The Divisions Department serves as a technical resource for PEF’s 230 Divisions, including coordinating and conducting various elections. These include: Division Officer and/or Steward Elections; PEF/AFT/SEIU Convention Delegate Elections; PEF’s Triennial Officer/Executive Board Elections; Special Elections for Statewide Officer and/or Executive Board vacancies.  The Department also oversees Division Constitution development or amendments; annexations and/or secessions and agency consolidations.

The Divisions Department also maintains current and historical data on each division and all elections conducted.

Elections

During 2001, a total of 162 Division elections have been conducted.  From these elections a total of 17 first time new stewards were elected.

Throughout the year other major elections were conducted or overseen by our department, including, PEF’s Convention Delegate Elections and the Special Elections for vacant Executive Board Members seats.

Division Membership Status

Due to several agency consolidations and closures PEF has gone from 233 funded Divisions to 230.  At this time our membership has increased to 56,079 PS&T, of that 53,408 PS&T (98 percent) belong to divisions and 2,671 PS&T (2 percent), remain un-divisionalized. These totals were taken from a Division membership spreadsheet dated August 2001.

Divisions Committee

The Divisions Committee held two meetings this year.

This department works with the member-comprised Divisions Committee.  This year, the Committee reviewed and resolved various Division election appeals, new division applications and secession/annexation requests.  The committee also acted upon several requests for additional stewards, constitutional amendment requests and division consolidations due to agency mergers.  The Committee also acted on requests directed to them from resolutions approved by the previous convention. 

Delegate Elections

This department works with a member-comprised Delegate Elections Committee.  This year, we prepared the material for posting the PEF Delegate constituencies and rules in the April Communicator, the preparation and verification of the nominating petitions and the preparation, mailing and counting of the ballots.  PEF members running for AFT/SEIU Convention Delegate nominations are, also handled by this committee.

The Delegate Election Committee held fourteen meetings this year.

Finances

In instances where our department’s staff or field office secretaries actually perform election committee-related tasks (nomination/ballot preparation, tallying, mailing, etc.). Divisions are billed for the service according to an established fee schedule.

Income from election services:

The Divisions Department income received for Division Election Services conducted by PEF Headquarters and various Regional Field Offices totals:

4th  quarter 2000/01               Jan/Mar            $  2,320.00

1st  quarter 01-02                   Apr/Jun                4,055.00

2nd quarter 01/02                   Jul/Sept                3,870.00

                                                                       $10,245.00