During hard times when agencies are feeling the pressure of cutting back, it is important for union leaders to effectively deliver their messages at the labor-management table.
To hone their communication skills, PEF held a conference in Albany where nearly 150 PEF leaders gathered in April.
PEF Vice President and Labor-Management Coordinator, Pat Baker, said the conference provided the tools to develop and strengthen effective ways to communicate.
“The presenters at the conference, Beth Sears and Evelyn Matthews, helped people realize a new perspective when dealing with management,” Baker said. “They talked about the importance of teamwork and accountability, toxic mistakes people make in interpersonal communication and respect. We also had workshops on how stress can affect leadership skills, and how to address bullying in the workplace.”
Sears is an adjunct professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and Matthews is the president of Matthews and Matthews Consulting Firm.
Baker said labor-management training is a high priority for PEF.
“What our leaders present at the table, how they present an issue and how they propose to resolve it has a direct effect on our members in regard to job security and the work environment,” she said.
A good beginning
The conference opened with guest speaker U.S. Representative Paul Tonko, who identified himself as the first PEF member to be elected to Congress, and said how thankful he is for PEF’s backing.
He told participants he was on a House committee to create “green” jobs, and said it was an exciting time for the country to develop new forms of energy. He talked about the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), and how PEF is working with him and HESC officials to keep the administration of federal Pell grant money for student aid at the state agency.
Tonko said Congress also is working on ways to get people back into the work force with grants available through two-year college programs. He said opponents of health care reform will change their minds when they see how it works, and that it is a step in the right direction.
Workshops
and tools Linda T. Collins of the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in New York City was among those attending the conference.
She said the workshops were invaluable to her, especially as the new council leader for PEF Division 292.
“Some days, our labor-management meetings are good; and other days, they are not so good. There are so many intricate parts of dealing with management,” Collins said. “You have to figure out the best approach. If you don’t have the right approach, you won’t get what you are going for. These workshops help us learn the best ways to communicate with management.”
PEF
Division 241 Council Leader, George Varghese, agreed. The problems at
Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where Varghese works as a pharmacist, include
short staffing and health and safety issues.“Even when you manage to get a good dialogue going between labor and management, there are better ways to properly emphasize the things you really want to communicate,” Varghese said. “The training guides us to find solutions to our problems.”
But some council leaders, such as Steven Willis who is a psychiatric nurse 2 at Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center, said he has a rocky relationship with management.
“These
workshops are helping me learn to get my personal reactions out of the
equation when dealing with certain managers,” Willis said. “I want to work
more effectively with certain managers, or remove myself from being the
direct contact and let other PEF people work effectively with them.“On the local level, labor-management can make for a better working environment. That’s what we are looking for, and this conference is providing the tools to show us how to get along within the contract and the workplace,” Willis said.
