issuestovenuesstatewide
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STOPWASTEFULCONTRACTING—PEFVice
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PresidentJoeFoxtellsreportersinMarch,asthey
N
awaitthegovernor’sarrivalinBuffalo,thestatecould
Buffalo
savemillionsofdollarsifitstoppedpayingcontractors
todoworkthatcouldbedonebetterandforless
moneybystateemployees. — Photo by Caroline Esposito
hard to save its members at NDRI understand the risks of substance abuse The institute handed the 24 associates
(National Development and Research Inc.) and HIV, and guides them toward letters giving them three weeks’ notice,
in New York city. Proposed state budget treatment and rehabilitation services. but did not allow them to stay on the job
cuts would eliminate the grant funding to At the opposite end of the state, PEF for that time. Instead, managers escorted
support NDRI’s Aids Outreach Program learned last month that Roswell Park them out of the building.
that employs more than 20 PEF Cancer Institute in Buffalo abruptly laid PEF immediately began a public
members. They have no civil service off all of its research associates. While relations and ad campaign to get the
status or protections. intended to cut costs, this is not directly Roswell members reinstated. (See related
The program helps drug addicts related to state budget cuts. story, page 6.)
cycle of automatic extensions and rote that it will send a copy of the contract to
approval of new consultant contracts is anyone who requests it.”
stopped.” In March, PEF activists from DOT
The union wants the state to save prepared a six-page brochure on the
money, Brynien said, but not to disregard wastefulness of contracting at that agency
the need for quality, continuity and for consultant engineering, bridge
accountability. inspections, information technology, real
“State employees have dedicated their estate appraisals and auditing services.
careers to public service,” Brynien said. The activists then delivered the
“For our members, it’s not just another brochures to their state legislators in their
job to do, then walk away from. They will district offices.
be around to answer for their work in the PEF Executive Board Member Charles
future. Our members are accountable. Kelefant, a civil engineer at the DOT main
They don’t just take the money and run.” office in Albany, said he is concerned the
Brynien also asked Anglin to compel cost of contracting out for civil engineers
state agencies to comply fully with all of
the requirements of Executive Order 6,
TALKINGTRANSPORTATION—PEF
will go even higher because of the
including transparency.
memberKenMcClenathanmeetswith
emphasis the federal economic stimulus
“It does not appear state agencies are
AssemblyTransportationCommittee
places on funding transportation and
complying with section 4 of that order,”
ChairDavidGannttinhisRochester
infrastructure projects.
Brynien told Anglin. That section requires
officetodiscussconsultantsandt
All PEF members and retirees were
all agencies that enter into personal
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budget. — Photo by Jo
asked to write their legislators in March
and urge them to pass a state budget that
service contracts to publicly display on to make the actual contracts available to cuts wasteful spending on needless
their Web sites lists of those contracts and the public “either by: (a) posting the contracts and requires the wealthiest New
any amendments to them, along with the contract in an accessible location on the Yorkers to start paying their fair share of
estimated cost and reason for entering the agency Web site; or (b) indicating on the taxes. (For more budget-related
contracts. The agencies are also required Web page containing the list of contracts information, see pages 7, 8, 9 and 18.)
www.pef.org TheCommunicatorApril2009—Page5
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