PSU-AAUP Internal Organizer (Full Time Exempt) : Oregon

PSU-AAUP
Portland State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

PSU-AAUP Internal Organizer
(Full Time Exempt)

Based at Portland State University, Portland, OR

PSU-AAUP represents over 1,300 full-time* faculty at Portland State University, Oregon’s urban public university located in beautiful downtown Portland.

Our union includes tenure-track faculty, non-tenure-track instructional and research faculty, and academic professional faculty. We have a long and proud history on our campus — we turn 41 this year! With almost 90% membership, we are a strong union and have a strong voice in University shared governance.

As a result, PSU is a Union University. It works better because we are a member-driven union and place a high priority on member organizing and activism. At any given time, 10% of our members are active in volunteer roles that help them cultivate and refine their leadership skills and that promote activism more broadly on our campus. PSU-AAUP’s small and highly professional staff of three is also an essential ingredient to our success as is the fact that we work collaboratively with several other unions on campus.

PSU-AAUP has played a key role in all Oregon public universities now having faculty unions: we instigated the founding of AAUP-Oregon, our statewide association, and our work in AAUP-Oregon over the last 5 years contributed to the unionization of faculty at Oregon State University and Oregon Institute of Technology as well as Portland State University’s Graduate Employees Union. This means that we operate in a state rich in faculty union solidarity across the state. We are also affiliated with National AAUP.

We are looking for an experienced full-time Internal Organizer to join our small staff for the long term who loves people and has a passion for field work and meeting new people to activate them to strengthen their union.

Purpose of the Position:
To grow and maintain a high level of membership and to foster activism by activating the membership of PSU-AAUP.

Overarching Goals for the position

• Establish and maintain a face-to-face organizing network with an effective reach that meets the expectations of the Executive Council Strategic Plan
• Sustain a high level of membership
• Assist elected member-leaders of the Executive Council in promoting a vital culture of AAUP membership and activism across the bargaining unit.

Main Job Duties:

• Establish and maintain a face-to-face network for communications and activism that enables member-leaders to connect with and mobilize the membership base
• On a daily basis, conduct site and office visits and to meet with bargaining unit members to promote activism.
• Act as a conduit to communicate information and educate membership about the work and accomplishments of our union.
• Engage non-members to educate them on union activities and to persuade them to become full members
• Provide elected member-leaders of the Executive Council with information regarding member concerns and, in turn, effectively educate members about how these concerns are addressed by the union
• Support the Elected Vice President for Membership & Organizing in managing the tasks and responsibilities assigned to the position. This includes:
  • Supporting the Vice President in creating the operational plan for realizing organizing and membership goals
  • Managing, growing, and activating the Unit Rep (i.e., steward) network. This includes doing unit rep trainings, recruiting new unit reps, assisting unit reps in reaching membership targets and organizing goals in their units; and assisting unit reps at activating members in their units.
• Partner with member-leaders to provide organizational and training support to member-volunteers involved in internal organizing and contract action; serve as a mentor for member-activists
• Provide regular reports with the Vice President for Membership and Organizing to the Executive Council on progress of organizing efforts
• Maintain a daily contact log; submit the log weekly; prepare monthly report with overview of organizing goals and progress. Populate our database (currently, Salesforce) with organizing activity in the form of succinct reports and assessments of members. Keep assessments current through ongoing contact with members. Provide input on routine and strategic maintenance of organizing section of the database.
• Attend HR New Hire Orientation with the purpose of meeting new hires and welcoming them into the AAUP bargaining unit and persuade them to become members
• Follow up with new employees in the first 3 months to solicit and encourage participation in union activities and volunteer activities
• Orient members about who to contact to get help addressing their concerns
• Related duties, as assigned

Expected Distribution of Effort
This is a fieldwork position.

• 80% is for responsibilities in the field and/or duties that support field work. This is approximately 50% field work, and 30% field work support.
• 20% is allocated for general reporting and administrative work

Job Requirements:
Minimum Qualifications

• 3 years’ experience and demonstrated success as an internal organizer
• Experience training bargaining unit members
• Experience developing and implementing an organizing plan
• Bachelor’s degree

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience and demonstrated success as a labor internal organizer
• Strong understanding of higher education functioning and trends and their impact on the labor and professional concerns of faculty and academic professionals
• Experience and demonstrated success organizing in an academic setting (or with a comparable professional membership)
• Start-to-end experience supporting a contract campaign, from the earliest planning stages through strike preparation

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge and understanding of higher education and the issues impacting faculty and academic professionals
• Intermediate level proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Word
• Must be able to pass an intermediate skills test in Excel
• High motivation and a strong work ethic
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent time-management skills
• Articulate, intelligent, and confident for the purposes of presenting well for, and easily relating to, higher education faculty and academic professionals
• Good understanding of role boundaries in working with elected member-leaders and members.
• Efficient in responding to emails, phone calls and requests (often within 24 hours)
• Follow general leadership direction and adjust appropriately in response to feedback and supervision
• Ability to work independently with general supervision and limited support
• Ability to work collaboratively with member leaders and staff from PSU-AAUP and other partner organizations
• Ability to interpret and apply written instructions, rules, and policies
• Ability to deliver outcomes on assignments connected to short-, intermediate-, and long-term PSU-AAUP goals
• Ability to troubleshoot assigned Association computers and equipment as needed and arrange repairs when authorized
• Be adaptable and have the ability to work with changing priorities as assigned
• Able and willing to learn new software programs as needed to facilitate organizing work
• Keep office(s) assigned neat and presentable
• Commitment to the mission and goals of PSU-AAUP, AAUP, and academic unionism in general
• PSU is an 18 hour/day operation. Ability to schedule time on campus as necessary to seek contact with faculty members as they are available, and to work odd and sometimes long hours as assigned by supervisor
• Ability to learn quickly and maintain the boundaries of the position in relation to PSU-AAUP and its elected leadership.

Reports to: Executive Director

Location, Hours and Compensation:
Hours, Compensation and Benefits: This is a 12-month, full time exempt position. Initial contract to be for 12 months. Hours of work to be set weekly in collaboration with Executive Director around organizing activities. Member contact activities will be between 8am and 10pm, usually Monday to Friday. Weekend work as needed to connect with members not accessible during the week. Minimum salary is $4,416 per month ($53,000/year) for minimum qualifications, and higher salary commensurate with preferred qualifications.

Level of Supervision: The organizer position has considerable independence, will report to the Executive Director and to the VP for Membership and Organizing, and is subject to the priorities established by the Executive Council.

Benefits: paid sick time; paid vacation time; paid holiday; retirement program; medical and dental insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; health care reimbursement account; phone allowance. Exclusive use of an association laptop and desktop computer. Employer provided monthly tri-met (public transportation) pass. Moving expense reimbursement up to set amount.

Location: Most work will take place on the Portland State University campus in downtown Portland. Organizer will work full time on the PSU Campus and is available to meet or communicate with Executive Director in person, or, as the need arises, via phone, email, text, or video conferencing. On rare occasions, events may be scheduled at other locations in Portland, other University campuses in Oregon, at the State Capitol in Salem, or other locations.

Additional Considerations: This position is subject to a background check (conviction of a crime is not an automatic disqualification for consideration).

How to Apply:
Please send a letter describing why you believe you would be a strong candidate for the position, with a résumé and contact information for 3 references to: Internal.Organizer@psuaaup.net.

No phone calls please.

Qualified Candidates will be asked to fill out an application. An incomplete application, or an initial letter/résumé without references will not be reviewed.

PSU-AAUP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Job Posting Courtesy of UnionJobs.com