Pierrette “Petee” Talley is the first woman to hold one of the two top offices in the history of the Ohio AFL-CIO being elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.
Her career began with organized labor in 1980 where she worked as an office administrator for AFSCME Ohio Council 8. She held several positions with AFSCME including working as the union’s political and legislative director in Michigan from 1994 to 1999. In 1999 the national AFL-CIO appointed Petee to the position of Ohio State Director. In her capacity as state director, she was responsible for directing and implementing programs that engage union affiliates and activists around political, organizing and legislative activities and working with the state’s central labor councils and the state federation.
In her capacity as Secretary-Treasurer she is the administrative officer of the Ohio AFL-CIO; responsible for keeping record of the proceedings of it’s conventions, executive board and executive committee, reporting the financial condition of the organization and providing services necessary for the operation of the Ohio AFL-CIO and the office of Secretary-Treasurer. She continues her work as a grassroots activist mobilizing workers and communities around local living wage ordinances, advocating for affordable prescription drugs, fighting for a fair minimum wage and protecting the rights of Ohio voters.
Petee holds a dual BA in communications and political science from the University of Toledo. She serves on the national board of A. Philip Randolph Institute, Franklin County Convention and Facility Authority, and Ohio Employee Ownership Center. She is active in several union and community organizations including being a member of AFSCME Local 3616, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Coalition of Union Women and NAACP.
She is a member of Pinewood Tabernacle Church in Toledo and is married to Cornell. They have a blended family of four children, and five grandchildren. She enjoys working on home renovation projects.
