March 7, 2024 — This is part of a series of Q&As with Union leaders across the state. If you have a suggestion for a profile, please email communicator@pef.org.
How long have you been a PEF member and what leadership roles do you hold?
I have been a PEF member for over 16 years, and I have been a steward for about 12 years. I was treasurer for two years and have been a council leader with approximately 1,300 constituents since January 2023. At the same time, I was elected to be the Statewide Labor/Management chair for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
I stepped up to these positions so that I could make changes in our Division and my agency.
How have you been supporting your members?
I’ve worked at getting information out to our members. We’ve reinstituted our bulletin boards on the floors up to date. We just ran a survey to members to find out what’s important to them. We hold two membership meetings each year and we listen to our members.
I love to help people by answering all PEF-related questions. I also wanted to change labor/ management by writing thoughtful, clear agenda items. We have been very successful at creating a friendly environment between labor and management.
But there is still a lot of work to be done. I couldn’t do it alone, and I give much credit to the council officers and members on our labor/management team.