September Topics:

NYSPEF Health and Safety Director Jonathan Rosen will update us on the latest organizing that PEF is doing to make our workplaces safe.

2003 PEF Convention - Your delegates met in Montreal, hear what went on.

Questions and Answers - Let us know your concerns.

See you at the October 30th Membership Meeting!

Jonathan Rosen, Director of PEF's Occupational Safety & Health Department will discuss PEF's Health & Safety Program, its resources, and key initiatives in working to make state work sites safe and healthy. He will provide an overview of the Encon H&S Committee, its activities and accomplishments and PEF's contract language on safety and health. He will also review responsibilities of public employers and rights of public employees under the Public Employee Safety and Health Act. Any specific questions or concerns about job safety and health may be raised for discussion.

PEF has always prided itself on its democratic principles and membership rights to participate in union affairs. The Annual Convention is the best example of these guiding goals. In response to a 2003 election cycle during which there were no statewide elections for eight offices; one contested regional election out of twelve; and only 25 contested Executive Board races out of 106; PEF/Encon circulated a petition to convention delegates to amend the PEF Constitution to lower the number of constituency signatures required to run for office from 10% to 5%. Signatures of 25% of the delegates at the ‘03 convention were needed to place the amendment before the ‘04 PEF convention in Lake Placid. PEF/Encon was successful in our petition effort, collecting signatures of greater than half of the 800 delegates attending. We’ll be working to support the amendment, and look forward to it passing next year.

The State's Chief Negotiator drew a line in the sand on September 23, 2003 and told PEF that there would be no negotiations on any issues (theirs or ours) until such time as PEF agreed to the State's health insurance concessions. Union negotiators responded to the State with charges of bad faith and failure to negotiate and made it clear negotiations are a give and take process and that the Union would not be agreeing to any of the State's needs without a corresponding meeting of our member's needs. The Union put management on notice that the State's line in the sand must be erased. After 8 months of bargaining the parties have executed two tentative settlements - one regarding ground rules for negotiations and the other identifying the articles neither intended on changing. There is apparent agreement between the State and the Union on some articles, yet the State now refuses to sign off on them. In dozens of other areas the State refuses to counter propose. Negotiators next meet on Wednesday, October 1, 2003. The Union will continue pressing for settlements in first our non-economic proposals and then in our economics.

Fall Scholarship winners were drawn from a hat at the annual PEF/Encon delegate meeting at the Montreal Convention. Winners of the $500 awards were American University graduate student Melissa Kanuk, daughter of Mike Kanuk, and SUNY Albany senior Joe Pienta, son of Walt Pienta. Both Walt and Mike work for the Division of Air, Walt at 625 Broadway and Mike at SUNY East. Congratulations to the winners!