PEF pressure shifts

By DEBORAH A. MILES
There’s an old saying, “When the winds of change blow, adjust your sails.”

That’s exactly what PEF members at the state Department of Transportation (DOT) did when nearly 1,100 employees took the early retirement incentive, resigned or transferred during the last decade.

Within the last few years, members realized they had to change their course of action to refill the vacant jobs at DOT. They united, fought hard, and brought their issues to higher levels. Now, they are beginning to see the winds of change blow in their favor.

DOT has taken a new direction that benefits not only state workers, but taxpayers. It is finally hiring state workers, instead of giving the work to high-cost private contractors.

“DOT has put together a budget initiative to add eight additional in-house bridge inspection teams in the next two years,” said Lou Ferrone Jr., PEF labor-management chair at DOT. This package includes bridge maintenance staff and equipment. The initiative is currently under review. At the end of the two years, there will be more in-house inspection teams than consultants.”

“This is a victory for PEF,” said Darlene Morabito, a civil engineer 1 and PEF Division 256 member. “It’s a starting point in one small area and we are hoping the hiring of state employees will also be visible in other areas of DOT.

“We are getting back to where we were with state bridge inspectors before so many of our colleagues retired,” she said.

Along with Ferrone, Morabito testified at a hearing of the Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation in March 2006 that highlighted the issue of paying expensive consultants to perform work state DOT employees could do for less.

“That hearing may have been a pivotal point because PEF built a strong case and had solid evidence,” Morabito said. “Lawmakers really listened to what we had to say. They understood the numbers, but they also started to understand the personal pride state bridge inspectors take.”

Daniel Majeski, a civil engineer, PEF Division 227 council leader and Executive Board member, agreed.
“If PEF didn’t bring this to the forefront in state government, more consultants would be on the scene.

This is a victory in many ways. There is an enormous savings for taxpayers. Also, consultants do take pride in their work as engineers, but they look at a bridge once or twice. There is a high turnover, whereas a state bridge inspector has ongoing training, consistency and comparative value. It’s the trained eye versus a revolving-door type of inspection,” Majeski said.

In the Binghamton area where he works, Majeski said DOT has a unique situation with bridges in seven counties to inspect.

“Currently, we have two inspection teams with hiring interviews being held for a third. Ideally, we should have four to five teams in the Binghamton region,” he said.

Ferrone said a total of eight teams will be added during this year and next in various DOT regions. “The department has increased its recruiting to the southern states. We are approximately 300-400 employees below the target. With the course we took to get here, we are better off than a year ago.

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