BEHIND
THE SCENES — Gary Cunningham, Tom Kieper and Ric Taras take a moment to pose for
a photo in PEF's copy center/mailroom. Photo by Deborah A. Miles
Keeping PEF humming behind the scenes
By DEBORAH A. MILES
In an organization as large as PEF, serving 56,000 members can be challenging.
On an average, mailroom staff run 325,000 photocopies each month. They prepare a
weekly mailing to the Executive Board and council leaders, and are right on top
of things when a rally flyer or PEF-sponsored event has to reach the membership.
They mail out such items as health and safety training materials and postcards
for retirees. It amounts to more than 20,000 pieces of mail per month.
A team of pros
Ric Taras heads the purchasing and facilities management department and
supervises the mailroom/copy center, where two of PEF’s longest-serving
employees — Gary Cunningham and Tom Kieper — work.
“This department is an experienced team of union veterans who can prioritize,
process and fill the immediate needs of PEF from a long list of jobs on a daily
basis. Our biggest goal is to be responsive to the staff and union members in a
timely manner,” Taras said. “We work hard to be a backbone of support for all
that PEF does.”
If you’ve attended a PEF convention, rally or a conference, you’ve seen their
handiwork. They are the ones who make sure the booths are set-up and banners
hung.
They ensure the safe and prompt delivery of all the printed materials or PEF
promotional items.
There is variety in the department as well. A couple of hours may be devoted to
maintaining the grounds or storing or retrieving files from the PEF warehouse,
while also attending to the regular workflow.
There’s also the upkeep of an aging facility that requires increased
preventative maintenance, according to Taras.
Equipment
upgrades
“We’ve really come into the 21st century with equipment. We upgraded digital
copiers and that reduces electrical costs, even though we are doing about 30
percent more photocopying. Technology has helped us be more cost-effective by
reducing the required labor while substantially increasing our material output,”
Taras said.
“We can make these services viable because of the economics of the cost
structure. When you look at the rising cost of materials, such as paper, PEF is
paying 15 percent less for paper than it did nine years ago. That’s a bright
spot.
“Through the use of centralized purchasing, aggressive vendor negotiations and
competitive bidding, PEF continues to achieve substantial savings. This figure
totaled $134,795 during the past fiscal year,” he said.
A number of regional offices also have new mailing equipment that reduces
overall costs to process the mail. This includes “postage by phone” for all
locations and the creation of one master account.
“This agreement allows PEF to meet all new postal service requirements while
saving more than $1,800 per year,” Taras said.
“We continually strive to reduce costs and work more efficiently.”
The Communicator June 2007
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