February Topics:

Guest Speaker - Tom Cetrino, PEF Director of Research

Questions and Answers - Let us know your concerns.

For more information and to stay up to date go to PEF/encon, your source for all PEF related news and issues.

See you at the March 31^st Membership Meeting!

The scholarship award is a one time payment of $500.00. A "student" is defined as a child, stepchild, or ward of a member of Division 169, PEF/encon, on the date of the drawing. Students are eligible for this scholarship only if they are twenty-five (25) years old or less and enrolled in a full-time degree program (12+ credit hours or equivalent) during the Spring 2005 academic year. Proof of enrollment will be requested from the winner. Two winners will be drawn at random at the PEF/encon Steward Council Meeting on March 29, 2005. Applications MUST be received no later than March 23, 2005 to be eligible. The application is available at our website.

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) is a labor organization that addresses labor issues from a black perspective. Founded in 1972 by William Lucy, Secretary-Treasurer of AFSCME, CBTU consists of members from seventy-seven international and national unions with forty-two chapters across the country, including the Capital District of New York. CBTU is sponsoring an afternoon film on Monday 2/21/05 at the Albany Public Library, 1:30-3:30 PM in Conference Room 1. The Film is titled "Finally Got the News," and focuses on the struggle of Black auto workers in Detroit, who fought against racism and discrimination in the factories. For further information visit their website.

All members should have received an election notice earlier this month. The term of office is one year, beginning April 1, 2005. To be nominated, a candidate must be a PEF member, obtain the proper number of signatures, and mail the petition to the Election Committee. All petitions must be received by March 9, 2005. Further information, including the nomination petition, is available at our website.

On February 9, 2005, the NYS Legislature held a Joint Budget Hearing concerning DEC. Acting Commissioner Denise Sheehan gave a presentation, followed by a question and answer period. The following summary includes only a portion of the questions asked.

Senator Carl Marcellino, Environmental Conservation Committee, Chair, inquired about the level of DEC enforcement personnel; how DEC could cope with loss of 700 employees over the last 10 years; how many contractors DEC had; and if certain divisions are staffed by over 25% non-DEC employees.

Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, Environmental Conservation Committee, Chair, asked how many positions DEC was below its budgetary staffing level; whether contractors were included in staffing level; whether contract employees worked side-by-side with DEC staff; whether contract employees were covered by State Ethics Law; and whether contractors were supervising DEC staff. He also pointed out that he opposed the "polluters hiring their own monitors" and that PEF/encon had raised valid concerns about privatizing Environmental Monitors (EMs).

Senator Neil Breslin, Finance Committee, Ranking Minority Member, wanted to know the number and the nature of comments received concerning privatizing EMs; whether there was a conscious effort to keep DEC below its budgeted fill level; how DEC was able to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including new federal and state rules & regulations, while losing 800 to 900 staff positions since Pataki became governor.

Assemblyman Jack McEneny, Ways and Means Committee, Member, asked why DEC did not fill vacant positions needed to achieve its harvesting goals on State lands, since it was his understanding that the $900,000 cost to fill them would get $3,000,000 in revenues back.

Further budgetary information is available at our website.