PEF’s
Executive Department — (L-R) Meghan Allen, Jackie Primo, Kim Partridge,
Marty O’Connor, Stephen Chamberlain. — Photo by Deborah A. Miles
PEF’s ‘Executive Chamber’
keeps union on smooth course
By DEBORAH A. MILES
Just as the staff of the governor’s executive chamber works
behind-the-scenes, PEF’s Executive Department carries out the directives of
the top two positions in PEF, the president and secretary-treasurer, in a
similar fashion.
Stephen Chamberlain is at the helm as staff director and oversees many of
the day-to-day PEF operations in areas such as political action, research,
mobilization and public relations.
“Carrying out the policy decisions of the PEF leaders requires the constant
activity and involvement of many PEF departments,” Chamberlain said. “This
department understands the importance of creating a seamless effort to
ensure we respond quickly to issues that impact our members’ terms and
conditions of employment and that PEF’s policies are understood and
implemented on various levels.”
Meet the staff
The Executive Department includes Jackie Primo, executive secretary to the
president; Marty O’Connor, executive deputy to the president; Meghan Allen,
executive assistant to the secretary-treasurer; and, Kim Partridge,
Executive Board/conference coordinator.
“The staff is very collegial, driven and focused,” Chamberlain said. “They
work independently and as a team. Everyone here supports one another. We do
what needs to be done.”
“Issues with members or agencies come right out of the blue and you have to
be prepared to deal with them,” Chamberlain said. “Different issues such as
closures or management problems crop up daily.”
That’s when O’Connor usually steps in. “Marty is our special operations guy.
He keeps an eye on ‘hot spots,’ and has to deal with the most contentious
issues,” Chamberlain said.
Convention planning
When one PEF convention ends, the planning for the next is underway.
Partridge attends to the numerous details for this annual three-day event,
plus Executive Board meetings and labor-management conferences. That’s not a
simple task and involves securing contracts with hotels, planning space for
as many as 23 meetings at the same time, and handling catering requests and
transportation needs.
“We use a timeline to make sure everything is as flawless as possible when
making arrangements,” Chamberlain said. “Kim is our on-site contact person.
Besides organizing everything, she is there to fix problems if they occur.”
Taking care of business
Approximately 800 delegates attend the convention, and booking all the rooms
is part of Allen’s job. She also assists in Executive Board arrangements and
takes minutes at the quarterly meetings. She reserves meeting space at PEF
for its committees, books rooms and attends to the catering needs associated
with these meetings.
PEF has more than 58,000 members and 234 divisions, so a lot of organization
and record keeping are required in the office of the secretary-treasurer,
Arlea Igoe. The focus is on accuracy and efficiency, and coordination with
the PEF Accounting Department.
“Meghan plays a role by keeping the secretary-treasurer’s office running
smoothly. She assists in the oversight of budgets for various PEF
committees, and does the billing for convention housing and catering,”
Chamberlain said.
Primo, “the right hand of Ken Brynien,” according to Chamberlain, keeps the
PEF president on schedule and tracks and sends out all of his
correspondence. She also assists the PEF vice presidents.
“PEF has an active president who likes to meet with members from across the
state, as well as with lawmakers and other union leaders,” Chamberlain said.
“Jackie confirms all meetings, and keeps in daily contact with the
president. She alerts him to new union issues that may develop overnight, as
well as making sure his correspondence is up-to-date. And she coordinates
meetings throughout the state.
“Together, we continue to be the behind-the scenes, yet integral part, of
PEF that addresses the members’ needs on many levels.
