By SHERRY HALBROOK
As the 2008 legislative session hits full stride in Albany, PEF is honing in on top legislative issues, as well as state budget bills.
The union is putting increasing pressure on state senators to pass a bill restricting mandatory overtime for nurses.
“This bill was passed by the state Assembly last year,” said PEF Legislative Director Brian Curran, “but, although it was reported out of committee in the Senate, it did not make to the floor for a vote.”
Since Sen. Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has the most influence over which bills come up for votes and when, top PEF leaders have met with Bruno to emphasize how important this legislation is to assuring quality patient care, to reduce state overtime costs and to reduce high burnout rates among public- and private-sector nurses.
For a number of years, Bruno has addressed nurses from PEF and other unions at their joint rallies in the spring and has consistently expressed support for this legislation.
However, the bill faces very strong opposition from hospitals and nursing homes that fear it would increase their operating costs.
Because bills introduced in “off years” of the state Legislature’s two-year election cycle continue forward into the second year with the same bill numbers, this mandatory overtime legislation is still listed as A.1898B/S.6342. Unfortunately, it must be brought to a vote again in the Assembly this year.
This year, the nurses are coming to Albany June 10 to rally and lobby lawmakers on this and other nursing legislation (if it hasn’t already passed) shortly before the 2008 legislative session is scheduled to end on June 23.
Among the other eight nursing-related bills PEF is supporting are:
• A.2316A/S.3101 – Judi’s Law requires safety measures at the state Office of Mental Health;
• A.5196/S.1267 – Nursing Care Quality Protection Act;
• A.6119/S.1551 – Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act; and
• A.8645A/S.4994B – Nursing Shortage Correction Act.
Because many PEF members are approaching retirement, the union feels a special sense of urgency in securing passage of pension and tier-reform legislation. Approximately 20 of the pending pension-related bills are supported by PEF.
Many members and retired members feel strongly they have been treated unfairly because they contributed to their state pensions for more than 10 years, before the 10-year limit on such contributions was established. A bill, A.7128/S.4554, would give extra service credit for contributing more than 10 years. This bill, sponsored by state Assembly Member Jack McEneny and Sen. Joseph Robach, is currently under review by committees in each house.
Another pension bill sponsored by McEneny would allow members of Tiers 2, 3 and 4 to retire with no reduction in their pension benefits after they have reached age 55 and have at least 25 years of service. Currently, these members face severe penalties – loss of up to 27 percent of their pension benefit – if they retire before age 62 and have less than 30 years of service. The Senate sponsor is John Flanagan.
PEF also supports bills to address other tier inequities, service credit issues and special retirement issues faced by members working in certain high-risk jobs.
Among other important pension bills PEF supports are those addressing such issues as: protection of state retirees’ health insurance benefits; improving pension adjustments for inflation; and raising the maximum amount of money retired public employees can earn without suffering pension reductions
PEF is monitoring hundreds of bills and has taken positions on many of them. For a complete list of this legislation, the status of each bill and PEF’s position on it, go online to PEF Political Action, then select Bills PEF Supports or Opposes for 2007/2008.
