To the Editor:
I have no argument that the imposition of mandatory influenza vaccinations, seasonal and H1N1, as a condition of employment changes the current PEF contract. However, as a former infection control nurse, I do take issue with PEF stating the state must do more to educate its workers on the benefits of influenza vaccines.
PEF-represented infection control nurses, working in state facilities, work tirelessly to educate their co-workers and encourage them to get vaccinated against all vaccine-preventable illnesses, including influenza. Despite their Herculean efforts, the number of health care workers vaccinated annually remains at about 40 percent.
Stating "the state" should educate more is a slap in the face to infection preventionists because it implies they haven't done a good job, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
THOM DUDKOWSKI
Lockport
Offer severance to all eligible
To the Editor:
Since when does a governor allow agency commissioners to tell him how many folks they will allow to take the severance package, thereby, thwarting executive attempts to trim the budget deficit?
This package should be offered to all eligible employees, regardless of whether or not certain agencies have met staffing requirements. The only way they have met staffing requirements is by refusing to hire over the years of freezes and making others double up on work. Why should these agencies be rewarded for this “sweatshop” attitude?
I am calling on the governor to show us just who is in charge and mandate all state agencies to offer this benefit to all who qualify.
I was refused this benefit by my agency, and I’ll do what I have to, to see it doesn’t happen again.
ALAN HOXIE
Syracuse
The Communicator Letters policy
We welcome letters to the editor about union issues and events relevant to PEF's diverse membership. All letters are subject to editing for space, fairness and good taste.
Please keep them brief (up to one page, double-spaced or a maximum of 250 words), and please include your name and phone number for verification.
Send letters to thecommunicator@pef.org:
The Communicator
Public Employees Federation
P.O. Box 12414
Albany, N.Y. 12212-2414
Email to Sherry Halbrook, Editor or Darcy Wells, Editor-In Chief
