Come Together


Coming together for all of you


Story by SHERRY HALBROOK Nearly 900 delegates, some braving


flood ravaged roads, traveled to Niagara Falls in mid-September for the 33rd Annual PEF Convention to take stock of where the union is and to provide grassroots guidance on where it should be heading. “Come together!” was the theme of


the 2011 convention and the 883 delegates responded to a call for unity from PEF President Ken Brynien Monday morning, when the plenary session opened with a tribute to the dozens of PEF members lost to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Those attacks “changed our view of


how safe we really are. They affected our nation and our state and they affected us directly,” Brynien said. “Some of our members showed the same courage and made the same sacrifice as the emergency responders.” Brynien asked the delegates to


remember how unified they felt in the face of the horror of 9/11 and to strive to stay united, respectful, civil and caring for one another in the face of today’s political attacks that come in the midst of great economic stress throughout the nation. These attacks are on workers, the middle class and even on the right of employees to form unions and to collectively bargain. “This is our 33rd annual convention,


and it’s critical we come together as one union,” Brynien said. The delegates demonstrated civility,


courtesy and a sense of common purpose throughout the convention’s four days on the convention floor, the many meetings, workshops, department caucuses and other events.


www.pef.org The spirit of coming together was


enhanced the evening of Tuesday, September 13, by a colorful multi- cultural awareness event that featured food, music, fashion and dancing. It was jointly sponsored by PEF’s Black Caucus and its Caribbean-American, Jewish, Indo-American, Hispanic and Womens committees.


We need you; Be there Brynien also challenged the delegates


to motivate and lead their members in responding to attacks and to the union’s calls for rallies, letter writing and other important actions.


The many delegates


who attended the annual Nurses Committee luncheon got a similar message from Mary Lehman MacDonald, director of health care at the American Federation of Teachers. “Public employees are


MACDONALD


the last powerful voice for the middle class,” Mac Donald said. “In 29


years, I’ve never seen anything like these attacks. They’ll win, unless people such as you and I stand up. Peoples’ proudest moments are when they stood up for something. At this moment, it may be the most important thing you can do.” PEF Secretary-Treasurer Arlea Igoe


also echoed that call and urged the delegates and all of PEF’s elected leaders to be unified and work hard at reducing the union’s expenses and at helping it operate as efficiently and cost- effectively as possible.


DYSTER “We must be prudent in our


spending. We need money to protect and save your jobs,” Igoe said.


Ask us; We will come Hundreds of delegates surprised


Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster by taking him up on an invitation to join him at his re-election campaign headquarters Tuesday night following his Democratic primary election that day. Not only did Dyster


welcome the delegates to the city Monday morning, he returned Wednesday morning to share his elation at


winning a primary against several challengers for the Democratic nomination. “Thank you for PEF’s early


endorsement,” Dyster said. “I got more votes than my three opponents combined. It was a great victory for working people and a great victory for PEF. “You are welcome back to Niagara


Falls any time!” said Dyster, who admitted being bowled over by bus loads of delegates who had arrived at his headquarters, including one last bus that arrived at 2 a.m. and prompted him to unlock the office for a final hurrah.


Down to business The delegates acted on 28 of the 31 resolutions submitted by them and


Continued on next page The Communicator October 2011—Page 5


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