Keep poker face at bargaining table


By KENNETH BRYNIEN Each day members contact me with


questions regarding negotiations: What are our priorities and who set them? What has the state offered? What are we offering? And why aren’t the specific details of negotiations being disclosed to the general membership? These are just some of the questions I receive. The most significant function of a


union is to collectively bargain a contract for its members. This requires balancing the needs of all members, including those who are less senior and more senior, those receiving step advances and those receiving longevity payments, members working in institutional settings and those who are considered administrative, those with families and those who are single. The permutations are almost endless. To get an understanding of your


concerns, we begin gathering information nearly a year in advance of negotiations. This is done though meetings, surveys, e- mails and recently the tele-townhall phone conference we held in March. These measures help us identify your needs, and allow us to calibrate and re-calibrate our positions as negotiations proceed, making sure you have a voice in negotiations. In addition to balancing the needs of


the membership in establishing positions, we also have strategic and tactical needs


PEF President Ken Brynien speaks at the “WeAre One Rally” in NYCApril 16. —Photo byWilliam Brewer


to share only certain information with management at different stages in negotiations. This is critical to our success. If we identify and disclose to management too quickly the most critical issues we need to address, management will demand we sacrifice more to get them. Likewise, if we identify what we have to offer or are willing to give them up too readily, the bargaining value of those sacrifices will go down in management’s estimation. Initial positions are staked out and


typically are only starting points in negotiations. Unfortunately, broad disclosure now would allow management access to information that could be used to leverage negotiating positions against us. Ultimately, members will be totally


informed regarding the negotiating positions of the state, be it the result of completed negotiations or if negotiations break down. Of course, you have the ultimate say in


negotiations through your vote on ratification. The state’s current fiscal condition and


political environment make this perhaps the most difficult setting for negotiating we’ve seen in a generation. Our success will require a commitment from members and leaders, alike. I ask you to stay committed to this struggle, stay informed and ready to act when we need you. My commitment to you is that when we


need you to act you will be fully informed regarding where your union stands in negotiations and why we need your action.


The 2011 PEF Annual Report to theMembers will be avaliable online at pef.org


RSVP by Friday,May 13.


PEF nurses,call your regional office for transportation guidelines. Or for additional information contact


RachelMango orNancyWolff at 800-342-4306 x227 www.pef.org The Communicator May 2011—Page 7


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28