 PREPARING
TO WORK — PEF members at the 2nd annual L-M
conference take a break before attending a workshop.
— Photo by Olubiyi SehindemiConference builds skills for PEF leaders By DEBORAH A. MILES With issues like privatization and a compressed workweek on the table at several state agencies, PEF hosted the three-day labor-management conference, “Rx for Success” in Albany at the end of March to help union leaders overcome barriers with management. PEF leaders told the 100 participants at the second annual conference they are committed and dedicated to cultivating Labor-Management teams that will enhance the lives of members. “Labor-Management is one of the active ways PEF makes a difference,” said PEF President Roger Benson. “Because of the effectiveness of one L-M committee, massive layoffs were avoided at the state Department of Correctional Services.”  Benson said all agency L-M committees are
training grounds for contract negotiators and forums to
increase the skill of being persuasive. “This
conference is a commitment to that training and to cure
the symptoms we face at the table. It is not a flash in
the pan or the result of an election year,” he said.PEF Vice President and Labor-Management Coordinator Pat Baker said the conference developed practical tools to be utilized at the worksite and L-M table. It also focused on resolving problems and issues that members face. Participates took advantage of workshops addressing specific issues, including compressed workweeks, vacation time for nurses and the overuse of mandatory overtime. “Usually, labor and management are working together because there is a crisis. Occasionally, you will have their cooperation on problems with great outcomes without a crisis, because both sides do recognize and respect what the other part has to offer. That is, unfortunately, about as common as an eclipse,” said Marcia Calicchia, Director of Labor-Management Programs at Cornell University ILR. Calicchia addressed the audience on the opening night of the conference and held workshops the following day, saying L-M committees are increasingly losing the resources they need to do their jobs. “Labor and management have been very effective when they’ve been working together in cities across the country fighting privatization,” she said. “And unions need to form coalitions with each other in order to work effectively with various administrations.” |
COMMUNICATOR HOMEPAGE
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| Tips for resolving L-M
problems • Establish common ground • View issues from the other perspective • Take one issue at a time • Cut each other some slack • Avoid being judgmental Source: Cornell University |
