PEF members, communities working together
COMMITTED – PEF President Susan Kent tells delegates at the PEF Veterans luncheon they can continue to count on PEF.
By SUSAN KENT
want to begin this month’s message by wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving and thanking you all for the work you do each and every day. As I think about Thanksgiving, I
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recognize we are all part of a community with interdependencies. We are part of a web of existence larger than our individual selves, families or extended families. We are all part of a community. And what we want people to know is that PEF is the union that cares for and about the communities in which we all work and live.
I want to tell you about some community initiatives in which PEF has recently become involved. We are working with the Brooklyn community to help ensure vital public health services there are not curtailed by bad public policy that could result in the downsizing or closure of SUNY Downstate Hospital and Kingsboro Psychiatric Center.
In September, on Labor Day, PEF joined with the Brooklyn community in the West Indian Day Parade. PEF nurses marched in the parade and also provided free blood-pressure checks for anyone who wanted them. Our presence there with a PEF float, walking hand in hand with members of that community, alerted elected officials, including the governor, of the need to support the continuation of SUNY Downstate Hospital and Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. In October, we distributed fliers to Special Olympics athletes and their families just before the events got underway in Glens Falls. We wanted them to know about the services and support provided by PEF members who work at the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and that we want to be their partners to ensure the governor and other elected officials
know they have an obligation to maintain those services to individuals and their families served by OPWDD. We asked the athletes and their families to share their stories with us. Together, we will give this community a voice and, at the same time, highlight the quality services PEF
delegates to donate their old cell phones when they upgrade. The used phones are distributed to victims of domestic violence to be a lifeline for help if they are attacked. You may still donate your phone
members provide. Also in October, Secretary-Treasurer Carlos Garcia and I pledged support to “The Albany Promise,” a multisector group of community stakeholders whose vision is to improve the quality of life in Albany’s Arbor Hill, West Hill and South End neighborhoods. We pledged PEF’s support to improve these neighborhoods in terms of educational outcomes and economic conditions. We will reach out to our members to get involved in this project by mentoring and assisting with job- skills training. This is an excellent
opportunity for the business community, elected officials and unions to come together in the city of Albany where 18,000 PEF members work and live, in addition to it being the capital of New York State.
This administration is committed to leading by example. We will link PEF with communities
throughout New York and hope our members will become involved too. When people hear the words Public Employees Federation, we want them to
automatically think, PEF – the union that cares for and about the community.
PEF delegates support Sarah House, raise awareness of domestic violence Delegates to PEF’s 34th Annual Convention in Syracuse focused their attention on two important community issues: the need to stop domestic violence, and a local charity that helps families who want to be close to loved ones receiving care at one of the city’s hospitals. At the request of the PEF Women’s
Program, the delegates wore purple on the final day of the convention, October 17, in respect for Domestic Violence Awareness Day. The Women’s Program also distributed purple ribbons and asked
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through the Women’s Committee in your region or at PEF headquarters. The delegates also maintained their tradition of raising funds for a local charity, and this time it was Sarah House. Opened in 1994, Sarah House was expanded in 2005. It provides lodging and
emotional support to families from out of the area who come there to support loved ones receiving care at SUNY’ s Upstate University Medical Center, Crouse Hospital or other medical facility in Syracuse. The program is named for Sarah, the wife of Abraham in the Bible’s book of Genesis, because she was known for her kindness, patience and hospitality. PEF delegates and the union contributed a total of $1,000 to Sarah House.
– Sherry Halbrook The Communicator November 2012 — Page 7
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
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