Votes to be counted September 27 Economic climate influences
EXECUTIVE BOARDVOTES – PEF’s Executive Board votesAugust 11 inAlbany to send the PS&T tentative agreement tomembers. The vote was 83 in favor of havingmembers decide the fate of the agreement, to 38 who opposed it.
By DEBORAH A. MILES Throughout the history of PEF, few
tentative agreements with the state have caused so much debate as the current one. PEF President Ken Brynien described negotiations leading up to the PS&T tentative agreement as “the most difficult task in his tenure at PEF.” Contract negotiations took place during
the worst fiscal downturn since the Great Depression and at a time when the nation was focused on bitter battles regarding collective bargaining. It was PEF’s goal to negotiate the best
contract it could in a climate where the state faced a $10 billion deficit, and the governor was demanding $450 million in workforce savings. “There were no good choices,” Brynien
said. “In the past, contract negotiations achieved significant gains for our members. Unfortunately, the state of the economy and the will of the state’s political leaders, coupled with negative public sentiment have created an environment where the services our members provide are undervalued.”
E-Board votes PEF’s Executive Board voted 83 to 38 to
send the tentative agreement to PS&T members August 11. Following the board’s decision, members received a booklet containing the complete text of the tentative agreement, a summary of the
Page 4—The Communicator September 2011
changes, and a table of the gains and trade-offs. Ballots were mailed September 2 and
are due back September 26 for counting September 27.
Contract team visits members statewide
• August 15 – Region 12 – Long Island • August 16, 17 – Region 10 – Manhattan • August 18 – Region 11 - Staten Island, Brooklyn
• August 19 – Region 11 – Queens • August 22 - Region 12 – Long Island • August 23, 24 – Region 8 – Albany • August 25, 26 – Region 9 – Hudson Valley
• August 29 – Region 2 – Elmira • August 30 – Region 4 – Syracuse • August 30 – Region 5 – Binghamton • August 31 – Region 7 – Ogdensburg • September 1 – Region 4 –Watertown • September 1, 2 – Region 3 – Rochester • September 6, 7 – Region 1 – Buffalo • September 8 - Region 4 – Syracuse • September 9 – Region 3 – Rochester • September 11-14 – PEF Convention • September 15 – Region 6 – Utica • September 19 – Region 7 – Plattsburgh • September 20 - Region 4 – Syracuse • September 20 – Region 5 - Norwich
Brynien commended the Executive
Board for allowing members to make the final decision on whether or not to ratify the tentative agreement. “No matter what the outcome of the
ratification vote on this agreement will be, it will profoundly affect our members and our union. A vote either way is not without its consequences,” Brynien said.
Gains and losses The tentative agreement preserves the
pay-scale, and the employment and careers of tens of thousands of PEF members and their families, who would have been affected by bumping, retreat and ultimately layoffs. It maintains increments and salary-grade parity, longevity payments and continues the same co-pay amount for doctor visits. To meet the $450 million Gov. Andrew
Cuomo demanded from state labor unions, PEF was driven to accede to the patterns established by other bargaining units. On the downside of the tentative
agreement, the state proposed a three-year raise freeze in a five-year contract. Two percent raises would go into effect in 2014 and 2015, in addition to lump-sum payments of $775 in 2013 and $225 in 2014. The state proposed an increase in the percentage share members pay for health insurance premiums, plus five days of unpaid furloughs and four days of deferred pay.
PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445
—Photo by Richard Dillard
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