PEF’s elected leaders and staff work to promote and implement the Member Mobilization program and to create and provide educational opportunities for elected leaders, staff and members that enhance their job skills and career mobility. We accomplish these objectives by developing standardized training modules, providing education and training assistance, and assisting with the coordination of member mobilization program activities.

The Department Staff works with Field Representatives in the training and development of Stewards, Division Officers and Member Mobilizers. Staff also assists such mobilizing activities as recruitment, charting, developing work plans and coordinating member mobilization activities at the Division, Agency, Regional and Statewide levels.

The activities of the Mobilization and Education Department are focused at developing an active, informed membership. Our union based training programs incorporate real life issues faced by PEF members on the job. This enhances the learning process and prepares the participants to implement what they have learned, in the workplace.

Mobilization and Education staff also serves as a resource to a number of PEF committees. The Article 15 Professional Development Committee (PDC), a joint PEF/GOER Labor Management Committee, meets to review, discuss and address professional development issues of the PS&T Bargaining Unit. The committee develops education and training opportunities for the PEF membership such as the PSTP Voucher Program, the Voucher Alternative Program, the Public Service Workshop Program, the Workforce Initiatives Program, Joint Labor Management Training programs and a variety of career enhancement, management and supervision training programs. In this capacity as a technical resource, department staff researches and provides information and data on professional development and training issues to the Professional Development Committee. Staff support is also provided to the PEF Training Committee and the PEF Member Mobilization Committee.

Major Activities
The Mobilization and Education Department has been responsible for expanding and maintaining the Member Mobilizer Network and implementing the mobilization initiative adopted by the Executive Board. As part of that effort we have been working to establish an e-mail network for active informed members (AIM).

AIM has its own Webpage on PEF’s Website, which is updated daily. On any given day postings include information about PEF’s structure, issues, processes, and actions; legislation PEF supports/opposes; and excerpts from the media on labor issues. The site also promotes the building of our two information networks as an infrastructure for mobilization: the AIM E-Mail Network and the Member Mobilizer Network. Links to register e-mail addresses and volunteer to be Member Mobilizers are provided on the Webpage.

A weekly e-mail update is sent to all PEF members registered with the AIM e-mail network.

The first three new training modules, in a series of new training modules to be developed, have been designed for delivery by staff trainers from the Mobilization and Education Department. Two of which will be presented at this convention.

We have over the past year continued to use our union-based training to build member knowledge and involvement in the programs and policies important to the PEF Membership. We designed and delivered basic steward training in concert with Regional Coordinators and field staff. We assisted the Regional Coordinators from various Regions to design, develop and deliver training for their Annual Regional Leadership Conferences.

We coordinated the workshops being presented at PEF’s Convention.

We work with the Member Mobilizing Committee, PEF elected leaders, and staff at every level to provide them with the necessary skills to continue to mobilize and represent our membership.

In addition to these programs and objectives, the department has been involved in several large projects. The Director is the designee of the President for internal labor relations in PEF’s dealings with the staff union, the United Steelworkers of America, Local 9265. During the last year we successfully brought to conclusion the negotiations for a successor collective bargaining agreement.

Goals for the Future
During the next year, the Mobilization and Education Department is committed to continuing to expand the Member Mobilizer Network and the AIM E-Mail Network through continued recruitment and education, with the ultimate AIM of achieving 55,000 Active Informed Members in 228 Fully Mobilized Divisions. For PEF to achieve its goals of stronger contracts, job security, Civil Service merit enforcement, full and safe staffing levels and continued Pension reform, PEF needs to achieve its mobilization goals.

We are also committed to updating, enhancing and creating our union based training programs and to expand our deliver of these programs to reach more members. Organizing, educating and mobilizing are the keys to developing an active informed member and achieving PEF’s goals.