Member Mobilization: Now hear this: All members, and mobilizers to your battle stations

Now hear this: All members, and mobilizers to your battle stations

By SHERRY HALBROOK
Keeping PEF members in a state of fully mobilized readiness to respond rapidly and effectively to any crisis is a task that’s never finished, but always critical.

“We must get armed and get ready now for the big battles just ahead,” said Margaret Messer, PEF’s director of member mobilization. “PEF will be dealing with difficult state budget and spending cuts this winter and next spring. Then, we’ll be involved in political campaigns for candidates for governor, the Legislature and Congress next summer and fall. After that, we’ll be faced with another state budget and then, by 2011, we’ll be negotiating a new PS&T contract.”

Easier said than done
Last summer, PEF wrote to its division leaders reminding them of the need to keep their mobilizing networks current and to replace the volunteer mobilizers as they retire or move to other positions or worksites. The e-mail addresses and the lists of members assigned to each mobilizer also require constant updating to remain effective.

“It’s imperative. We must do it,” Messer said.

“It’s hard. It’s really hard,” said PEF Executive Board member Anna Schrom, council leader of PEF Division 205 at the state Health Department in Albany.

With approximately 2,485 members spread over two PEF regions and about 14 worksites, it’s a constant challenge for the union just to keep up with who is in the division and exactly where they work, much less keeping an up-to-date network of one member mobilizer for every 10-20 members.

PEF created the network so it can e-mail information to the mobilizers, who then notify the members assigned to them about important union actions, such as rallies and legislative and political actions.

“Some of the PEF delegates brought updated mobilizing network charts for their divisions to the convention in September,” Messer said. “So far, we have about 30 divisions that have completed their updates.”
Executive Board member Wesley Bartlett manages to keep the mobilizing network for his division, 305, current.

Bartlett also is the division’s council leader and its only steward. The 178 members work at several state Division of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation sites in PEF Region 8, and at the state Racing and Wagering Board in Schenectady.

Because Division 305’s two other officers are not stewards, Bartlett said he meets with its mobilizers quarterly and depends on them to provide, as well as receive, information.

Recruiting mobilizers critical
Division 205 has the opposite situation and struggles to keep fully charted and in constant mobilization readiness.

In late October, PEF organizer Lisa Pulver met with the Division 205 steward council to talk about the need to reach full-mobilization status.

“I rely a lot on my steward council to service our division members,” Schrom said, “and the stewards are crucial in developing our mobilizing network.”

Division 205 steward and Treasurer Ken Ferro is deeply involved in the effort.
“I think the real problem in recruiting mobilizers and getting members involved is they think layoffs and state budget cuts won’t affect them because they have so many years of seniority,” Ferro said.

You’re in it, like it or not
Members tend to underestimate the seriousness of the threats ahead, not just to jobs, and state services, but to pensions and health benefits, too, Ferro said.

“I tell them, ‘Don’t think it can’t affect you. Don’t wait until something bad happens and then try to change it.’”

When it comes to changing public policies, Ferro said, “You need numbers, lots of members speaking out. Ultimately, the main thing legislators and governors are worried about is getting re-elected. They can help or hurt us, so we must make them see that we can help or hurt them.