The Communicator

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May 7, 2024 | Volume 42. No. 4

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PEF makes it happen!

The 2023-2026 PS&T contract continues to put money into members’ pockets, with dental stipend payouts, and the new, first-of-its-kind higher education differential. I heard your call for a better dental plan and later this year, you’ll have one!

With just about 10,000 nurses among PEF’s ranks, we know the value they bring to their patients and their community, and we thank them for their dedication and service. May is National Nurses Month, and we’ve gone all out to honor them in this issue, featuring PEF’s Nurse Lobby Day and the successful campaign to save SUNY Downstate, as well as looking back at the creation of PEF’s nurse organizer position, celebrating PEF nurses Clara Shamatanga and Cynthia Walker, and remembering a pillar of nursing history, Lavinia Dock.

On May 1, in a show of strength and courage, members at Kingsboro Psychiatric Center made it very clear that they are done with the bullying and toxicity at the facility. They engaged in a Day of Action outside Kingsboro in Brooklyn, with signs and chants and stories calling out management for creating a toxic work environment. Change is overdue and we made sure OMH heard us!

In this issue, we also share a Value of the Union story in which PEF fought for an employee placed on leave then terminated by her agency and secured $50,000 in back pay for her; report on another successful PEF Community Wellness Fair and Book Giveaway; and provide a roundup of union scholarships available.

Thanks for staying informed and engaged and I wish you all a restful summer.