By SHERRY HALBROOK

PEF members have held tenaciously to their annual conventions, but they are not typical in either their frequency or their tradition of intense, freewheeling debate.

The difference was obvious to the 29 PEF members who traveled to Pittsburgh in May as delegates to the Service Employees International Union convention.

SEIU holds its conventions only once every four years. PEF’s other international affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers is on a two-year cycle. That convention is this July in Philadelphia.

Passage of a dues increase, re-election of President Andy Stern, who was unopposed, and a move to streamline decision-making, topped the agenda at the SEIU convention. All three passed easily.

The dues increase means a hike of 85 percent, but exactly what that means for PEF, in light of its unique dual affiliation, is still being worked out, according to PEF Secretary-Treasurer Jane Hallum.

Jam-packed event
Hallum, who led the PEF delegation, described the weeklong convention as “a wonderful opportunity for the thousands of delegates who attended from all over the country.

“It was jam-packed with lots of events and activities that built a sense of the spirit of the labor movement and gave delegates hope for making positive, meaningful changes in their lives and those of all working families,”she said

Looking back and ahead
PEF Executive Board Member Bill Sachs said SEIU had taken full advantage of the four-year interval between conventions to plan a very polished and complete package that was well focused on key messages about the union’s directions, goals and vision of the future.

“Since they only do this every four years, they talked a lot about their vision of where they’ve been and where they want to go,” Sachs said. “It was all very well planned and coordinated. They really didn’t miss a trick.”

Priorities for the future include uniting members, increasing coordination among the local affiliates, holding politicians accountable and getting members connected to new technology, especially e-mail networks. The ultimate goals, according to the PEF delegates, are to organize more members, win better contracts and improve communication at all levels of the union.

You gotta have a rally
The PEF delegates said they felt right at home when they were invited to climb aboard a bus and go to a SEIU rally at Allegheny General Hospital where healthcare workers who recently voted to join SEIU are trying to get a first contract.

Delegates heard from a wide range of speakers, including Vice President Al Gore, First Lady Hillary Clinton, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream founder Ben Cohen, among others.

Hallum said Cohen’s comments on national priorities were very interesting. He may not have been a great speaker, but he had a way of illustrating his points that held everyone’s attention, she said.

“He made a very tall stack of Oreo cookies to represent spending on national defense. But it only took two Oreos to represent federal aid to education,” Hallum said.

PEF delegate Teresa Snyder agreed. “What he (Cohen) said made a lot of sense, and the props he used kept it interesting. He was unique in his presentation.”

City, people, spirit were great
Snyder, who has been a delegate to SEIU conventions before, said she really enjoys the opportunity “to meet people in locals from the other side of the country and out of the country, because I’m interested in hearing and learning from them.”

Snyder said the biggest surprise at this convention was the city of Pittsburgh.

“I thought it would be dirty and industrial, but it was very nice, charming really.” What Snyder liked best about the convention, she said, was the sense of celebration. “I always enjoy their speakers and their videos are top-notch,” she said. “But their celebrations are fantastic.”

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