By DEBORAH A. MILES
PEF members who work at the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) should take a bow. The effort they made January 13 by wearing stickers to fight privatization paid off.
The Margaretville Individualized Residential Alternative (IRA), a part of the Broome Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO), was a target for possible privatization.
The jobs of the PEF members who work there appeared safe, but approximately a dozen Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members were transferred to other facilities.
PEF Executive Board member Jim Moffitt said it’s important to nip in the bud any attempt to privatize a facility.
“The effort to stop the privatization of Margaretville began at the November Executive Board meeting where the campaign was developed,” Moffitt said.
“This win is a culmination of a four-pronged attack against privatization. Nearly 5,000 members in OMRDD mobilized statewide to send a message. That resulted in a successful sticker campaign. We also filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see OMRDD’s cost study report on Margaretville and we lobbied local lawmakers.
“PEF was told the situation at Margaretville was a done deal. We heard that from many people. But we went ahead and we won,” Moffit said. “All our members should know not to give up a fight, even when you are told it is a lost cause.”
Ed Snow, PEF labor-management chair for OMRDD, also said he was told Margaretville was a “done deal.”
“Our success in whatever endeavor we take on comes from our union activists and good union leadership on all levels,” Snow said.
PEF Division 197 Council Leader Tim Nannery credited PEF steward Carolyn Cole, a mental health nurse at Broome DDSO, for bringing the issue to him.
“It’s important to give credit to our members who see what is happening on a day-to-day basis. This win is a result of one person getting involved that led to 5,000,” Nannery said.
“The mobilization of the people around the state was very inspiring. As a council leader, it was great to see the support from PEF’s Executive Board and its professional staff. That, in itself, regardless of the outcome, was a win for us as a union.”
Nannery also said it was important for PEF to stop the possible privatization before Margaretville set a precedent around the state.
“This is one issue behind us,” he said. “Privatization is a constant threat. We still need to work cohesively and collectively with other unions and management to keep our members’ jobs safe.
