BEHIND THE SCENES — PEF Human Relations and Education
staff are: Barbara Telasky, Alan Lahoff, Joan Aigner, Cliff Merchant, Roberta
Lettieri and Linda Giglio. — Photo by Darcy Wells
HR&E — Keeping PEF staffed, ready for action
By SHERRY HALBROOK
When is labor management? When it’s managing its own employees.
“When I tell someone I’m the director of human resources and education for a
labor union, they usually look confused,” said Cliff Merchant, PEF’s director of
HR&E.
“They have difficulty reconciling their vision of a union with a management
role. But it’s not that tough a concept once they see a union is a ‘business’
engaged in the negotiation and protection of rights and benefits for its
members.”
Organizing and servicing nearly 57,000 union members requires the knowledge and
experience of PEF’s elected officers and representatives and the technical
expertise of the union’s 150 employees.
“PEF staff organize and service our members,” Merchant said. “PEF also has
supervisors, managers, work rules and directives, and that requires a management
structure.”
HR&E plays a vital role in the union’s management structure and is the training
provider for both staff and elected leaders. It’s also responsible for
negotiating and administering the contract with the staff union, United Steel
Workers Local 9265, and the benefits available to all staff.
The department has five staff under Merchant — human resource administrators
Barbara Telasky and Roberta Lettieri, training specialist Allan Lahoff,
education assistant and intake coordinator Linda Giglio, and switchboard
operator/receptionist Joan Aigner.
They ensure PEF’s human resources develop through hiring and training to meet
the evolving needs and priorities of the union.
Who goes there?
HR&E reports directly to the president and works with managers of the other PEF
departments to recruit and hire the right person for each job.
The PEF budget reflects the union’s mission by funding the departments, their
staffing levels and other related expenses.
As the PEF president’s designee, Human Resources manages staff recruitment,
selection, job analysis and design, labor relations, compensation and benefits.
No exams are given for the jobs at PEF. Candidates are selected from the
qualified applicants who apply to fill staff vacancies, which are posted and
advertised.
“Candidates must demonstrate they have the necessary education and/or experience
for the job. We review the experience documented on their resumes, interview,
and check their references,” Merchant said.
What do you know?
“Education is key to our success as a union, and to our members’ success in
their professional careers,” Merchant said.
HR&E creates and provides educational opportunities to enhance the union skills,
job skills and career mobility of PEF’s elected leaders, staff and members.
The department trains staff and members. And it supports PEF’s role on the PS&T
Contract Article 15 Joint (Professional Development) Committee.
The 2003-07 contract that expired April 1 provided more than $4.46 million
annually for the Public Service Training Program,Voucher Alternative, Career
Transitions, Workforce Initiatives, and supplemental training programs for
members.
These programs stopped when the contract expired. HR&E is now providing PEF with
information to negotiate with the state for their resumption or replacement.
The need to educate and train the union’s leaders and activists never lets up.
“We work with PEF’s elected leaders, other PEF departments and our international
union affiliates to design educational conferences, and develop and deliver
technical training custom- tailored for the groups receiving it,” Merchant said.
“A member who participated in the recent Management Development Program funded
through Article 15 told me the skills he learned have made him more effective
for PEF too.”
On top of their game
HR&E also strives to keep its own operations in sync with PEF’s changing needs
and technology.
“The department has become much more pro-active over the last decade. We’ve
initiated online training opportunities,” Merchant said, “and we update the
software for managing the personnel, pay and benefit records of staff.
Currently, HR&E is working with PEF’s Membership Benefits Program to develop a
series of new general study guides to help members prepare for civil service
exams.
Everything we do,” Merchant said, “is meant to build PEF’s ability to meet the
needs of its members.
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