FIELDING MEDIA
QUESTIONS — PEF President Roger Benson answers
questions about the Executive Budget at a press
conference at the State Capitol in March. Benson was
joined by UFT President Randi Weingarten, NYSUT
Vice-President Alan Lubin, Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver, SEIU Local 1199 President Dennis Rivera and
others. — Photo by Deborah A. Miles
Union wins
temporary restraining order against closings
PEF: NYS budget
must be fair
By ROGER BENSON
As the rhetoric surrounding the state budget has become
more heated and battle lines have been drawn, the threats
to vital services we provide loom larger than ever. We
are using every means possible to fight layoffs and to
demand fairness in the final budget.
Winning a temporary restraining order in March that
blocks the closing and contracting of state mental health
facilities bodes well for our chances of stopping these
closings permanently.
We will fight the layoff of even one member and we will
fight to ensure that this budget won’t be balanced
on the backs of our members, or the New Yorkers who rely
on the services we provide.
Our call for a fair budget that shares New York’s
fiscal burden has become louder and continues to gain
support in the state Legislature, and the labor
community. All New Yorkers have the right to expect that
everyone, including the state’s richest individuals
and most profitable corporations, does their part to help
during this budget crisis. Everyone has to share the
pain.
We are already doing our part during this budget crisis.
We accepted the reduction of 5,000 state positions as
necessary in the budget climate and the state has asked
for more. Our sacrifice during this fiscal crisis is
doing more with less. The work of the state doesn’t
stop or lessen during a budget crisis, it continues; and
our members are sacrificing to make sure the work gets
done.
However, even as we struggle to provide quality services
to New York’s taxpayers, wealthy individuals and
corporations represented by groups such as the New York
State Business Council feel that they should be exempt
from the state’s fiscal burden. Some state managers
and commissioners have gone so far as to use the deficit
as a smoke screen to contract out and privatize services,
sometimes at three to four times the cost it takes for
our members to do the same work — adding to the
state’s fiscal crisis, and creating clear conflicts
of interest in areas of environmental monitoring and
safety at our hospitals and nursing homes.
We will continue to do our jobs to keep New York working.
Fairness demands the wealthiest citizens and profitable
corporations do theirs.
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COMMUNICATOR HOMEPAGE
Inside This Issue:
Features
PEF fires back in budget
battles for state services
PEF fights to raise state
revenues
Budget cuts leave research
in tatters
Unions may unite in battle
over health benefits
DEC: Polluters’ lackies
can replace state monitors
Departments
President's Message: NYS
budget must be fair
You Said It: Member's
letters this month
Health & Safety:
Evaluating your safety risks
Member Mobilization:
Building Survivor Skills
Nurses' Station: Lobby Day
plans for May 5th
Retirees In Action: Fight
health insurance hike
PEF Membership Benefits
Program & Travel Corp
Members In Action
Union Matters
'Operation Enduring Freedom'
with state workers
DOH members ahead in
evacuation planning
Call for Delegates: Annual
Convention Rules
Member dons dress to raise
$$ for charity
Other Links
Professional Directory
Members' Classified
Member Communicator Feedback
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