Conference hones labor-management skills

INAGREEMENT — PEF leaders applaud U.S. Representative PaulTonko at a L-M

conference inAlbany.

— Photo by Richard Dillard

By DEBORAH A. MILES

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

Page 16—The Communicator May 2010

COLLINS

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

VARGHESE

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-

WILLIS

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.

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