UNITY — PEF President Ken Brynien speaks at
Ogdensburg community meeting in late January. — Photo by Lisa Pulver
We all have seen the polls and editorials targeting the state work force.
Pundits and commentators say public-employee unions are driving up the cost
of government and claim we have not sacrificed like private-sector
employees. These commentators lay the blame for the state’s fiscal crisis at
our feet, not on the “casino” capitalism that has driven the country and the
state to the brink of financial disaster. I will not allow our jobs, wages
and benefits to be sacrificed on the altar of misinformed public opinion.
The facts speak for themselves. Despite a growing need for the services our
members provide, the state has eliminated an average of 105 employees every
work week since March 2008. In constant dollars, the amount spent on state
employee wages has fallen over the last 20 years.
We are doing much more
with much less, and dollar-for-dollar provide the state’s citizens with
value that most people don’t realize or understand.
We continue to propose solutions to the state’s fiscal crisis that can save
the state more than would damaging cuts to the work force and our wages and
benefits. We propose real and recurring savings that are a long term
solution and will make the state more efficient and effective while still
providing vital services on which New York’s citizens rely.
We need your involvement now, more than ever. Our union is only as strong as
the support of our members.
We need you to help us to respond to the attacks on our jobs, wages and the
services we provide. When you read an article or editorial, or hear a news
report that attacks the work we do or the wages we earn, I urge you to
respond.
With your help we can preserve vital services, our members’ jobs, and the
wages and benefits we have earned and deserve.
Now,
more than ever, PEF needs your involvement
By
KENNETH BRYNIEN
The proposed state Executive Budget for 2010-11 continues a decade-long
trend of whittling away at the state work force and the state services our
members provide. It also includes a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar cut in
funding for “negotiated” concessions, identified in the proposal, with which
we cannot and will not agree.
Our job of protecting the work force and services our members provide, as
well as the gains in wages and benefits we deserve and have worked hard to
achieve, will be a daunting task.
Do the write thing:
Help PEF’s voice be heard. Write to your local newspapers, e-mail political
blogs, call the talk shows and tell them about the important services PEF
members provide. For help with fact-checking or expressing your thoughts,
e-mail
dmiles@pef.org and PEF will send you a pen with the message, I did the
“write” thing.
