between UniServs and staff across the state. It's not just within your own region, I'm guessing across from the northwest region to the northeast to the southern. You're all sharing what these experiences and you're learning from each other as well?
Stephanie Cramer (09:41):
We do. I mean, we have committee work and we have region field directors that attended meetings. And so we're getting monthly updates at least about what's happening around the state. And we do have close relationships with our colleagues around the state. So it's not foreign for me to pick up the phone to someone who lives in the eastern part of the state or the western part of the state and bounce an idea off them, especially if I've known that they've handled that similar situation.
Aaron Chapin (10:08):
Excellent,
Rachael West (10:09):
Excellent. That's kind of like when you're in the classroom and that you've talked to somebody else, it also teaches the same class and you're like, Hey, wait a minute, have you had a trouble with this or what kind of activity did you use for that? And it seems like you use some of those same things as a UniServ that we use in our classrooms.
Stephanie Cramer (10:24):
We do it all the time, and even within our own office, we cover several counties here in southern region, and so we're all having different experience, but they all have some type of similar element to them.
Aaron Chapin (10:36):
Oh, excellent. Well, again, from my own experience, I know that our servs, they act a lot like legal counsel for our educators who find themselves in those sticky situations. Are you able to explain a scenario where a member might benefit greatly from reaching out to a UniServ if they find themselves at odds with administration?
Stephanie Cramer (11:02):
Maybe the one that seems to be comes to mind that's challenging, might come to even things around evaluation. Evaluations have been modified, they've changed in how they're done, and so improvement plans are put in place and just how they're implemented and overseen. We can provide a lot of support for those, and those are often confrontational situations between administration and the member who just needs those extra supports and guidance about how to handle those types of things. As far as improvement plans,
Aaron Chapin (11:48):
I'm guessing you have a very different relationship when it comes to administration. When we did as local leaders, we go in each and every day. We have at times an adversarial relationship, but other times it's productive. But do you find that you have a different relationship now that you are in this UniServ position than when you were a local president back in the day as well?
Stephanie Cramer (12:12):
I do. And one of the advantages of having the UniServ and utilizing a UniServ, whether it's in those member situations where we have an issue or even especially in bargaining, I tell my teams in bargaining, is that I don't work for that employer. So I can kind of take the emotion out of it and step away and have maybe a different perspective on it, and I can have more of an honest conversation where they're not going to judge me, they're not going to be able to hold that against me. And because I have those relationships and experience and background with it that I can help move an issue forward.
Aaron Chapin (12:53):
Excellent.
Rachael West (12:54):
I was just going to say, I know that when working with Stephanie, we really appreciated in our local, there were times where there were situations where we knew we had to tread lightly and we were trying to navigate those waters, and it was very nice to have your UniServ and in this case, Stephanie, be the one that could be out in front because as an employee of the district, you have to be very careful about those relationships because we have to keep going back to that relationship and work for those individuals. So it was very nice to kind of have a person that could be that in between, like Stephanie said, that she's not, she can be kind of neutral and take the emotion out of the situation, and that was very helpful as a local leader to have someone to lean on that you knew they weren't as emotionally invested in the situation. I
Aaron Chapin (13:44):
Agree. I agree. I had this very similar experience. My local went without a contract, a new contract for over a thousand days, and as you can expect, things just got a little tense As each and every week went past and we needed to kind of come to a resolution, my UniServ would come in and he would just be a fresh breath of honesty that the district could go to and that we could, and in many ways, he's the one who made that final deal kind of come to an end. And I think that's what the importance of our UniServs really are. And I'm guessing a lot of our members just don't know that the servs are there for their assistance. Would you agree, Stephanie?
Stephanie Cramer (14:27):
I would agree with that. And one thing I try and convey to my local leaderships within is the fact that we work as a team so we can be as strong and as powerful and involved together as much as you want us to be. And having that united front going forward just increases the and the strength within your local. And I think locals that utilize their UniServ quite a bit, they see that and have recognized the benefits of it and it makes us stronger as an organization.
Aaron Chapin (15:04):
Before we get towards the end of this, I was thinking there was a lot of trainings that you can do for locals as well. Can you go into just a couple of those different trainings that you provide to help strengthen their local association?
Stephanie Cramer (15:20):
Sure. We do basic rep trainings just to make sure that the local leadership has the toolbox that they need in order to provide the support to the members during bargaining. We do compensation awareness programs, education around the bargaining process, and then we do have presentations on how to strengthen a local, how to get members involved. It's just a variety of things that we can do. So bringing us in to your membership and allowing us to have that opportunity gives us to put that united front with your membership so they can see us all together in action.
Aaron Chapin (16:09):
I guess I'm a little perplexed how you manage. I'm assuming these are long days because you have so many locals and so many different services. I'm guessing you just have a very long day that comes before you as you wake up and you get ready to go. It's got to be tough.
Stephanie Cramer (16:25):
It is. It's a challenging position and managing all of that. The day can get long, but it also has a lot of rewards with it. So yeah, it's not a nine to five job, that's for sure. But getting those victories, those wins, and just knowing that you've helped a member out and they're able to go about their day is really what it's all about.
Aaron Chapin (16:55):
I can relate to that quite well.
Rachael West (16:57):
Absolutely. This job is also not a nine to five job, but we know that our remember connections are the things that make those hours and time worth it. Alright, this is bringing us to our bonus round. Are you ready for a pop quiz?
Stephanie Cramer (17:10):
I think so. Okay. Bring it on.
Rachael West (17:12):
What is the biggest challenge you see one of your locals facing in the coming year or two and what are you planning to kind of get ahead of that?
Stephanie Cramer (17:22):
One of the topics that I've spent a lot of time talking about with my locals is just the staffing shortage, the pipeline that we concern that we have that's out there and just what are we going to do to keep folks in the profession and attract new folks to it. It's been a struggle as we watch people exit because they just don't feel that they can it any longer. And who are we bringing in to replace those people? And so what we've been doing is just trying to get the best contract we can, improving those working conditions, finding additional ways to compensate them for additional responsibilities, additional duties, and having those supports in place through the contract so that they're guaranteed and making sure that they're getting the wages that reflect the work that they do, the appreciation with it. So we've just been spending a lot of time in trying to figure out how we can move a local forward through negotiations, but having those tools in place to provide the support.
Aaron Chapin (18:36):
Yeah, I mean that's something here at PSEA we've really identified as being a major issue for our locals and getting that staff and how do we replenish the pipeline, but there's things that we can do at our locals to try and make that district a little bit more attractive to others, and that's through compensation
Rachael West (18:54):
That absolutely helps the retention, which is as much of a problem as the pipeline problem. So I am sure your locals appreciate your support in trying to get those contracts that will be better to retain the teachers that are already there.
Aaron Chapin (19:09):
Well, thank you very much, Stephanie, for being here today. That's about all the time that we have. Unfortunately, our guest has been PSEA UniServ for the southern region. Stephanie Cramer, it's been great talking with you and please keep up the great work. I know our members, our locals, really appreciate everything you and your colleagues do. So thank you for being here. Thank
Stephanie Cramer (19:31):
You for having me.
Aaron Chapin (19:33):
And thanks to our listeners for tuning in again. As always, if you have some feedback for us, maybe you have a question, need some advice, don't hesitate by reaching out via email to podcast@psea.org. Again, I am Aaron Chapin.
Rachael West (19:49):
And I'm Rachael West,
Aaron Chapin (19:50):
And you've been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Narrator (19:57):
You've been listening to duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit pse.org/podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.