Delegates adopt 7 convention resolutions


By SHERRY HALBROOK It is part of PEF’s tradition of democracy


that every spring members have the opportunity to submit resolutions for their delegates to consider at the union’s fall convention, and this year members produced a bumper crop of 43 resolutions. It is also very rare for the delegates to


have time to deal with all of the resolutions on the convention floor. This year, they dealt directly with 14 resolutions. A 15th resolution was withdrawn by its maker who also happened to be a delegate to the convention. The remaining 28 resolutions were left


undone, but not ignored. PEF staff reviewed them when they were received, the PEF Executive Board reviewed them, as well. Every delegate received copies of all the resolutions and any staff comments about them. Then the resolutions were divided into six groups and each of those groups were submitted to delegate committees that reviewed and prioritized them for action by the delegate body. Sometimes, the delegates voted to reorder those priorities. So, the issues raised by the resolutions were never ignored, even if the delegates did not have time to debate and vote on them. Of the 14 that did come up for a vote,


only one was adopted unscathed. Six were adopted with amendments. One was referred to the PEF president, and another was referred to a PEF department. Action on one resolution was postponed indefinitely. Four were defeated. Resolution Number 1 was adopted


with no amendments. It calls for PEF, when it negotiates the next PS&T contract,


to try to amend Article 33 to allow PEF representation whenever a PS&T member is to be formally counseled. Currently, the PS&T contract does not provide for this. In the meantime, despite the lack of


such a contractual right, the resolution urges PEF and PEF leaders to use all means to get the state to voluntarily allow such representation. Resolutions that were adopted with


amendments are: • Resolution 4 calls for PEF to try to


expand the job titles eligible for hazardous- duty pay when the next PS&T contract is negotiated. PEF also must try to ensure the employees receive proper training and equipment to deal with hazardous conditions. • Resolution 7 calls for PEF to


continue trying to get legislation passed that addresses the problem of members who die just before beginning their retirement, a situation that denies their family the pension death benefit they would have received if the member died after retiring. Such legislation has been introduced in both houses of the Legislature, but has lacked a majority- party sponsor in the state Senate. • Resolution 12 calls for the PEF


president to write to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and urge him to continue to investigate and use the shareholder power of the state pension fund to get large corporations to become more transparent regarding executive pay and also regarding employee layoffs to boost profits. • Resolution 13 recommends the PEF


president appoint a new committee to address the unique issues and needs of


members who are peace officers, and that this committee be designated the “Barry Fishbein Peace Officers Committee” in memory of that member’s leadership on issues involving state parole officers. President Kent was already putting this committee in place. • Resolution 20 calls for PEF to work


with Executive Board members to prepare and post on its website a searchable version of the union’s policy manual. This project was already underway. • Resolution 36 calls for PEF’s


statewide officers to submit to the Executive Board quarterly reports on all of their “activities, travel and compensation, etc. that was received from any and all related organizations” including the American Federation of Teachers, the Service Employees International Union, the AFL-CIO and PEF Membership Benefits. The delegates referred Resolution 28 to


PEF President Susan Kent. It calls on PEF to create an appropriate memorial to honor the memory of Ed Alfonsin who served as PEF’s parliamentarian throughout the union’s first 33 years, ending only briefly before his death last year. Resolution 29 was referred to PEF’s


Department of Education and Training. This resolution calls for PEF to develop training and materials to help members improve their professional communication skills. It also calls for The Communicator to publish articles about techniques and methods to improve these skills.


www.pef.org


The Communicator November 2012 — Page 9


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