Relationships add to PEF’s arsenal in fights for members

By KENNETH BRYNIEN
Last October, Roger Toussaint, the president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, addressed our annual convention saying, “What you do away from the bargaining table is as important as what you do at the bargaining table.”

That simple sentence applies not only to negotiations, but to almost everything we do — from negotiating contracts and fighting budget cuts, to getting legislation passed.

What we do away from the table helps us when we are at the table. These efforts include member involvement in mobilization, as well as, building relationships with management and legislators, other unions, or potential allies in our causes — all, ultimately, can affect our level of success in our endeavors.

Compared to years past, this year’s NYS Executive Budget had only a handful of issues that could negatively affect our members. We have worked, and will continue to work, to address those issues until there is a satisfactory solution for our members. Having to deal with just a few budget issues has allowed us to focus attention on building relationships with the new administration and laying a foundation for more cooperation at the agency level.

I have met with a number of the new commissioners, as well as the new state comptroller and the state budget director. At these meetings I have outlined many of our members’ concerns, most of which were greeted with positive concern and commitments to explore ways to address them that will meet the needs of our members as well as those of management. Most important has been the commitment to keep the lines of communication open.

We also have used this time to hone our positions for negotiations and worked to build stronger and more cooperative relationships with our sister unions on positions such as health insurance and location pay. We are ready to negotiate, but the state has not indicated that it is ready. I will continue to ask that this be put on the front burner, especially as budget negotiations draw to a close.

All of these efforts will increase our ability to effectively represent our members to protect their job security, get better contracts, make our pension benefits more secure and maintain civil service merit enforcement.

While we continue to build these relationships, we have not forgotten that sometimes it takes the muscle only you can provide — the muscle of a mobilized membership to make sure our issues are addressed to our satisfaction.

As the legislative session progresses and we move on to other challenges, I am confident that with your help we have what it takes to succeed.

The Communicator April 2007

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